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We sampled creations from Pizza Jawn, Down North Pizza, Pizza Plus, and Freelance Pizza — and you can try them this weekend.
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Lard bread is finally making its way down to Philadelphia — or that’s the plan, anyway. Sometimes called prosciutto bread or ciccioli bread, it’s long been a popular snack in Italian American neighborhoods around Brooklyn and North Jersey.
Despite Philly’s strong Italian American heritage, lard bread isn’t really a thing here. Yet.
I have fond memories of weekends noshing on loaves from Mazzola Bakery and Caputo’s Bake Shop when I lived in that other city. When I moved to South Philly six years ago, I was sure I could find a new go-to. But when I ask around, I’m met with confusing stares. People respond with their own question: “What the heck is lard bread?”
Don’t let the term “lard” scare you. Picture a stromboli, formed into a long roll or a ring, its dough studded with bits of prosciutto, salami, or maybe pepperoni. Rolled between the layers is lard and provolone. There’s also usually a ton of cracked black pepper throughout, for that final kick. The end result is an easy-eating, pull-apart loaf full of melty, gooey deliciousness.
Could this pork-stuffed treat join tomato pie, hoagies, and soft pretzels as a Philadelphia bread staple? I teamed with Billy Penn to challenge four local pizza makers to study up and bake their own versions.
The results were pretty fantastic — check out a recap (and a recipe) below.
WHYY’s You Oughta Know came along to shoot video, so you can watch the fun we had at Freelance Pizza, Pizza Plus West, Down North Pizza, and Pizza Jawn for yourself.
Also! You can try three lard bread variations in person during this weekend’s #LardBreadPHL crawl (RSVP here), and even win a $25 gift card to each spot. Scroll down for all the details.
A Comcast staffer by day, Dave Quaile gives new meaning to pizza aficionados. Not only is his South Philly rowhome covered in memorabilia, but he’s known to give out free pies to people who swing by. He also hosts pop-ups at spots around the city, like Rally and Ortlieb’s.
Over the past two years, Quaile has spent his spare time recipe-testing local favorites like tomato pie, focaccia, square pies — and now lard bread. For this challenge, he turned to memories of Sunday dinners at his grandma’s house.
“I had a vague memory of a round peppery bread with big chunks of prosciutto… and it all came back to me,” Quaile recalled.
His take is a firm, ring-shaped dough that’s slightly twisted to seal in a handful of prosciutto cubes and black pepper, with fat and butter brushed over the top for a crust with a good bit of crunch. Coming up with the right results took testing out a “surprising” amount of temperatures and resting times he said.
When his parents heard about the project, he baked another loaf just for them. After trying it myself, I’m confident lard bread will be Freelance Pizza’s next cult hit.
First was Pizza Gutt, operating from the back of W/N W/N coffee bar, then came a Kensington storefront called Circles and Squares, and now Pizza Plus is here to stay, with locations in South and West Philly.
The man behind this growing pizza empire is Daniel Gutter, who has racked up accolades from carb-loving Philadelphians.
When it comes to lard bread, Pizza Plus West chef and co-owner Will Zavareei said he was “surprised to see so many recipes and techniques” while researching online. Ultimately, he decided to use the shop’s signature Detroit-style pan dough.
Taking a bite out of this round boy requires two hands and plenty of napkins. Diced pepperoni and provolone are folded into the dough, which includes a few pours of Dale’s Pale Ale for bonus fermented flavors. On top is a hefty ladle of sweet tomato sauce, sliced prosciutto, fresh basil, parmesan, black pepper, and the sleeper hit: a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey.
With a burnt cheese crust rounding out the entire pie, this lard bread “prosciutto pizza” is more than just a snack — it’s a meal. “It’s dense and rich and flavourful all on its own,” said Zavareei. I couldn’t agree more.
The pizza is as great as the mission at this one-year-old Strawberry Mansion shop and everyone from The Inquirer to the New York Times to Bon Appetit agrees.
Chef Michael Carter is passionate about cooking for the people, and about working with people who deserve a second chance. As he dishes out some of the best square pizza in the city, he trains and mentors the staff, which is made up of formerly incarcerated people.
To take on the lard bread, Carter brought an additional challenge: the restaurant uses only halal meat.
No pork? No problem. Carter created a pull-apart loaf out of Yuengling-enhanced dough strewn with bits of beef bacon and beef pepperoni, plus chunks of smoked gouda and cheddar. He served the loaf with a side of housemade spicy garlic dipping sauce — which he said he’d learned was “big in Italian bakeries at the turn of last century.”
