A Brief Guide to Baking Stones for Pizza

Have you ever wondered why your homemade pizza doesn’t really taste the same as the one you get from your favorite pizzeria? Or why your pizza doesn’t have the same bakery flavor?

The most probable reason for that is the metal pan you might use. These metal pans lack porosity, which means they don’t absorb moisture. Consequently, you end up with a soggy, soft crust.

The solution to this problem is a baking stone or a pizza stone. Having a natural stone surface, a baking stone for pizza is designed to absorb excess moisture. This way you end up with the crispy, evenly cooked pizza crust that emulates brick oven quality at home.

What is a baking stone?

A baking stone is a slab of a natural, thick, flat piece of stone that used for baking. The thickness of the stone can vary from anywhere between ½-inch to 1 inch. As for shapes, you can find pizza stones that are round, rectangular or square.

How does it work?

Using a baking stone for cooking pizza or any other kind of bread is simple enough. Generally, the stone is used in regular kitchen ovens. It is placed in the middle or bottom rack of the oven and preheated before putting the pizza in.

A half-inch pizza stone is preheated for about 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the thickness and size of the stone. As the oven starts heating up, it warms up the stone. The stone absorbs the heat and retains it for a long time.

When you transfer your pizza on it, the heat transfers to it directly and in a uniform manner. As a result, the crust of your pizza will be evenly cooked and you’ll end up with the bakery-like crispy, brown crust.

Choosing the right pizza stone for you

The first most important thing you need to account for is the size and shape of your pizza stone. You want to make sure that the stone actually fits the oven or grill you want to use it in.

For that, measure the depth and width of your oven. Along with that, make sure that there is at least an inch of space on the sides to allow air flow. This is crucial especially if you have a gas oven.

When it comes to thickness, a ¾ to 1 inch thick stone will be preferable for getting an evenly cooked pizza. The theory is that the thicker the stone is, the more optimal it’ll be for uniform baking. You can learn more online about how to use one optimally.

Lastly, the shape of the stone depends on your personal preference. Usually, round and square stones are preferred if you want to use the stone just to bake pizzas.

However, some people also use rectangular baking stones as they allow them to bake pizza of any other shape than round and square.

While this concludes the basic guide to baking stones for pizza, you should about how to use it optimally. This will ensure that your pizza comes out delicious every time.