Getting fresh pizza onto the stone
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Kitchen Barbarian
Senior Cook
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2012
- Messages
- 187
Cornmeal was never MY friend, nor that of my son.
And we don't have room around here to keep a stack of parchment paper when you buy in the economical large packs used by bakeries, and I won't pay the exorbitant cost for the smaller packages sold by kitchen specialty shops. Plus, the stuff has a tendency to get soggy. Plus plus, I don't care what people say, it makes me nervous when the stuff turns black - or at least dark brown - in a really hot oven.
Then I discovered SUPER PARCHMENT - reusable parchment. I still have the original super parchment (google it, you'll find it) which is over 2 years old now and definitely showing its age, but still perfectly usable. I have since graduated to Pan Pal pan liners, which are easily found at the webstaurantstore.com. It comes in 2 sizes, The smaller size is a little too small for the size pizza I usually make. The larger size can be cut to fit your baking stone. It's much heavier duty than the Super Parchment so I expect it to last even longer. You must not fold it or cut on it (it is after all a parchment-like substance). I roll mine up and keep them in a paper towel roll. If that's too down-homey for you (Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!) you can buy a scrap piece of PVC pipe and use that as a holder instead. Just wipe it off with a damp cloth when you're done.
I build my pizza on the super parchment/pan liner. I partially roll out the dough, then finish stretching it (I used to stretch it out from start to finish but fatigue and dexterity issues made me look for an easier way). I cover with another pan liner or some plastic wrap to let it rise, then build the pizza right before putting in the oven, slip the paddle under the pan liner, slide the whole thing easy-peasey into the oven. Let it set up for a couple of minutes then pull the pan liner out - lift an edge of the pizza with the peel and just whip the pan liner out of there. The super parchment cooled down fast enough that I could easily do that with bare fingers but the thicker pan pal stuff stays hot enough while in the oven that I use a small cloth or oven pad thingy. Cools right down once it's out of the oven though.
Love that stuff. Turned pizza into a regular thing at our house once we no longer had to struggle with the magical twist of the wrist hold your mouth just right pray to the gods of pizza for mercy ritual, only to end up with the pizza on the stone - and on the back wall of the oven, and the door of the oven, and the floor of the oven, and maybe the floor of the kitchen as well. Cuz I don't care WHAT people say, cornmeal does NOT act like tiny ball-bearings in my house, LOL!
I also cut thin strips of the stuff to go around the sides of my removable bottom cake pans when I make Actually Dutch Dutch Apple Pie or cheesecake - no springform pan muss fuss or bother, I just drop the ring down over a can or smaller cake pan and eh voila, whatever I'm baking pops right out, peel off the liner, and you have perfect looking sides.
Did I mention I love this stuff? LOL!
And we don't have room around here to keep a stack of parchment paper when you buy in the economical large packs used by bakeries, and I won't pay the exorbitant cost for the smaller packages sold by kitchen specialty shops. Plus, the stuff has a tendency to get soggy. Plus plus, I don't care what people say, it makes me nervous when the stuff turns black - or at least dark brown - in a really hot oven.
Then I discovered SUPER PARCHMENT - reusable parchment. I still have the original super parchment (google it, you'll find it) which is over 2 years old now and definitely showing its age, but still perfectly usable. I have since graduated to Pan Pal pan liners, which are easily found at the webstaurantstore.com. It comes in 2 sizes, The smaller size is a little too small for the size pizza I usually make. The larger size can be cut to fit your baking stone. It's much heavier duty than the Super Parchment so I expect it to last even longer. You must not fold it or cut on it (it is after all a parchment-like substance). I roll mine up and keep them in a paper towel roll. If that's too down-homey for you (Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without!) you can buy a scrap piece of PVC pipe and use that as a holder instead. Just wipe it off with a damp cloth when you're done.
I build my pizza on the super parchment/pan liner. I partially roll out the dough, then finish stretching it (I used to stretch it out from start to finish but fatigue and dexterity issues made me look for an easier way). I cover with another pan liner or some plastic wrap to let it rise, then build the pizza right before putting in the oven, slip the paddle under the pan liner, slide the whole thing easy-peasey into the oven. Let it set up for a couple of minutes then pull the pan liner out - lift an edge of the pizza with the peel and just whip the pan liner out of there. The super parchment cooled down fast enough that I could easily do that with bare fingers but the thicker pan pal stuff stays hot enough while in the oven that I use a small cloth or oven pad thingy. Cools right down once it's out of the oven though.
