Make pizza at home? You want a baking steel

boing
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I’m thinking how to get a disk for free, like a manhole cover or a brake disk from a mine truck.

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I’ve even seen some place that use a brick oven…and form the pizza on a metal tray and put that in the oven…and it’s cut and served on that metal tray.

I think there’s a bit of a geek obsession about ‘heat transfer’ and outrageous temps…rather than good dough and proper technique with what you have.

You wanna good pizza? Here.
No kneed dough and a cast iron skillet. It’s beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

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A few things…

I recognize BB needs to make cash via affiliate links, but that steel is atrociously expensive with the shipping.

The Pizzacraft 14"x14" (0.14" thick) works just fine, and you can leave it in the bottom of your oven. The thickness of the steel is negligible to the overall results, and the Pizzacraft will still break your foot if you drop it (note: this is not part of the pizza making process). It’s under $35 with free shipping: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NMLKW6Q/

Crank your oven up all the way (put it on convection if you have the option), and let the steel come to temp for about 15-20 minutes, before cooking a pizza.

Additionally, I’ve very successfully used the Basic Neapolitan Pizza Dough recipe from Serious Eats. It’s measured by weight, so you can replicate the dough in whatever amounts you need. The other benefit of this dough is, once mixed (easily done by hand), it’s ostensibly no-knead. You let it sit for 4-14 hours at room temp, of fridge it for up to two days. See the recipe here: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/07/basic-neapolitan-pizza-dough-recipe.html

A pizza peel is useful in transferring pizzas from the counter to the steel, but you can also form your pizzas in a pan, par bake them just enough to get the dough to slide off easily, and then transfer them to the steel for 80% finishing. Crust is puffy, crusty, golden brown, and a 10-12" pizza takes about 6-8 mins at 500F.

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You’ve never put rocket (arugula) on your pizza? It’s pretty common.

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seems copper didn’t fare as well as steel in testing.

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I’ve had this recipe on my back burner for so long, I just need most cast iron skillets for it, as I am cooking for 4, and only have one pan currently … maybe sometime when I am cooking for myself.

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this whole discussion is making me hungry… if BB has another Weekend Of Wonder, they should consider bringing Kenji Lopez-Alt in for a pizza making (and consuming) seminar…

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Though they will hold less heat than a steel “stone” of the same volume.

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Easy to make equivalent: baking stone on a grill. In fact, you can even buy pizza making attachments for grills at Home Depot now. That will easily get you to 800 degrees.

In any case, stones are porous and wick away moisture, and that’s what you want for a crisp crust. Steel blocks the movement of moisture.

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I’ve been doing OK with an unfinished quarry tile in the oven, but there could always be improvement.

What I’d love is a really good recipe/tips for Chicago-style extra-deep.

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do i need to contribute anything, or have all the pertinent pizza facts been covered?

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These pizza threads usually end with @tropo making his little lasagna joke, so I’d say its all covered.

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and since michael is on a well deserved rest, i can’t mock his love of chicago deep dish.

I’d say we hit all the major points here. Good job team!

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Meh. Steel is OK. You want REAL pizza? Get a G3 Ferrari electric pizza oven. 3 minute pizza and the real deal.

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