Pizza stone

[mayzey]

I'm so confused. How can I make a pizza with home-made dough using a pizza stone? Most of the how-to videos and instructions I've checked say you must never put the stone in a hot oven because it will crack. They say to put the stone in a cold oven, then heat to 450, by which time the pizza stone will be "like a fire brick" and too hot to handle

Comments

[matrixx]

I make home made pizza at least once a week and after playing around with several techniques, I abandoned pizza stones entirely. I use thin aluminum pans purchased from a restaurant supply store and a convection oven. I make a yeast dough and then stretch it to the size of the pan, prebake it at 350 till it's just browning. The I pull the crusts out, top it, and bake at 400 or broil it on low if the toppings don't need to be cooked through.

[beebalm]

A flat cookie sheet works great as a pizza peel, with parchment or a generous dusting of cornmeal so it can slide right off onto the hot stone. And like the commenter above, I like to prebake my crusts for 5 minutes or so, and then add the toppings and finish. That way the cheese isn't burnt before the crust is done.

[bonanzajelybean]

I'm obsessed with my pizza stone! You definitely need a pizza peel or a flat cookie sheet, or even a thin cutting board if you're really strapped. I find different dough recipes have different stickiness to them, so I always dust the peel with a layer of cornmeal or semolina flour. I shape the dough and put it on the peel, add my toppings, slightly jiggle it around so I know it'll slide off, and slide the pizza onto the stone. We always leave the stone inside the oven while it heats, and we have found hotter to be better, so we always do ours at 500 degrees or even a bit higher if my man has his way.

I might take a few pizzas before you really get the hang of using the peel and the whole timing/technique thing, and it is SO worth it! We had a while without a pizza stone and it felt like an eternity. I guess we're pretty serious about the whole thing :)

[bonanzajelybean]

*It. might take a few...

[pinkstiletto510]

heat your pizza stone in the oven. Make your pizza on parchment paper with some cornmeal on the bottom- this prevents sticking and also gives a nice crunch.

I make small pizzas so it's easy to just pick the thing up with both hands and set it on the stone

Grilled pizza is delicious too- oil one side of the dough really well (don't add toppings yet) and throw it on the super hot grill. Let it cook a couple mins then flip, reduce heat and add toppings

I make my dough with about 1/3 semolina flour and the rest just regular white flour. I also like to let it sit in my fridge for a day or two before using it. Makes for a super awesome crust

[jenstclair]

I never heat my pizza stone in the oven first. I've never had a problem with one cracking and I've been using the same stones for a dozen years so far. I have a fabulous pizza crust recipe, and have also never had any issues with that, either. I make pizzas at least once a week, more during garden season.

I also cook my pizzas on cast iron griddles (in the oven) as well. Yum!

Just an alternate opinion. :)