New York bakeries churn out holiday challah

The "challah-days" are here.

Rosh Hashanah starts Wednesday at sundown and that means city bakeries are churning out loaf after golden loaf.

"My team right now has produced about 5,000 loaves," said Keith Cohen, owner of Orwashers, which has been around since 1916. Cohen's staff has been working around the clock to fill holiday orders.

"For 100 years now we've been famous for our challahs," Cohen said from the bakery's new Upper West Side location. "We make two varieties, a plain and a raisin."

This year, Orwashers is trying out a new twist: chocolate chips. Cohen says it is a mix of Vahlrona chocolate and their classic dough.

"The chocolate is just fantastic," he said.

Meanwhile, across town, William Greenberg Desserts was also gearing up for one of the busiest stretches of the year.

"We are going to have lines out the store starting 7 a.m. tomorrow morning," owner Carol Becker said. "The truck outside will be filled with preorders and they're going to be lined up by the truck and lined up here."

While traditionally challah bread is long and braided, it's baked into round loaves for the Jewish new year as a symbol of the circle of life.

Greenberg's has used the same challah recipe for 70 years and it has kept customers coming back.

"Of course we think our challahs are the best," Becker said. "They're very cakey very moist very soft."

"They are the best, I've been doing it for years and years and years," said longtime customer Patricia Weiss.

Greenberg's says they tend to run out of challah for the high holidays so if you want one, best to arrive early.