Ciabatta

Daryl Mast
May 11, 2023
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Today I’d like to do a ‘Vendor Spotlight’.

Thom’s Bread - Lancaster, PA

Last year I was looking for a local sourdough bread maker-baker. Thom’s Bread was recommended to me. I called Thom and he invited me to stop by anytime. I wish you could have been with me when I walked into the shop. It was a weekday evening.

Thom was behind the counter busy making pizzas and sandwiches to fulfill his takeout orders. The Door Dash gal was waiting on her order. And I, a prospective new customer had stopped by for a ‘meet and greet’ of sorts. I would later learn that Thom and his wife Heather (who was also working in the bakery that evening) had 5 kids. This is probably one of the main reasons the ‘busyness of the moment’ didn’t seem to phase him in the least.

As I entered the bakery, Thom walked away from his work and greeted me with a firm handshake. He then introduced me to his wife. As he went back to attend to his pizza-making, he told the Door Dash gal that she was welcome to help herself to a cold drink from the cooler to enjoy while she waited for him to put the finishing touches on her order. As he continued tossing and spinning lumps of dough into beautiful pizza crusts, we chatted. We talked about our businesses and our families and the pandemic and how it affected our lives. All the while, customers were coming and going. Many of them Thom knew by name.

This husband and wife team was working together on a weeknight … and enjoying it. The welcoming atmosphere in the bakery was thick and appealing.

When I left the bakery, Thom had given me a variety of bread to try, a freshly made pizza for me to take home to share with my family … and he wouldn’t take payment for any of it. But that’s not all I took with me. I also left with the reassurance that there are still good people in the world.

Thom and Heather, it is an honor to work with you!

Initially, we started off by offering Thom’s 2-pound loaves of Sourdough Bread…it is delicious!

We have just added another item from Thom’s lineup. Ciabatta Hoagie Rolls.

I’m not a baker, but from what I gleaned from the Internet…one of the things that makes Ciabatta unique, is its hydration level. The ratio of water to flour is much higher than typical bread. This produces a bread with larger ‘air bubbles’ leaving you with a very light and soft bread.

Not sure what you can make with a Ciabatta Hoagie Roll? Here are a few suggestions: