PITTSBURGH -- Apples and honey on Rosh Hashanah is a pairing that stretches back thousands of years.

One of the blessings offered during the holiday celebrating the Jewish New Year is a year filled with sweetness. So it's customary to eat a lot of sweet foods to bring those wishes to fruition, says Chani Altein, co-director at Chabad of Squirrel Hill.

Usually it's just slices of the fall fruit served with honey for dipping. But in recent years, Altein decided to shake things up with a baking class at the center, in which participants learned to incorporate the two flavors in another iconic Jewish sweet: babka.

I wasn't able to make the class, but Altein graciously shared the recipe so I could try it myself at home. It was my first time making the cake-like bread, which features a sweet yeast dough that is filled, rolled, twisted and baked.

The hardest part, I quickly learned, was all the waiting. The dough needs to rise two times before it can be punched down, rolled out and filled with a sweet mix of apples simmered in honey and cinnamon. There's also something of a knack to braiding the loaves once they're filled, but luckily the recipe makes two loaves so the first allowed me to hone my technique, with help from a YouTube video that Altein emailed me along with the recipe.

Making it even more delicious: I happened to have a jar of honey from my sister Posie's small-batch Stoner Honey hives and also a big basket of apples she picked in Vermont.

Be sure to allow the babka to cool completely before slicing. While it's considered a dessert, it also is wonderful toasted and spread with butter for breakfast.

Babka can be stored in an air-tight container for up to five days, or frozen for up to three months (wrap in aluminum foil and place inside a plastic freezer bag).

Apple Honey Babka

PG tested

1 cup whole milk, heated to 110 degrees

3 teaspoons instant yeast

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into 12 pieces

For apple filling

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 pounds apples, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For simple syrup

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup water

Prepare the dough. Combine the milk, yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook or in a large glass mixing bowl. Mix together using the dough hook or whisk together by hand and set aside for 5 minutes, or until frothy.

On low speed (or by hand), beat in the remaining sugar, eggs and vanilla extract. Add in the flour, salt and cinnamon and mix just until the dough comes together, another 2-3 minutes.

Increase the speed to medium low and add the butter one piece at a time, beating after each addition until all butter has been added. Continue mixing with the dough hook or kneading by hand until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough into a large lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Set aside to rise in a warm location for 1 hour, until increased approximately three-quarters in size (room temperature may take closer to two hours). Transfer the bowl to a refrigerator, still covered, and set aside for at least 1 hour, until dough has doubled in size and is firm to the touch.

Prepare the filling. While the babka is rising in the refrigerator, prepare the apple filling. Core and chop the apples into small pieces. Pour the honey into a small saucepan and bring to a slow simmer. Add in the apples, salt and cinnamon and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Shape the babka. Grease two 9x5-inch loaf pans. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and gently punch it down. Cut the dough in half; remove half from the bowl and recover the other half and set aside.

Roll the dough into a roughly 9-inch by 18-inch rectangle. Spread half the filling over the dough, leaving a slight border along the edges. Spread half of the apple filling across the dough. Working from the long side of the dough, roll the dough into a long cylinder.

Using a sharp knife, cut the dough in half long-ways down the length of the cylinder to expose the apple filling, creating two logs of dough. Twist these two logs together. Fold in half one more time, twisting again, and place dough in the prepared loaf pan. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Cover both loaf pans with plastic wrap or a dish towel and set aside to rise again at room temperature, for another hour. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

While loaves are resting, make the honey simple syrup. Combine the honey and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.

Place loaves in hot oven and bake 40 to 50 minutes, until the top of the loaf is golden brown and the inside registers 190 degrees using an instant read thermometer. As soon as the babkas are done baking and come out of the oven, use a long skewer or knife to poke holes all over the bread, pushing all the way down to the bottom.

Brush the simple syrup on top, equally dividing between the two loaves. Allow the breads to cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Makes 2 loaves.

— Chani Altein, Chabah of Squirrel Hill