Pizza Stone

[FoodMan]

Thsi thread is getting me in the mood for some great Pizza. I make Homemade Pizza at least twice a month. I make everything from the sauce to the dough and I use a Pizza stone that came with a handy peeler. The sauce I use is cooked basic tomato sauce (I'm thinking about trying the raw one now). As for the dough it's more or less the same recipe I use to make basic bread dough (I use the stone to bake my breads also). However after seeing Alton's 24 hour dough I will definitly try the slow rise method. As for the rolling pin versus hand tossing, well I started by using the pin but now I use my hands. It does not come out as even as with the pin but it has two big advantages:

1- It is much crispier and tastier

2- It is more fun

Someone asked how to clean the stone so as to reduce the amount of smoke when you heat it (from previous bakes probably where cheese or sauce got stuck on it)? I just use a plastic scraper to scrape all the stuck bits and pieces after the stone cools.

FM

[spqr]

Someone asked how to clean the stone so as to reduce the amount of smoke when you heat it (from previous bakes probably where cheese or sauce got stuck on it)? I just use a plastic scraper to scrape all the stuck bits and pieces after the stone cools.

FM

Probably the one tip I read in Cooks Illustrated that I actually use and benefit from on a regular basis was the tip to use a sheet of parchment paper to bake your pizzas on. Place the parchment on the peel, lay on the rolled-out dough, top it and then slide the whole shebang onto the pizza stone. You get all the advantages of baking your pie on a pizza stone and you get the added advantages of 1) never having your pie stick to the peel and 2) leaving no mess on the stone.

Eh voila!

[oraklet]

don't, repeat, don't leave a very hot pizza stone to cool at room temp. it will break nicely in two, due to stress. if not the first time you do it then surely the second or third.

spqr, i use a sort of "ever-lasting" parchment when transferring pizza to oven. i remove it when pizza is half-baked to make sure buttom isn't too damp.

and by the way: convection turned on.

[GordonCooks]

For delicate home-made dough ( a la Todd English's Figs recipe ) I like a stone. I do a 500-550 preheat and plop it on. For traditional dough - I use one of the old fashioned Aluminum round pans you see in every pizza shop - a little olive oil and spread the dough - perfect everytime.

[jerobi]

don't, repeat, don't leave a very hot pizza stone to cool at room temp. it will break nicely in two, due to stress. if not the first time you do it then surely the second or third.

Err...why would it do that? Are you saying that you put it back into the oven piping hot every time instead of leaving it sit on its rack (or on the stove top, etc)?

I'll agree that you run more of a risk leaving it out, since putting cold water on hot stone can cause it to crack, but I (knock on wood) haven't had any problems leaving my stone out to cool a few dozen times now...

[DaveFaris]

Well, I guess, in theory, putting a hot stone on a cool counter could cause enough shock to break the stone... (frankly, I'd be more worried about my counter than the stone, though). But the stone cooling on a cool countertop, and the stone cooling in a de-heating oven are probably just about the same. As you say, tossing it into ice water (or even hot water) would probably be a bad thing.

[oraklet]

along with the first pizza stone i bought, there was a leaflet explaining among other things, that one should always let it heat and cool in the oven (basically: let it stay in there!). i foolishly didn't take heed, and the second time i left it outside to cool: crack! did it split nicely in two. but maybe those guys are just selling an inferior quality pizza stone.

[RickBehl]

Hi,

I'm not sure if this has been covered before in a different topic, but

can anyone help with pizza stones.

I haven't actually made any pizzas yet but I would like to try and

was wondering if these stones actually helped much, especially

when trying to create a traditional Italian pizza.

Also, does anyone know where I can buy a good one in London, UK ?

Thanks in Advance,

Rick

[vengroff]

There was a thread on pizza stones that started just shy of one year ago. Click here to see it. Perhaps your question could be appended there, and then some of the original posters could report on their experiences over the past year.

Edited February 2, 2003 by vengroff (log)

[RickBehl]

Thanks, I'll take your advice.

Rick

[Stone]

Sorry, I thought this was an invitation. There's also some talk in there about quarry stones (it may be in the link offered by Vengroff).

[scamhi]

I use 6 quarry tiles that are 4x4". They have a ridged bottom so they set on the oven rack well and fit together pretty nicely.

[claire797]

Rick,

I haven't read the other thread, but I'll tell you that before I bought a pizza stone, homemade pizza wasn't even worth making. The pizza stone changed everything. Hopefully, you'll break yours in soon. There are about a million good crust recipes out there, so have fun trying them out. I particularly like this one because it is both tasty and easy to work with.

Another tip. Transferring your assembled pizza to the blazing hot stone can be tricky. I assemble my pizza on parchment paper and then slide the whole thing -- parchment and all -- onto the stone.

Wolfgang Pizza Crust Makes 4 eight inch individual crusts

1 pkg yeast ( or 1 T bulk)

1 t honey

1 cup warm water (105-115 F)

3 cups all pourpose flour

1 t kosher salt

1T extra virgin olive oil

1. Dissolve yeast and honey in 1/4 c water.

2. In mixer bowl, combine flour and salt. Add the oil, yeast mixture and remaining water and mix on low speed until dough comes away cleanly from sides of bowl and clusters around dough hook, about 5 minutes.

3. Turn out onto work surface and knead by hand 2-3 minutes, until smooth and firm. Cover with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes

4. Divide the dough int 4 balls. Pull sides under and roll into smooth balls. Cover with damp towel and let rise 15-20 minutes. At this point the balls acan be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen.