Love that stuff. Turned pizza into a regular thing at our house once we no longer had to struggle with the magical twist of the wrist hold your mouth just right pray to the gods of pizza for mercy ritual, only to end up with the pizza on the stone - and on the back wall of the oven, and the door of the oven, and the floor of the oven, and maybe the floor of the kitchen as well. Cuz I don't care WHAT people say, cornmeal does NOT act like tiny ball-bearings in my house, LOL!
I also cut thin strips of the stuff to go around the sides of my removable bottom cake pans when I make Actually Dutch Dutch Apple Pie or cheesecake - no springform pan muss fuss or bother, I just drop the ring down over a can or smaller cake pan and eh voila, whatever I'm baking pops right out, peel off the liner, and you have perfect looking sides.
Did I mention I love this stuff? LOL!
Last edited:
Claire
Master Chef
It has been years since we made a pizza from scratch! But it is one of my favorite food failure stories. Husband was the bread man, and when he didn't put enough corn meal on the peel, the pizza landed in the back floor of the oven, in a heap. I turned it off and called Dominoes. Of course when this stuff happens, it's always when you have company. As we ate our Dominoes, I went back to the kitchen to find one of my guests, picking the home-made and failed pizza from the bottom of the oven and yumming at it.
Forget the expense of buying then having to store a 'peel'. Just find your self a stiff piece of cardboard and cut it to the same size as your stone. Build your pizza/s on the cardboard and carefully slide the pizza onto the stone which you have sprinkled some corn meal on. If you are worried about the cardboard being 'food safe' place a piece of parchment paper on the cardboard first. Remove the cooked pizza using a pair of tongs. Just open the oven, with the tongs or oven mitt pull the oven rack with the stone on it out a few inches, position the cardboard close to the pizza and using some tongs slide the pizza onto the cardboard. I store my cardboard 'peel' between the the oven and the counter.
roadfix
Chef Extraordinaire
That's my favorite part of a pizza, the edge crust.
Twenty years ago in Vancouver it took me two hours on the phone trying to find a pizza joint/restaurant that made 'thin crust' pizzas......you know like virtually every one does now. For me 'thick crust' is just a way of selling flour to pizza customers in place of toppings. Thankfully the scam seems to be dying out as more people are traveling to Italy and major cities where pizza joints are serving more authentic 'thin crust' pizzas.
roadfix
Chef Extraordinaire
You can pull or yank the parchment out from underneath the pizza after the crust has cooked for a minute or two on the stone. It'll pull out cleanly. Then continue cooking the pizza on the stone.
That parchment should be reusable as it didn't spend time in the oven long enough to parch and get brittle.
Last edited:
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
A good low budget option. If anyone decides to use this option, make sure the 'ribs' in the corrugated cardboard run towards /away from you and that you use two hands. If corrugated cardboard is going to break, It will break along those ribs.
bakechef
Executive Chef
That's exactly how I do it, works well. Just hold the pizza in place with a spatula or the peel, and the parchment slides right out after a minute.
roadfix
Chef Extraordinaire
redmike
Senior Cook
Yeah, I forgot to mention the part about the 'ribs'. The one I've had forever was made from the cardboard from a huge box that protected a washing machine I think. Anyway. It's thick.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
70chevelle
Cook
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2008
- Messages
- 80
Many ways to skin a cat, and all (or most) will work just fine, pick the one you're comfy with. In the house oven, I use parchment. It may be $4 for 150' at Sam's, but I can cook 100+ pizza's with it. In the wood fired oven outside, I just smear a little flour on my dry wooden peel. Before I place the pie in the oven, I'll pull a small section up at the rear of the peel and blow under it. Since doing this, I've not had an issue with the pie sliding off, all toppings in tact. Another option is a cast iron skillet/deep dish pizza pan for regular pizza and chicago style and glass baking dishes for sicilian style pizza. Lots of options, good luck!
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Neither does a wood peel.
True. But the cardboard peel is easier to store and cheaper. LOL
roadfix
Chef Extraordinaire
A well used wooden peel, like some tools, looks good hanging in a kitchen.
I'll give you that.
VitaWright
Cook
I must have been doing it wrong all these years or else I am lazy. I always build my pizza right on my stone and we eat it right off the stone. No need for other tools. I make pizza weekly too. I have three stones so everyone gets what they want.
