There are many products sold in the Jewish supermarkets that are labeled “Gebaken noch Pesach” (Baked after Pesach), and some labels even state that it was baked from flour which was ground after Pesach. The reason for these labels is that some people are careful not to sell absolute chometz for the duration of Pesach, and therefore they also do not wish to buy such chometz after Pesach from a vendor who sold it. However, the reality is that selling absolute chometz for the duration of Pesach poses no real halachic problem, and there certainly is absolutely nothing wrong with buying products that were baked before Pesach, as long as they were sold in the proper halachic manner.


In many cases, however, it is possible that despite assurances otherwise these items were actually baked before Pesach, and if indeed they were baked after Pesach, very often the dough had been prepared well before Pesach and only baked after Pesach, which does not make much difference from a halachic standpoint. In most cases, the flour was ground before Pesach—and flour is often absolute chometz; even if the flour was ground after Pesach and the dough prepared after Pesach, the baked products almost always contain added gluten, bread improvers, and many other additives which are all absolute chometz and were in possession of the bakery before Pesach. Of course, since the whole “Baked after Pesach” concept is not rooted in halachah, one need not be concerned about the flour or additives. It should also be pointed out that many vendors sell the “Baked after Pesach” products immediately after Pesach and leave the pre-Pesach products for subsequent weeks.