Carter was pleased with the results. “The beef pepperoni and beef bacon compliment the smokiness of the cheeses,” he said. “After this challenge, I’m not opposed to baking anything into bread!”
This version would be a huge hit at your next Eagles watch party, perfect for sharing with best buds.
David Lee has studied from the best to perfect his pizza-making skills. Inspired by Paulie Gee’s transition into a beloved pizzaiolo, he got Joe Beddia to train him. After launching a successful mobile business, he opened a storefront on Main Street in Manayunk, and the take-out spot has earned critical acclaim.
After some intense lard bread research, Lee chose an approach that’s historically more traditional. Taking inspiration from nearby Marchiano’s Bakery, one of his local spots, his long seeded loaf starts with multi-day fermented Italian bread dough and then gets stuffed with smoked bacon and Cooper Sharp cheese.
Lee took the project a step further, asking neighbor chef Reuben “Big Rube” Harley of Pitchers Pub to create a custom “Baby Mama Pepper Relish” dipping sauce.
The combo is hard to put down, as the bread is miraculously light, the cheese perfectly melted, and the dipping sauce the best of spicy and tangy.
Want to try these for yourself? Think lard bread can take off in Philly? Join me and Billy Penn for the first-ever Philadelphia lard bread crawl.
This Saturday and Sunday only — or until we clamor for more — Pizza Plus West, Down North Pizza, and Pizza Jawn are putting their lard bread on the menu, so you can stop by and try a slice. (Or a whole pie. Or a bacon, egg, and cheese on a lard bread roll. Yeah.)
Post a pic of your dish on social media using #lardbreadphl, and you’ll be entered to win a $25 gift card from each spot.
Supplies are limited, so check the hours below, and let us know who your favorite is.
2804 W Lehigh Ave., Strawberry Mansion
Sat. Oct 16 and Sun. Oct 17 12 p.m. till sell out
$5 per order (includes 3 slices) Walk-ins welcome; not available for online ordering
Sat. Oct 16 and Sun. Oct 17 11 a..m. till 9 p.m. or sell out
Lard bread “prosciutto pizza” whole pie $22 Available for online ordering; walk-ins welcome
2 to 8 p.m. Sat. Oct 16 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sun. Oct 17
Lard bread roll only $7 Cheesesteak on lard bread roll $15 Bacon, egg, and cheese on a lard bread roll $15 (Sunday only) Walk-ins welcome
Want to cook your own lard bread at home? Try Freelance Pizza’s recipe below.
370g bread flour (2 ¾ cups) 16g sugar (1 tbsp) 3g yeast (¾ tsp) 3g salt (¾ tsp) 8g cracked black pepper (1¼ tsp) 230g warm water (plus 1 cup) ½ lb cubed or sliced prosciutto (cubed rules, so try to do that) 3 tsp melted butter or lard (or 1½ tsp of each)
Tip: use a mixer to knead or mix the dough, if that’s accessible.
Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a big mixing bowl. In a second bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast and let the yeast bloom until it looks like a murky lake.
Using a mixer or rubber spatula, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until all of the flour is incorporated.
Knead the newly formed dough for 6 minutes. Add prosciutto and knead for an additional 5 minutes. Cover the dough ball with a damp towel, take a much-needed 20-minute rest, and marvel at your newly-beefy arm muscles.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface. Create a 20-inch cylinder, and twist the ends of the dough in opposite directions to give your loaf some nice crispy texture on the exterior. Once it’s looking nice and twisted, pull each end together to shape the loaf into a ring.
Wet the ends with water to ensure they stick together.
Set dough on a piece of parchment and cover for 1 hour to rise. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450°.
In an oven-safe dish, put 1 cup of water on the bottom-most rack. Brush your loaf with 1 tsp of butter, lard, or combination, and bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes at 450°.
Rotate loaf 180°, brush with butter and bake for 5 more minutes at 450°. Then, lower the oven temperature to 400° and bake for 10 additional minutes.
Once done, let the dough rest for a few minutes in the open oven.
Remove the dough from the oven and brush one last time with a butter/lard combo. Let it get just cool enough that it doesn’t burn off your face when you dive in.
Want some more? Explore other Philly food and drink scene stories.
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Pizza Plus West, Freelance Pizza, Pizza Jawn, Down North Pizza, Food
Philly food and drink scene