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Photo courtesy Jenny Schulder
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Photo courtesy Jenny Schulder
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Photo courtesy Jenny Schulder
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Photo courtesy Jenny Schulder
There’s such beauty in the fact that taking a few ingredients in the right amounts can produce one of the world’s most beloved foods. According to Thom Capizzi, owner of Thom’s Bread, his delicious loaves rely “only on flour, water, salt, and yeast.” These basic ingredients would launch Thom into a new business that would keep him local to his family, while serving Lancaster an ever-bourgeoning menu of café and bakery items, including his new pizzas.
He made a few loaves for family and friends with recipes culled from a book his father bought; “we started together,” recounts Thom. His successes with his early products led him to take some classes at King Arthur Flour, where he earned a certificate of completion in “Setting Up a Successful Bakery.” In the early days he rented a space across from the train station at A Loaf of Bread.
He started with just four bread flavors after leaving one industry and looking for a new business idea, and the Rustic Italian, Rosemary Olive Oil, Cranberry Pecan, and Chocolate Boule (made with chopped Wilbur buds) put Thom on the bread map. Selling at Lancaster Central Market with tasty bite-size samples, the business really began to be noticed by market goers as something fresh, artisanal, and unique.
Now, he makes all of his breads at his Butler Avenue café and bakery using only simple equipment like dough mixers, scales, and bread dividers; the loaves are still created and baked by hand. In the current facility, Thom says they can make up to “1,500 pounds of dough a day.” This makes the loaves, the two-pack pizza crusts for take-out, the rolls, and more. Thom says he still finds making bread by hand “very enjoyable.” Eliminating fancy equipment also lends itself to the “artisan and unique way that we’re making bread,” he says.
Adding to the menu are the new brick oven pizzas that Thom and his late father, Ernie (for whom an egg sandwich is named), had long-envisioned. They are described by Thom as “a cross between a New York and a Neapolitan-style pizza.” He’s continuing to expound his philosophies on fresh and artisanal quality to his newest creation. Not content to use commercial ingredients, he’s begun creating his own mozzarella, using local sausages, cutting his own pepperoni slices, and using the freshest basil. Cheeses are hand-grated, the mozzarella shredded by hand.
Inside the Butler Avenue business, visitors are immediately greeted by a display of some non-bread items that the cafe also carries, like two kinds of granola (nuts or no nuts), cookies, brownies, bagels, and other goodies, all made in the shop. One of his most talked about treats are the ever-popular sugar waffles—named for one of his daughters—made with pearl sugar that doesn’t melt when the waffles are baked, resulting in both a crunchy and doughy bite.
All of these can be taken home to enjoy à la carte, or they can accompany a delicious breakfast or lunch—all made with Thom's breads, rolls, and focaccia. Craft sandwiches include Caprese, BLT, PB&J, turkey club, ham and Swiss, and grilled cheese. In addition to the lunch options, breakfast sandwiches are also available, made with baked eggs and choice of ciabatta roll or bagel (try the everything bagel with jalapeno cream cheese). Daily soups round out the menu.
While out and about shopping or dining, find Thom’s breads for sale at retail places like Darrenkamp’s, Lemon Street Market, and Oregon Dairy to name a few. You may even have already tried Thom’s Bread products at local restaurants like in Cafe One Eight’s breakfast granola bowl, in The Coffee Station’s sandwiches, or on the table bread at Ciro’s.
With summer in full swing, it’s time to get creative with Thom’s pre-packaged pizza crusts for a quick lunch or dinner. Try cooking them on the grill with seasonal favorites like fresh tomatoes, garden herbs, and vegetables. Or make life even easier and order a tasty brick oven pizza customized with your favorite toppings and leave the work to Thom’s. Sometimes pool parties should be all about the swimming and not the cooking.
Thom’s Bread Bakery / 113 Butler Ave., Lancaster, PA / 717-490-6303
Lancaster Central Market / 23 N. Market St., Lancaster, PA / 717-201-2955