So while Cherry Hill residents may have been disappointed, Lou Jr. was content to go back to running the bakery. No reason to change what worked for four generations, be it the nature of the business or the recipe for the bread.
Where To Buy Sarcone's Bread
Dad continues. The alternative is metal, an oven that revolves. The only thing that revolves in a brick oven is our bakers. We go in with 15-foot sticks and move the bread around ourselves, to the hot spot in the oven.
Taryn Varricchio: If you're visiting Philly for the first time, this rectangular loaf of bread dressed in red tomato sauce might not be at the top of your food bucket list, but locals will tell you it's a must-try. This is tomato pie, and it's one of the city's oldest and most favorite dishes.
Taryn: We're in South Philly today, which is basically like the Italian neighborhood of Philadelphia, and we're heading to Sarcone's Bakery to try tomato pie. I have never heard of it because I'm not from this area, so we wanna know, why are Philadelphians so into tomato pie? Let's go find out. Tomato pie has been a beloved piece of Philly's culinary scene for decades. It starts with a thick bottom layer of bread dough molded into a rectangular shape. At Sarcone's, the pie is partially baked in a massive, decades-old brick oven until lightly crisped. Current owner Lou and his father, Luigi, use a 15-foot peel to pull it out before spreading on heavy helpings of the family's original tomato sauce, what they call "gravy" at the shop. Once the gravy is spread evenly, the pie heads back into the oven for several minutes more, ensuring the crust cooks all the way through and turns a golden brown. It becomes firm on the bottom with a soft, fluffy texture on top that absorbs each bite of savory gravy.
Taryn: Thick square slices are set at the front of the store, where they're wrapped in wax paper and often served at room temperature. Some customers grab a slice on the go, while others pick up whole pies to bring back to the office.
Taryn: I'm eating this room temperature right now, and so it more of less reminds me of an appetizer, like focaccia with sauce on top, and so, like, I can imagine eating this before a meal, before I had pasta for dinner, or picking this up. And, like, people were telling us this is a grab-and-go snack for them. Tomato pie is a century-old tradition started by Italian immigrants who settled in South Philly and began working at bakeries in the early 1900s. At the end of the day, they would turn any leftover bread into tomato pie.
Louis Sarcone III: What bakers used to do back then, whenever they had leftover dough, they would just, instead of having it go to waste, they would make pizza shells out of it. So, it's a little bit different than a normal pizza, 'cause the dough is not a pizza dough. It's a bread dough.
Taryn: It has much more of a bread-like texture. It's not pizza dough, as Lou was telling us, and so it's very airy and kind of light. So you're biting into it, it's like biting into a cloud rather than biting into, like, dense crust of a pizza.
The resilient Sarcone's Bakery dates back five generations to 1918, selling excellent breads though two World Wars, the Great Depression, multiple recessions and a fire in 2000 that closed the shop for less than 24 hours.
As for the bread, Le Pain Quotidien offers the finest wheat, rye, walnut and 5-grain loaves in town. And if, after seeing the masters at work, you want to get in on the act yourself, the shop offers classes to learn artisanal methods and recipes.
Specializing in sourdough breads made with freshly milled whole grains, Head Baker Michael Dolich launched Four Worlds with a firm foot in the artisanal tradition. Head Baker Michael Dolich and his team are constantly refining their process to produce subtle differences and specials from week to week.
For the comprehensive selection of breads, Baker Street Bread in Chestnut Hill is second to none. Yes, this is your spot to get the last marble rye. Even if they run out, you can always audible to pumpernickel or select from a menu of artisan loaves including sourdough, multi-grain, sesame honey and French boule, among many others.
Other tomato pies, exemplified by those in Trenton, New Jersey, first top the crust with mozzarella, then with sauce. (Some say "gravy.") Sarcone's prepares the archtypal Philadelphia style, which has little cheese and is served at room temperature. The effect is similar to swabbing your spaghetti plate with good bread for a last saucy dose of garlic and oregano.
37 South Eagle Rd
Havertown, PA 19083
With every hoagie made on Sarcone's bread, you don't get more Philly than Bria & Latella's. And they make cheesesteaks, chicken cutlets, and roast pork, too. What's better than that?
We went to about 5 bakeries in south Philadelphia to try the different tomato pies. They were all delicious in their own way. Sarcone's was far and away the best. To be honest, there's very little reason to go anywhere else. The canoli was also delicious. May 2022 I CAN-NOLI IMAGINE [email protected]_bakery ??? ? South Philly, PADon't be fooled by this little shop entrance. This bakery is filled with history , character, and women power ? in the front + multiple Louis Sarcones baking behind the scenes ? it is a 5th generation Italian bakery started in 1918 with pizzas, Italian cookies, Italian baked bread/goods . More than 90 YEARS OF EXPERIENCEToo tempted to grab this before lunch that day ? . And of course, we needed to try their Cannoli! Packed...read full review May 2022 It's really the last of thee places to go for old fashioned home cooked bread. Louis and Linda have done a great job...a long way since Kingston Drive..when I met them in ...dare I say it..the 1970s at Camden Catholic..I believe Louis went to Cherry Hill West...I actually walked in the other day...after not seeing them in literally 30 years to buy some rolls..obviously there is something in that bread that still makes them look way younger than me..lol More Reviews(106)
The Junk Yard Special at Sarcone's Deli is anything but a pile of junk. Owner Anthony Bucci stuffs mozzarella, provolone, spinach, roasted peppers, fresh basil and more inside delicious sesame seed bread. That's why Adam Gertler calls this Philly fave "hoagie heaven" on The Best Thing I Ever Ate. It is also home to the famous Tomato Pie. The Tomato Pie was born of the extra dough left over at the end of the day. The dough is topped with a simple tomato sauce, oregano and olive oil and baked in a 50-foot-long brick oven.
This bread can be made in any shape you like. We've shaped them into portion-sized baguette shapes to make sandwiches. You could make rolls, or pop in a loaf pan or a round cake pan and make a whole bread loaf.
if you're cooking for a crowd, you could make up a couple of batches of this bread in one go and then divide the dough into single-sized portions and make mini baguette-sized rolls, or small round rolls. Serve with soup, slice into finger-sized pieces and add with a lovely dip, make sandwiches or sub rolls with whatever fillings you enjoy, the list is endless!
This delicious recipe has been generously shared by one of our Lovefoodie supporters, Frances Carbone Hibberd.
Here, Frances has made Philadelphia Italian Bread, and they sure look delicious! Frances says this: "These breads are great for sub sandwiches or cheesesteak sandwiches or just for dipping in marinara sauce or olive oil. They are a crusty bread and easy to make. I have made these by hand, only using a mixer at the beginning".
They're great for cutting into small slices and serving at parties etc.
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No-Knead Heritage Bread recipe, a lovely soft bread, a mix of white and whole wheat flour, and a variety of seeds. Delicious served warm with a big bowl of soup or simply in slices with a generous spread of butter.
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