Despite nearly missing our connection in Denver, our second flight flew by uneventfully, and the plane pulled into the gate right on time in Philadelphia. Without any checked bags, Dad and I breezed through the airport and hopped onto a Budget shuttle to pick up our rental car. But a few slow-as-a-snail customers beat us there, and the shoulder straps of my 200-pound backpack dug into my shoulders as we waited.
An hour later, after navigating through thick traffic, we started circling… circling… circling downtown streets, desperately trying to locate the hotel. We passed by the same Dunkin’ Donuts and Burger King four times before Dad pulled over to ask a young man for help. He directed us in one more circle—crazy one-way streets!—to get the the parking garage. When we clambered up the hidden steps (yes, hidden!), the hostess greeted us warmly, handed us room keys, and bid us goodnight.
Fat chance… It was 11 pm and I was starving!
We decided to dine at the lounge on the top floor, which only offered entrées with shrimp (I’m allergic), crab (still allergic), and two non-seafood flatbreads. Lured in by the promise of goat cheese, we picked the roasted tomato one and completely polished it off before the waitress came back to check on us. (Don’t ever get between us and our goat cheese!)
The next day, after a long, slightly navigationally-challenged run around the Philadelphia Museum of Art (and most of the surrounding area), I met dad back at the hotel room. With growling stomachs, we stopped a bellhop to ask for a recommendation for a good, authentic Philly cheesesteak shop nearby. Turned out he was doing a baseball tour too, and he was up to 104 parks. 104!! (And we thought our 22 was impressive.)
We hustled off up the street toward the Liberty Bell and detoured down 12th for the Reading Terminal Market. I took a wrong turn inside, leading us in a humongous circle, until we finally reached Carmen’s.
The cooks worked quickly, deftly slicing the steaks, layering on cheese, and sliding the mounds into long bread rolls. The cashier handed out playing cards instead of numbers—we got the Queen of Hearts—and shoppers bustled by while the line grew longer.
As it was my first time ever trying a Philly cheesesteak, I let Dad do the ordering: provolone, hot peppers, regular roll. He waited while I watched the cooks, snapped photos, and received a recommendation for ballpark food at Camden Yards (for our game the following day). And with that, we wandered outside with our sandwich in tow to find a table.
One word: YUM. I’m usually not the biggest meat-and-cheese sandwich fan—I prefer a few more greens on mine!—but I ate that one as fast as I could without setting my mouth on fire. (Those peppers were hot!) That tender meat… That gooey cheese… That soft bread… It might be the only meal I ever order when I go back to Philadelphia!
We went on to see the Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin’s home (well, where it used to be anyway), and the Phillies game, but the memory of that cheesesteak really stuck with me. I knew I couldn’t authentically recreate it for you—not like the addictive airport oatmeal raisin cookie!—so I did the next best thing I could think of.
I combined our two Philadelphia meals!
That’s right, I made a Philly Cheesesteak Flatbread! With tender meat, melted provolone, and a thin whole wheat crust, this flatbread will definitely knock your socks off, just like the original sandwich did to me. And that’s pretty much guaranteed—even my picky eater devoured 3 whole slices!
This recipe is easily doubled to serve 4 (or even halved to serve 2!). Feel free to add your other favorite cheesesteak toppings—onions, peppers, jalapeños, or anything else!
- Slice the steak against the grain into ¼”-thick pieces, and trim the excess fat. Add the meat to a Ziploc bag along with the balsamic vinegar, mustard, and pepper. Seal the top, and shake it around to coat the meat with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, shaking every hour.
- In a small bowl, combine the warm water, agave, salt, and yeast. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, or until frothy. Mix in ¼ cup of the whole wheat flour at a time. When the dough begins to pull away from the bowl, turn it out onto a well-floured surface. Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes, or until not longer tacky and it springs back when you press your index finger into it. Shape the dough into a ball. Coat a clean, dry bowl with nonstick cooking spray, and roll the dough around inside until coated. Place a clean towel over the top, and place the bowl in a warm, draft-free place to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- While the dough rises, remove the steak from the refrigerator. Coat a large pan with nonstick cooking spray, and preheat over medium-low heat. Shake off any excess marinade, and cook the slices of steak for 30-60 seconds per side. (The doneness should be medium-rare because it will cook longer in the oven.) Let the steak rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing into thin strips.
- Place a pizza stone or baking sheet in the oven, and preheat the oven to 400°F.
- On a lightly floured surface, lightly punch down the risen dough. Using your hands or a floured rolling pin, shape the dough into a circle 6” to 8” in diameter (depending on how thick you like the crust). Lightly mist with cooking spray (olive oil is best). Sprinkle the dough with the provolone, and top with the strips of steak. Slide the flatbread onto the preheated pizza stone or baking sheet, and bake at 400°F for 6-8 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the crust has baked through. Remove from the oven, and if the steak released lots of grease, blot with a paper towel. Let the pizza cool for 2-4 minutes before slicing into 6 pieces.
Notes: I highly recommend sprinkling a touch of cayenne pepper on top just before serving. It’ll give the flatbread a nice spicy kick!
Choose whatever cut you want for the steak! Even if you choose a leaner or tougher cut, the marinade helps keep it juicy.
For 100% whole wheat baked goods, I’ve had the most success with the Gold Medal brand of whole wheat flour. Other whole wheat flours have failed to rise and yielded dense, chewy bread. If using a different brand, then use all-purpose flour for kneading the dough. This will add a little extra gluten, which will help the rolls rise and be lighter.
My mouth is WATERING. I’ve never had an authentic one of these, either! I’m proud of you for cooking steak… 😉
I love the tip about using all-purpose flour to knead for extra rise. I’ve never heard that before!
Your photos are stunning, as usual. And PS- only you would be able to make eating a philly cheesesteak look adorable!!!!!!!!!!!
Aww you’re so sweet — thanks Andrea! I found that a really strong marinade helped cover up any cutting/cooking mistakes with the steak. 😉 I’m learning — slowly but surely! And I’ve found that just a little bit of all-purpose flour incorporates just enough gluten to the whole wheat bread dough to help it rise properly. Baking science at its finest!
Oh, Amy, you wise Cheesesteak sage! This is genius! Like, maybe you are a Cheesesteak Jedi … Cheesesteak Yoda, even! (Ummmm … sorry – I don’t really know much about Star Wars, so that might not make sense!) Anyway, this is brilliant and I can’t wait to try it! So fun to see the pics of you and your dad and the real-life street scenes! Another fab post – you rock! 😀
Shelley, you’re too cute! And it’s so ironic — my guy and I just bought tickets to go to another baseball game just because he wanted to see the Star Wars themed fireworks after!!
Ok, I seriously had no idea that fireworks came in a Star Wars theme (or really any theme besides “sparkly” or “booming”). Let me know how that goes! 😀
The fireworks show is going to be set to Star Wars music! We saw the Greenday themed one last weekend, and it was so fun that my baseball-avoiding guy wanted to go again. YAY!
What a great idea! I love the combo. And the photos are spectacular, too. I felt like I was back on the east coast with you!
Thank you! I wish you could have been back with us — we would’ve had so much fun together at the MLK celebration in the rain!