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It’s that time of year again — it’s time for the Forward Food Awards, where we celebrate food as an essential part of Jewish life and ask you, our readers, to pick their favorite places to fress.

The nominees were chosen by Forward staff, but the choice of winners is entirely up to our readers.

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Here are the nominees for Best Bakery for the 2018 Forward Food Awards:

Zingerman’s Bakehouse

Tucked in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the only access to Jewish foods many people in Middle America can get, this picaresque, cozy bakehouse is both a community staple and a historical icon, offering Jewish classics, soups, sandwiches and a taste of your mother’s cooking.

A post shared by Zingerman’s Bakehouse (@zingermansbakehouse) on Jul 30, 2018 at 7:21am PDT

Breads Bakery

Tourists come to New York to try this bakery’s world famous babka. A new York mainstay, there’s no talking about Jewish baked goods without talking about Breads Bakery. Every day, babka, rugelach and challah are made fresh, from scratch, on site, to feed the souls and stomachs of everyone who passes by its irresistible smell. Not to mention their artisanal challahs are to die for.

A post shared by Breads Bakery™ (@breadsbakery) on Jun 29, 2018 at 3:30pm PDT

Orwasher’s

This New York City institution doesn’t rest complacently on its laurels. After being founded in 1916 by an immigrant family with a focus on high quality bread, Orwasher’s has never strayed from its mission of offering high quality food. Since then, they’ve partnered with regional farmers for raw materials, have created partnerships with local wineries and are continue to experiment with their line of addicting breads that seem to have just the right amount of crunch.

A post shared by Orwasher’s (@orwashers) on Jul 7, 2018 at 4:51am PDT

Mansoura Bakery

Owned by a Syrian Jewish family whipping up recipes that go back a whopping three hundred years, this kosher joint is a respectable, no nonsense place where you can grab some show stopping baklava with 70 layers of phyllo dough. From basbousa to Turkish delights, if you’re looking for some authentic Syrian Jewish desserts, Mansoura’s got you covered.

A post shared by Mansoura® (@mansourapastries) on Apr 12, 2018 at 1:44pm PDT

Moishe’s Bake Shop

Let’s get traditional with these true to the recipe, loyally reconstructed takes on the Jewish food you remember. Whether it’s strudel, challah or hamantashen that you crave, Moishe’s has you covered. Opened by Moishe Perl in the 1970s and closed on Shabbat, this enduring communal linchpin has fed many a homesick Jew over the years and will continue to.

A post shared by Lauhound.com (@lauhound_blog) on Aug 6, 2018 at 4:50am PDT

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