Photos by Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal

Sarah Besser (second from left) laughs as her friend Deena Notowich (third from left) plays with her sticky dough during the Mega Challah Bake at the Chabad Center canada goose langford parka black friday for Jewish Life.

cheap canada goose uk Sarah Besser (second from left) laughs as her friend Deena Notowich (third from left) plays with her sticky dough during the Mega Challah Bake at canada goose trillium parka uk the Chabad Center for Jewish Life. cheap canada goose uk

‘>

buy canada goose jacket Sarah Besser (second from left) laughs as her friend Deena Notowich (third from left) plays with her sticky dough during the Mega Challah Bake at the canada goose down uk Chabad Center for Jewish Life. buy canada goose jacket

Many people enjoy eating the rich, slightly sweet braided bread known as challah pronounced with a guttural sound on the first syllable from canada goose outlet vip the back of the throat that doesn come naturally to many of us.

canada goose coats They might also know it makes wonderful French toast that becomes golden brown on the outside and almost custardy canada goose outlet new york city inside. canada goose coats

canada goose black friday sale But for Jews, challah is a must have when celebrating the weekly Sabbath on Friday nights and Saturdays and all other holiday meals except for the Passover cheap canada goose jacket mens seder. canada goose black friday sale

For Jewish women, making challah is a spiritually steeped activity dating back to the days of the first matriarch, Sarah, whose bread was said to stay miraculously fresh for more than a week while she was in her tent.

Canada Goose Outlet challah is a special canada https://www.rheingoenheim-info.de goose outlet fake mitzvah (commandment or good deed performed out of religious duty) that allows us to weave a physical act like making bread with a spiritual experience, said Rivky Klein, co leader of the Chabad Center for Jewish Life in East Memphis. Canada Goose Outlet

As women mix, knead and shape the bread, ancient texts and traditions suggest they have open channels for asking G d for blessings.

I joined more than 125 women ranging in age from teens to seniors from all streams of Judaism who sat shoulder to shoulder around round tables at the Mega Challah Bake held at the center.

of you will make your own challahs tonight by yourself, Klein assured even those who were attempting to make bread for the first time.

On the tables in front of each participant was everything needed to make two small loaves: A stainless steel mixing bowl, pastry brush and premeasured ingredients.

Step 1 was easy: Add warm water and sugar to the yeast, and wait for bubbles to appear. not stir, Klein repeated several times.

After about 5 minutes of kneading, the dough was back in the bowl and covered with a napkin.

Canada Goose sale mother always called this step the challah to sleep, Klein said. Canada Goose sale

canadian goose jacket During the 30 minute wait for the bread to rise, Mashi Lipskar, co leader of a Chabad center in Johannesburg, South Africa, spoke about the power of Jewish women. the end of her talk, we were ready to knead the dough again before shaping it into loaves, the most difficult part of the process. canadian goose jacket

We broke the dough balls into two pieces and then each piece into thirds that we rolled between our hands until they turned into ropes about 10 inches long.

Braiding three ropes, as we did, isn difficult, but some challah makers braid six or more ropes together in what seems like an intricate process.

Unless you learned this task at your mother elbow, you should consult the Internet for diagrams and videos for various challah braids and shapes.

canada goose uk outlet We put our challahs into two aluminum foil loaf pans with canada goose xxl uk plastic tops for ease of transporting them home. canada goose uk outlet

Canada Goose online Klein told everyone they could bake their loaves as soon as they got home or store them in the refrigerator to bake the next day. Canada Goose online

Canada Goose Coats On Sale To my eyes, one of my loaves came out of the oven looking almost perfect. And even though the braids on the other out of formation, I was not disappointed. I knew the irregular appearance just made the bread look cheap canada goose even more homemade. Canada Goose Coats On Sale

It hard to say how many of those attending will commit to making their own challah every week. As a novice bread maker, I feel confident in tackling the task again.

This site, which is aimed at a young generation of bread bakers, features nontraditional challah recipes such as banana chocolate, challahpe and cheese, pomegranate, raspberry cream cheese, lavender, rose and whisky toffee.

Those who will relegate home baking to an occasional pursuit can join the throngs who purchase perfect loaves from Ricki Cookie Corner in the Eastgate Shopping Center or from three Kroger stores canada goose outlet uk sale that carry the brand: Mendenhall, Poplar Plaza and Poplar canada goose outlet woodbury at Kirby.