Omar S.
Yelp
Italian Bakery Tour - Sarcone's Bakery
I've been baking for the last 3 years, since COVID began, and while I've had some successes, I haven't yet mastered two native Philadelphian baked goods - Hoagie (or "sub" or "grinder") Rolls and Tomato Pie, an Italian-American/Philly take on Sicily's Sfincione Palermitano.
So, one day in April 2023, I partnered with my Yelp buddy, Gerald S., to traverse the Greater Philadelphia area, visiting five well-known and respected Italian bakeries, sampling those two things.
I wanted to understand the nature of those breads, to understand their common traits - size and weight, density, crumb size; and, in the case of Tomato Pie, the sweet/acid/spice taste of its sauce.
Of course, none of the bakeries that I visited would share their recipes, but I hoped to return to San Diego with a good idea of how to fiddle with recipes I have on hand, to make hoagie rolls and tomato pie similar to those I ate in Philly.
SARCONE'S BAKERY
Hoagie Rolls
While none of the hoagie rolls I sampled from the five bakeries on my "tour" were unpalatable, those I ate at Sarcone's were the absolute best. If I lived in Philadelphia, I'd purchase them regularly, and as I don't, theirs are the ones that I'll try to replicate at home.
Sarcone's unseeded hoagie roll was wrapped in a thin, crispy crust that yielded to moderate pressure; once released, it immediately sprung back into shape. Their seeded roll, which has become the preferred roll for many of Philadelphia's hoagie and steak shops, had the same attributes, and it had the advantage of being flavored by the nutty toasted sesame seeds that ran along its top.
The dough for these rolls tasted a tad fermented, as good breads do. My guess is that it contained sugar, and perhaps a little oil or shortening, making the rolls "fluffy" and more flavorful that their competitors'. Their crumb was fine, tight and even, with no large bubbles.
[EDIT: In 2014, fourth generation owner Lou Sarcone, Jr. told JerseyMan Magazine this:
"I've never changed the recipe...[s]ometimes the quality of the flour may change, maybe protein levels aren't there and you have to add a little bit of protein. We do have to adjust for that. But as far as changing the recipe, no. It's water, flour, salt and yeast."
"It's a six hour process. We have a guy that comes in at 12:00 every night. The dough sits for two hours. The bakers start coming in at 2:00 AM, processing the dough, the various shapes, sizes, and measures. It takes two hours to do that, so that's four hours. Then they have to turn it into a loaf of bread, turn it into a roll, so by the time the bread is mixed and comes out of the oven, it's six hours. https://tinyurl.com/mr298pjj ]
The unseeded rolls were 30" long, 9" in circumference and weighed ~400g. A 4" midsection weighed ~95g. I estimate the density of the baked rolls at 0.22485 g/cm3.
Tomato Pie
It should be said that I'm not an enthusiastic fan of tomato pie. I don't dislike it, but I have some difficulty distinguishing it from the bread I dip into my tomato sauce as it bubbles on the stove when I want to test for saltiness.
However, Sarcone's tomato pie was tasty, and if tomato pie was what I wanted, I'd buy their slice first.
Its crust was light and crispy along the edge, and the bottom was neither soggy nor greasy. Each slice was ~6.5" x 4", and soft without sagging.
The pie's sauce had a nice tomato flavor that was neither too sweet nor too herbal, and though a first bite delivered what my notes say was a "nice garlic hit," it wasn't overwhelming.
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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Sarcone's Bakery: https://tinyurl.com/zkhavfnp
Conshohocken Italian Bakery: https://tinyurl.com/4ffak98y
RECOMMENDED
New York Bakery: https://tinyurl.com/bdhtunz8
Cacia's Bakery: https://tinyurl.com/mw9yf6v8
NOT RECOMMENDED
Corropolese Italian Bakery & Deli: https://tinyurl.com/26upuxdx
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