Talk to me about pizza stones

[nadger]

I'm looking for some inspiration for birthday pressies, and something that crossed my mind is a pizza stone. I love making home made pizzas, but would like to be able to make the bases more crispy, so I was wondering if anyone on here could point me in the right direction?
Ideally I'd prefer a rectangular stone if possible, as I can never get the flipping dough to go into a round shape!

[HorneyMX5]

I've got a round one and it's brilliant. Love making pizza with it and the more you use it the better it becomes.

I did find that I needed a Pizza Peel to go with it. Getting the pizza off the stone is fine but getting it on without one is a right b***h.

[RizzoTheRat]

HorneyMX5 said:

I did find that I needed a Pizza Peel to go with it. Getting the pizza off the stone is fine but getting it on without one is a right b***h.

This!

I've got a basic round stone (came from Boots one Christmas I think) and it's not bad but getting the bloody thing from my board/worktop on the to the stone can be hard work.

If you're doing thin crust the best method I've found is that proposed by Heston Bluminthall. Put a heavy bottomed frying pan on the hob on high heat until it's hot, turn it over and slap the pizza on the bottom, shove it under the grill. Thin crust pizza cooked to perfection in under 2 minutes.

[HorneyMX5]

I make put the gough on the Peel with a scattering of semolina to stop it sticking. I thne spread it out, add all the topping and then it glides off onto the stone.

[Gandahar]

The world has gone pizza mad!

Isn't the pizza steel supposed to be a lot better?

Looking at serious eats who tend to have some good stuff on all things pizza

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/09/the-...

Not sure if you can get them in the UK yet though.

The main problem with most UK ovens is they just don't get hot enough in the first place.

[bobbo89]

Mine, its awesome, although I reckon some big tiles would work just as well!

[erolb]

I happened to find an old piece of marble in the shed from a fireplace. I roughly smashed it into a piece that would fit on my BBQ and I was away.

[Mobile Chicane]

I'm not a fan of pizza stones.

They soon absorb oil - which is impossible to clean off - moreover, smoke and stink.

Get the (hopefully non fan-assisted) oven as hot as it will go, then shove the pizza directly onto a shelf.

Watch it like a hawk.

[Rollin]

Weber full of wood and 3 bricks. Wait 10 minutes after the thermometer goes off the scale and shove pizza on bricks. Properly done in 2 minutes.





I'm no help sorry

[HotJambalaya]

Given that all you have a lot more space in your kitchens then me, I'll suggest forgetting about these odd lumps of tile, and being PH you invest in a Ferrari Pizza oven... Gets much much hotter then a regular oven too. I'm dying for one, but have no space (hmmm, pizza oven, sous vide machine or bread maker...)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ferrari-G10006-Delizia-Piz...

[55palfers]

http://www.johnlewis.com/kitchen-craft-cast-iron-b...

Works quite well and does good naan breads.

[nadger]

55palfers said:

http://www.johnlewis.com/kitchen-craft-cast-iron-b...

Works quite well and does good naan breads.

Thank you for this. Precisely what I wanted! Ordered!

[knk]

I have had great success cooking pizza directly on the floor of the hot oven in an Aga. Lovely and crispy.
I think the key is something with a large thermal mass so the pizza base does not significantly cool it.
The top of the simmering plate with the lid down also works well.

[Cactussed]

I've not tried it, but I am going to get me this.
http://uuni.net/

[Kermit power]

I take an altogether simpler approach...

1. Put the oven on bread mode.

2. Set temperature to 240 degrees Centigrade.

3. Leave it to heat up whilst rolling out pizza dough.

4. Put dough on thin, unheated metal tray and add toppings.

5. Put in oven for approx. 8 minutes.

6. Perfect, crispy pizza!

From what I can tell, there are three tricks to making this work....

1. Roll the dough as thin as you possibly can.

2. Use a thin tray, so it won't take too long to heat up.

3. Don't put too much gloopy sauce on.

This probably won't work if you like nasty thick bases, but other than that, it's absolutely perfect.....

[PSRG]

knk said:

I have had great success cooking pizza directly on the floor of the hot oven in an Aga. Lovely and crispy.
I think the key is something with a large thermal mass so the pizza base does not significantly cool it.
The top of the simmering plate with the lid down also works well.

We use the bottom of the hot oven for pizza, and as you say it's brilliant. Even bought the Aga 'bakers shovel' thing (at extortionate expense!!) so we could get a couple in and, more importantly, out again safely :-)

Hadn't considered using the simmering plate though - must give it a go!

[Jonny_]

I've made some rather good pizzas on a cheap pizza stone using the top (non-fan assisted) compartment of our electric oven.

Set on full bore (275C), use both top and bottom elements so the radiant heat from the top one gets the stone properly hot, leave for at least 20 mins to heat up.

Pizzas cook in 5 mins, I knock off the top element after the first 2 so it doesn't burn the topping, only downsides are:
(1) the acrid, eye-stinging smoke generated by the semolina flour I use to prevent dough sticking to the stone
(2) the tendency for the cheap pizza stones to crack if the topping spills onto it. I'm on my second stone, it's in three large pieces now.

Quite fancy one of these pizza steels, but the prices seem extortionate.

[nadger]

Cactussed said:

I've not tried it, but I am going to get me this.
http://uuni.net/

Been looking at one for a while. Can't justify the expense at the moment!

[Cactussed]

£200? Or are they more?

[Swervin_Mervin]

Just get this and save yourself a fortune

Cast Iron Griddle

Use mine for pizzas. Can even whack it on the BBQ (charcoal obv) to do pizzas. It's unlikely to break like a pizza stone, and it will be safe up to absurd temperatures.