They adapted, baking whatever they could with the ingredients on hand, sometimes making purchases on the black market. A stack of cookies or even a few crackers would signal that the bakery was open amid chaos. “We always wanted to keep something in the windows,” Ms. Wardeh said.

When refugees arrived from other parts of the country, the couple did their best to feed them. When bullets pierced the windows, Mr. Homsi said, they slept on the floors to stay safe. And when the city became too dangerous, they left Hama, where they had both grown up before they were married, raised four children and started their business.

They arrived in the United States last March on permanent resident visas, living at first with one of their sons, a rheumatologist in Albany. They felt safe, but had little to do.

“We like to stay busy,” said Ms. Wardeh, 69.

Mr. Homsi took walks that lasted many hours. And he baked tray after tray of baklava filled with walnuts. Ms. Wardeh made issheh (sometimes known as ishta) from the skimmed top of heated and cooled milk, a specialty of bakers in Hama. Pressed, it takes on the texture of a tender, fresh cheese.