5. Place a pizza stone on middle rack of oven and preheat the oven at 500 F.

6. Flour each ball and press or roll into 8 inch circles. Spread with desired toppings.

7. Using a peel or baking sheet, slide onto pizza stone.

7. Bake until 8-10 mintutes until dough is nicely browned

[oraklet]

claire,

"Transferring your assembled pizza to the blazing hot stone can be tricky. I assemble my pizza on parchment paper and then slide the whole thing -- parchment and all -- onto the stone."

good advice - remember to remove the parchment half way through baking, to get the near-full effect of the stone. easy with the silicone "parchment".

the recipe you give...hm. i would advice much less yeast, no honey, much longer rise and the addition of c. 1/4 pasta flour (durum wheat) for structure. dont roll the dough! work into shape with hands! please!

i'm not sure what 500 F would be in celsius, but the oven should be terribly hot. convection will be useful for adding to the shock effect (i have hardly the time to make a green salad while it bakes).

[claire797]

Oraklet,

Thanks for the tips. I'm actually pretty happy with the recipe as is but I will try it with less yeast. Would it still be somewhat bubbly and bready? I am not too fond of cracker-type crusts.

Also, 500 degrees F works perfectly. I would not change the temperature. As for pulling out the parchment, I've never tried it and am wondering if it would make much of a difference.

[Varmint]

I noticed the honey in the crust recipe above and just wanted to add that I truly dislike crusts that have an element of "sweet" in them. Is it normal to add a detectable amount of sweetener to crust?

[oraklet]

claire, the rising should, ideally, be at least 8 hours, as this makes the wheat's taste come out much better. incidentally that's fine, cause you can make it in the morning, and have it ready in the evening when returning from work. it sure will be bubbly, and "thready", though of course you'll have to experiment with amount of yeast and temperature of rising. some will let it rise in the fridge to make it reeeeal slow. only remember to make a "sticky" dough - the rather wet dough makes it easier to work it into the desired shape (working with a generous amount of durum wheat flour on top of the dough...) and has the bonus of making the edge almost explode when it enters the oven. well, perhaps not explode, but it will be very open-structured, like a good italian bread. removing the parchment gives the bread/pizza a better contact with the stone, so that it will finish sooner, with less risk of being soggy.

varmint, i think the honey is mostly for "helping" the yeast . in most bread recipes it isn't meant to be detectable (though the norwegians, swedes and germans, adding syrup, make bread that is definitely much sweeter than danish, italian or french bread.)

but i'll refer you all to robert schonfeld's "the bread thread", where he offers an amazing well of valuable information on all sorts of leavening methods, among many other things concerning bread.

[elyse]

Can I ask where this bread thread is? I tried to search it, but no luck.

[oraklet]

perhaps this will do it:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...he+bread+thread

copy/paste. it works for me. (sorry, i can't do the link thing)

edit:

wow, this is glorious software. it knows what i want to do - so voila! here's your link!

Edited February 5, 2003 by oraklet (log)

[Miss J]

Rick, if you go to B&Q or Wicks you can get unglazed terracotta floor tiles for very, very little. They'll do the trick too. I found some in our understairs cupboard, still in their box from when our flat's previous owner laid the kitchen floor. Voila! Free pizza stone.

[RickBehl]

Okay, I caved in and bought one.

Made a couple of pizzas on Monday and they turned out pretty good !

One with tuna, capers, tomatoes and mozzarella, and another with anchovies, thyme, and mozzarella.

I'm not sure the dough came out as well as it should, but I'll have

to try some of the ideas posted here to see if it can be improved.

Thanks,

Rick

[claire797]

Glad you're having fun with your pizza stone, Rick.

Until I bought a stone,I thought making homemade pizza was a big waste of time. My pizza crust was always soggy and I certainly didn't feel motivated to try new toppings knowing that the crust was going to be so disappointing. The pizza stone changed that.

BTW. My new favorite is Cooking Light's Malaysian Chicken Pizza. This pizza is amazing.

Malaysian Chicken Pizza

Ingredients

3/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

2 tablespoons chunky peanut butter

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

Cooking spray

1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 ounces of swiss cheese

1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1 (12-inch) Basic Pizza Crust

1/4 cup chopped green onions

Directions

Preheat oven to 500°.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl; stir well with a whisk.

Heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add chicken, and sauté 2 minutes. Remove chicken from pan.

Pour rice vinegar mixture into pan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook mixture 6 minutes or until slightly thickened. Return chicken to pan; cook 1 minute or until chicken is done. (Mixture will be consistency of thick syrup.)

Sprinkle cheeses over prepared crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border, and top with chicken mixture. Bake at 500° for 12 minutes on bottom rack in oven. Sprinkle with green onions. Place pizza on a cutting board; let stand 5 minutes.

[sparrowgrass]

a question for all you incredibly clever folks.

I can get a slab of polished granite, say 18 inches square, inch and half to two inches thick, for 20 bucks. Would that work? I guess I would have to "temper" it by heating slowly, huh? Same place has marble, might be cheaper, but thinner.

[elyse]

Someone said (and Alton Brown agrees) use floor tiles from Home Depot or somewhere. I hear that a lot.

[oraklet]

claire, "Place pizza on a cutting board; let stand 5 minutes." why?

sparrowgrass, 1) sounds like a great deal. perhaps marble is best as it is more porous - and 2) yes, i'd heat it slowly. (i once removed a very hot pizza stone from the oven, and 2 minutes later it was 2 smaller pizza stones. the thicker the stone, the greater the tension when heated)