Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of the world (Jewish New Year, in secular terms) starts tonight at sunset and concludes on Sunday at sunset this year. It is a time of prayer, reflection, and repentance, with a forward look at the coming year. It commemorates the creation of the world and marks the beginning of the Days of Awe, and culminates in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Traditional celebratory foods for Rosh Hashanah are ones with round shapes and sweet flavors. Circles symbolize the ongoing cycle of years and seasons. Sweetness symbolizes hope and blessings for the year ahead. Eating apples dipped in honey is a traditional custom, but Rosh Hashanah meals often include an assortment of sweet delicacies. This apple coffee cake takes about 4 hours to make due to 2 separate rise times for the dough, but it is a wonderful complement to the holiday meal. As well as any breakfast, brunch, snack, tea, or dessert opportunity!

Yeasted Apple Coffee Cake (adapted from bonappetit.com) Total Time Required: 4 hours + cooling time, Yield: 12 -16 servings

Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, melted and slightly cooled
• 1-1/4 ounce envelope active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 cup light brown sugar, divided
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
• zest & juice from 2 oranges, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon + pinch kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 pounds (about 4 large) Granny Smith apples , peeled, cored, very thinly sliced
• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation:

For the cake layer: Grease a 13×9″ baking dish with cooking spray. Mix the yeast with 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, and 1/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let it sit until it foams, about 5 minutes.

Whisk in the egg, and 1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, then stir in 1 cup of flour and mix it with a wooden spoon to incorporate the flour.

Sprinkle 2 additional cups of flour over the top, but do not mix it in. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm, draft-free spot until the mixture is visibly puffed and the layer of flour has cracks in places, about 60–90 minutes.

Add the sour cream, 2 teaspoons of orange zest, 1/3 cup orange juice, the baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt to the mixture. Mix on medium speed using the dough hook until it is smooth, elastic, and just sticking to the sides of bowl, about 4 minutes.

Add 6 tablespoons of the melted butter in 2 additions, beating well between each addition. Continue to beat the mixture until a soft, slightly glossy, sticky dough-batter hybrid forms, about 4 minutes.

Pat the dough into the prepared pan in an even layer, spreading it to the edges. Cover the pan and let it sit in a warm, draft-free spot until it is puffed and nearly doubled in size, 60–70 minutes.

Just before the dough is finished rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. Pulse 1/2 cup of flour, the oats, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a food processor a few times to combine.

Add 6 tablespoons of melted butter and process in long pulses until the streusel is the consistency of moist crumbs.

Arrange the apple slices over the dough in shingling rows, then sprinkle the streusel over top of the apples. Bake until the apples are tender and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45–60 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool completely.

When the cake is cooled, whisk the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl together until the icing is very thick and smooth and falls back onto itself in a slowly dissolving ribbon. Add more orange juice by the teaspoonful, if needed. Drizzle the glaze over the coffee cake.

Cut the cake into slices and serve with ice cream, if desired.

L’shana tovah  ~Linda

Yeasted Apple Coffee Cake (adapted from bonappetit.com) Total Time Required: 4 hours + cooling time, Yield: 12 -16 servings

Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, melted and slightly cooled
• 1-1/4 ounce envelope active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 cup light brown sugar, divided
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
• zest & juice from 2 oranges, divided
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon + pinch kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 pounds (about 4 large) Granny Smith apples , peeled, cored, very thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation:

For the cake layer: Grease a 13×9″ baking dish with cooking spray. Mix the yeast with 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar, and 1/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Let it sit until it foams, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the egg, and 1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons of brown sugar, then stir in 1 cup of flour and mix it with a wooden spoon to incorporate the flour. Sprinkle 2 additional cups of flour over the top, but do not mix it in. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm, draft-free spot until the mixture is visibly puffed and the layer of flour has cracks in places, about 60–90 minutes.

Add the sour cream, 2 teaspoons of orange zest, 1/3 cup orange juice, the baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt to the mixture. Mix on medium speed using the dough hook until it is smooth, elastic, and just sticking to the sides of bowl, about 4 minutes. Add 6 tablespoons of the melted butter in 2 additions, beating well between each addition. Continue to beat the mixture until a soft, slightly glossy, sticky dough-batter hybrid forms, about 4 minutes.

Pat the dough into the prepared pan in an even layer, spreading it to the edges. Cover the pan and let it sit in a warm, draft-free spot until it is puffed and nearly doubled in size, 60–70 minutes.

Just before the dough is finished rising, preheat the oven to 350°F. Pulse 1/2 cup of flour, the oats, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a food processor a few times to combine. Add 6 tablespoons of melted butter and process in long pulses until the streusel is the consistency of moist crumbs.

Arrange the apple slices over the dough in shingling rows, then sprinkle the streusel over top of the apples. Bake until the apples are tender and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45–60 minutes. Transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool completely.

When the cake is cooled, whisk the powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl together until the icing is very thick and smooth and falls back onto itself in a slowly dissolving ribbon. Add more orange juice by the teaspoonful, if needed. Drizzle the glaze over the coffee cake. Cut the cake into slices and serve with ice cream, if desired.