Philly Bread – Our Story,  Our Staff, and Our Vision

We couldn't find the type of bread that we wanted to eat anywhere in Philadelphia, so we decided to figure out how to bake it ourselves.  Our founder, Pete Merzbacher, had worked in agriculture and dabbled in the food industry, but he was new to the world of baking.  After much trial and error and with the help of others, Philly Bread came to be in this fair town of Philadelphia.  Now that we have been at it for a few years and we know that we have the hang of it, we have expanded our products beyond our flagship Philly Muffin.  We currently offer a complete line of bread including  Muffins, Bagels, Baguettes, Burger Buns, Pullman Loaves, Focaccia, and Ciabatta.  

It's Our Process That Sets Us Apart.

At its core, the Philly Bread method is focused on sourcing grains directly from the farmer and pulling as much flavor from them as possible.  Pre-fermented flour and toasted grains help craft all of our dough.  The addition of a ripe poolish, mild sourdough, house processed corn, or roasted barley gives our bread distinct flavor, texture, and keeping qualities.  We source the highest quality grains and mill them just before mixing the dough. Milling our flours allows us to unlock maximum flavor.  To understand the importance of milling grain at our bakery, just ask yourself, what good coffee shop sources pre-ground coffee beans? What great restaurant orders pre-minced garlic?  Those who care about their craft take every step of the process seriously (and we do).

Made in Olney

You can find Philly Bread at 4905 North 5th Street in the Olney ("ahl-i-nee") neighborhood. We're just a block north of the Roosevelt Boulevard on 5th Street.

We're proud to be a part of a community of bakers, with a handful of bakeries just blocks from our store.

The Staff at Philly Bread