Bob’s Well Bread Brings Back Its Rosh Hashanah Challah

Preorder Now for September 11 and 12, the Bakery’s Round Challah Makes a Sweet Addition to the Rosh Hashanah Table

Rosh Hashanah Challah from Bob’s Well Bread | Photo: Courtesy

For Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Bob’s Well Bread Bakery is bringing back a holiday tradition that’s been in the making for thousands of years: its annual round challah.

Available for pickup at the bakery’s Los Alamos and Ballard locations on September 11 and 12, the challah comes in plain or raisin varieties for $15 each. Unlike the familiar braided loaf served throughout much of the year, challah for Rosh Hashanah is traditionally shaped into a round coil, symbolizing the continuous cycle of life and renewal in the New Year.

For Bob Oswaks, founder and owner of Bob’s Well Bread, making the holiday bread is a way of carrying that tradition forward. The bakery’s raisin-studded version follows another Rosh Hashanah custom, expressing the wish for a sweet New Year. Come the holiday, Oswaks says, the bread is also traditionally dipped in honey rather than salt.

Though Bob’s Well Bread makes challah every week for Friday Sabbath, preparing it for the High Holidays carries a little extra meaning. “It connects us to our Jewish roots and to the traditions we experienced growing up in Jewish households,” Oswaks says.

That sense of tradition is ultimately what Oswaks hopes comes through when the bread reaches the table. “We hope people experience the simple magic of bread,” he reflects, describing how a few basic ingredients, transformed through time and fermentation, can become something “far more meaningful than the sum of their parts.”

Whether served as part of a Rosh Hashanah celebration or simply enjoyed at home, the challah is, he says, “delicious, comforting, and satisfying” — a continuation of the Jewish bakery tradition of bringing people together around the table. And while the bread is made with the holiday in mind, Oswaks says it is just as meaningful to see people enjoy it whether or not they observe the Jewish New Year.

Pre-orders are now open through 5 p.m. Tuesday, September 8, and can be placed by emailing cesar@bobswellbread.com with a preferred pickup location. Limited quantities will also be available for walk-ins on September 11 and 12, first come, first served. The bakery will also offer its usual selection of breads, pastries, and desserts for takeout.

Orders can be emailed to cesar@bobswellbread.com.