To braid a challah for Shabbat dinner, follow these steps:
Challah for the typical Shabbat dinner is a braided loaf -- not round. For Rosh Hashannah, however, Challah is traditionally made as a round loaf (sometimes a round braid). Roundness is symbolic of the completion of the cycle of the year.
It's used to cut the challah-bread on shabbat.
Sunset Friday evening is the start of Shabbat (the Sabbath), so typical rituals Friday afternoon include making challah (special bread, usually braided) for Shabbat dinner, and part of this is "taking challah," removing two balls of dough, the size of large marbles, and tossing them in the back of the oven to be burned after saying a blessing. No later than just before sunset, the Shabbat candles are lit, with a blessing. Traditionally, this and "taking challah" was the woman's obligation. After the candles are lit, the meal begins with Shabbat Kiddush, a blessing over the wine, and then over the challah. The challah is usually covered with anything from a napkin to an ornate challah cover during the blessing over the wine "to keep it from being embarrassed." If a family can only afford meat one meal a week, tradition says they should eat that meat for their Shabbat dinner, but this does not demand meat at the Sabbath, it merely asks that the Shabbat dinner be the best meal of the week. If you're going to splurge one meal a week, this is it. After the meal, since it did contain bread, the longer grace after meals is said, with Shabbat additions. (the tradition has shorter graces after meals with no bread, and even shorter forms if the meal has no grain products at all.) In addition, there are communial Erev Shabbat (Shabbat Eve) services. Traditionally, only men are obligated to attend these. The Erev Shabbat service may be before dinner, frequently combined with a Friday afternoon service, or it may be after dinner. The time of sunset swings wildly for those not living near the equator, so some communities do things differently in the summer and winter.
You can learn how to braid challah bread by following a recipe that includes step-by-step instructions and watching video tutorials online for visual guidance. Practice and patience are key to mastering the technique.
Candles, wine, and challah bread
It's known as a Shabbat Challah Cutter.
I think you're asking about "challah". It's a Jewish bread eaten during Shabbat.
The sabbath is an everlasting covenant between the Jewish people and G-d. A part of its observance is to enjoy the day. Meals eaten at night, during the morning and late afternoon are all part of its observance and enjoyment.
Shabbat dinner on Friday Evening is usually the most elaborate meal of the week. Observant Jews will light shabbat candles at home just before sunset, and begin the meal with kiddush, a special prayer and blessing over wine and bread. The bread is frequently challah, specially baked for Shabbat. If there is not a communal Shabbat kiddush luncheon in the synagogue, Shabbat lunch at home may be more ornate than the usual lunch, either with cold leftovers from dinner, or special dishes like cholent that are slow cooked overnight. At the end of Shabbat, there is a special prayer and ritual called Havdallah that divides Shabbat from the mundane days of the week. All of the Shabbat religious services can be held in the home for Jews who do not go to the synagogue for communal services.
In addition to referring to the special egg bread eaten on Shabbat, חלה also means "to be sick".
The basic necessities for observing Shabbat are:Shabbat candles (at least 2) and an appropriate candle holder.Wine (grape juice is fine if you don't like wine) that is certified kosher.Two challot (plural of challah).Additionally, it's expected that we serve at least two different kinds of meat for the Shabbat dinner (Friday evening) [unless you are a vegetarian].And, as no cooking is allowed once Shabbat starts, many people use a slow cooker or Shabbat compliant oven (one that doesn't auto-shut off) to prepare a hot meal for lunch Shabbat day (Saturday) in advance.
There is no Hebrew word for pretzel, but you can spell it phonetically as פרצל. (Israelis often refer to pretzels as "bagels".)