ISO advice on pizza stone alternative

[obelix]

I've used the search function and found a lot of reference for unglazed quarry tiles as excellent pizza stone alternative. my question is: I have a slab of granite (remnants of our kitchen remodel) and was wondering if anyone here ever used it as a pizza stone? any advice?

 

[Andy M.]

As it is a piece of stone, it has the heat retention properties required of a pizza stone, but I don;t know ow it will stand up to the heating and cooling.

 

[obelix]

exactly my concern...

 

[Katie H]

I use slate and unglazed tiles, from the home center store, as pizza/bread stones. I certainly think you could use your pieces of granite just as well. The only thing you have to be sure to do is to make certain it heats up thoroughly. I usually allow my oven to heat an additional 20 minutes or so to ensure my "stones" are hot. My stones "live" in my oven and they seem happy there. The only time I've had a problem with any breaking/cracking is when I've dropped them. I've been doing this for at least 13 years.

 

[Andy M.]

Run it through a heating cycle or two and see how it reacts.

 

[KitchenSally]

Interested to hear if you've tried your granite as a pizza stone yet?
I kept one from my recent re-model to use for that exact purpose.

Thinking I may even try it in the bbq to sear scallops.

 

[bowlingshirt]

It worked for them

The Graham-Applegate Rancheria-Cooking with Granite

 

[keltin]

I found a few people on the net that regularly use granite for their pizza stone. In fact, one person’s piece of granite is a counter top sample.

"The oven, and then the pizza stone (a large slab of granite works well too), must have time to reach temperature, so give this a good hour or so."
-Pizza Parlor

"I use a piece of granite given to me as a counter sample piece, it is about 3/4 of an inch thick, very smooth surface (high gloss) and holds heat like none other! Best of all, it was free."
-ChowHound

 

[college_cook]

I would imagine that granite takes an extra long time to heat up, as it is so dense. That said, once the stone is hot it will probably stay hot for quite some time, and my guess is that it would work much like any other pizza stone.

 

[Michael Cook]

I leave my heavy cast iron grill pan in the bottom rack of the oven as a heat sink to even out my oven temp.

 

[Caine]

I'd have to say "No, a slab of granite will not make a good pizza stone."

Pizza stones not only provide an even heating surface for the pizza, bread, rolls, or whatever else you decide to bake on it (which a slab of granite will surely do), but a pizza stone should also be pourous to absorb mositure, which will create a crisper crust, which granite will definitely not do.

 

[Andy M.]

Caine makes a good point. Porosity is a key part of the equation.

 

[BettyR]

I cook my pizzas on parchment paper directly on the oven rack.

I don't have a pizza stone so I move one of my oven racks to the lowest setting inside the oven, top my pizza and cook it directly on the oven rack on the parchment paper. I have to turn the pizza several times while it's cooking so that it cooks evenly. You can reach into the oven with your bare hands and turn the parchment paper, I don't know why but it doesn't get hot.

I move the pizza to and from the oven with a cookie sheet that doesn't have any sides.

 

[KitchenSally]

Okay. Now I think I'll skip the granite tile as a pizza stone.

Maybe I'll try the parchment paper thing. BettyR, those pizza's look good.

 

[BettyR]

Okay. Now I think I'll skip the granite tile as a pizza stone.

Maybe I'll try the parchment paper thing. BettyR, those pizza's look good.

Thanks; it just so happened that we were having pizza for supper last night so I snapped a quick picture of two of them as they came out of the oven.

For the first pizza I had the oven a little too hot but I cooled it down just a bit to cook the second one.

 

[akwx]

.....I have a slab of granite (remnants of our kitchen remodel) and was wondering if anyone here ever used it as a pizza stone? any advice?

I, too, have just received a slab of 3/4" granite (19" x 13"), courtesy of my new granite countertop contractor. However, his advise about the my intended use of the granite as a baking stone was a resounding "NO". His concern was the high temperature of baking. I've been baking focaccia bread (in cast-iron pans), muffins, roasting chicken (inverted-cone vertical rack), at 375°F; which to me is not very high temperature at all!
Since my new oven has a "Bake Stone" mode (factory preset at 400°F) I have every intention to modify the focaccia bread dough for pizza, and give the "baking stone" a trial run. What's your take on this? Will the stone crack into hundreds of little pieces?

BTW, has anyone tried using a slab of granite on a gas cooktop?

 

[akwx]

I cook my pizzas on parchment paper directly on the oven rack.

... I have to turn the pizza several times while it's cooking so that it cooks evenly. You can reach into the oven with your bare hands and turn the parchment paper, I don't know why but it doesn't get hot...

With, or without, the baking stone, I would still use the parchment paper for the non-stick properties.
I've baked pizzas in my heavy 12" cast-iron pans with some success; no turning required during the baking period.

 

[Dina]

Obelix,
Bed,Bath&Beyond has a wonderful pizza stone for under $20. Comes with the wooden pizza peel and cutter. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/stylePage.asp?order_num=-1&RN=869 It works great. Make sure that you add cornmeal under the dough every time to prevent it from sticking and from other flavors going into your pizza.

 

[Andy M.]

With, or without, the baking stone, I would still use the parchment paper for the non-stick properties.
I've baked pizzas in my heavy 12" cast-iron pans with some success; no turning required during the baking period.

Actually, parchment paper defeats one of the benefits of a stone. The stone is porous and draws moisture out of the crust, making it crispy. Sprinkling corn meal on the stone/peel serves toprovide a non-stick surface.

 

[BettyR]

With, or without, the baking stone, I would still use the parchment paper for the non-stick properties.
I've baked pizzas in my heavy 12" cast-iron pans with some success; no turning required during the baking period.

Parchment paper is a wonderful invention as is cast iron. Cast iron holds heat very well so I could see how it would make a good stand in for a pizza stone.

Pizza sure sounds good; we haven’t had it in a while.

Have you ever cooked plain pizza dough and covered it with chocolate, cinnamon sugar, lemon curd or what ever suits your fancy to make a dessert pizza? They are so beyond good, my family likes the chocolate.

This is the recipe that I use:
Mix together:
1-cup sugar
1/4-cup cornstarch
5 tablespoons cocoa
1/2-tablespoon butter
1/2-teaspoon salt

Stir in 1 cup boiling water and cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add 1/2 stick of butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Microwave instructions:
Mix dry ingredients in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat water to boiling in microwave and add to dry ingredients.

Beat well with a wire whisk then cook for 1 minute on high in microwave and stir well. Cook 1 more minute on high and stir well. Cook in 30-second intervals stirring well after each until topping is thick. Add 1/2 stick butter and 2 teaspoons vanilla and stir well.

Spread on warm pizza dough and sprinkle with powdered sugar.