If you know someone who likes to bake, you might find a pretty normal stand mixer with about a five-quart bowl in their home. Something that size can make up to eight dozen cookies in a single batch (according to an online description for a Kitchenaid Classic).

But Hannah Wolfman-Arent is not your typical home baker.

Cozy as it is, her kitchen features a 20-quart Hobart mixer. The kind that have been around long enough, she says, that someone can fix it if it breaks down. She has many scales for flour, lots of proofing baskets, and not one but two ovens that she uses to make familiar breads like challah – a soft enriched loaf of Ashkenazi Jewish origins.

“I grew up with challah,” says Wolfman-Arent. “My mom, we would make the dough in the bread machine, and then we’d pull it out of the bread machine and braid it.”

For almost two years, she’s been running a microbakery from her home in Northwest D.C., hence the need for the heavy duty equipment. And the challah is not the only thing she bakes. Every month, she sells dozens of crusty loaves, focaccia, and more with a model that allows customers to order items a la carte or through a subscription – similar to community supported agriculture memberships offered by local farms.

It’s called Velvel Breads, and takes some inspiration from her upbringing.

“Velvel is like a Yiddish boy’s name, meaning wolf or little wolf. And my last name is Wolfman-Arent. So it’s like a nod to me and then to my heritage as an Ashkenazi Jew,” she says.

While Wolfman-Arent says her goods are not exclusive to the Jewish community, she is happy that many come for her challah to welcome in the Sabbath, which runs from Friday nights to Saturday nights. She’s also had people bring the challah to a shiva, which is a mourning practice for Jewish people.

“That just feels really special to be part of people’s lives in that way,” says Wolfman-Arent.

James Bickford says it’s not always easy to get good and reliable challah in D.C., so he’s grateful for Wolfman-Arent. He’s a longtime customer and usually picks up orders for each Sabbath. At home, his family serves it on a plate that was gifted to his wife for her bat mitzvah.

“It’s certainly meaningful to us to have someone in our community doing what she does as well as she does. It’s a real pleasure to bring home and enjoy,” Bickford says.

With the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) right around the corner this month, Wolfman-Arent has put together a special menu – including traditional goods like apple cake, babka, rugelach, and much more. It’s now live and she’s taking orders until it sells out.

“This is a really special time of year to me. It’s like a time of reflection and like growth and starting again and I just love this time of year. And I know a lot of the people in the community do too. So it does just feel special to contribute anything,” says Wolfman-Arent.

Orders can be made online anytime for pick up on Wednesdays and Fridays throughout September at several locations in D.C.

Here are a few more local businesses selling goods for the High Holidays

• Pastry Chef Alex Levin’s 5th Annual Rosh Hashanah Pop-up Bakery: By the time Alex Levin was in kindergarten, he already knew how to braid challah bread. It was a skill that his maternal grandmother, Martha, taught him to do. Now, the award-winning pastry chef is sharing his Jewish heritage through chocolate chunk cookies, rugelach, and other treats – and just in time for the High Holidays. Orders can be made for pickup at 1926 14th St. NW in D.C. or 2911 District Ave. in Fairfax, Virginia. between 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on September 14 or 15.
• 2023 High Holidays Menu for Silver and Sons BBQ: With two food trucks operating in Montgomery County, Chef Jarrad Silver is blending his Jewish upbringing with both Mediterranean and American style barbecue to serve up bites like challah rolls with pulled lamb shoulder. For Rosh Hashanah, they’re putting together an expansive menu that features items like schmaltz roasted potatoes and apple challah bread pudding. The Yom Kippur menu includes brisket bourekas, chocolate tahini rugelach, and more. Orders can be made for pick-up at 11910 Parklawn Dr. #0 in Rockville, Maryland.
• High Holidays Items for Baked by Yael: This nut-free and kosher local bakery offers online orders year round. For the High Holidays, they’re offering both vegan and non-vegan, raisin or plain challah. They’ve also got cinnamon and chocolate babka, as well as a new apple cake made with fresh apples. Orders can be made for curbside pickup at several locations, as well as local delivery and nationwide shipping.