Pizza stones (all imported from the U.S) sell for about $50 here in Bangkok. That's why I've delayed buying one for so long. Aside from the steep price, I find them too thin and fragile-looking. I recently decided to go to places selling granite tiles. While there, it occurred to me that granite is not moisture-absorbent and might not keep the dough crisp and dry on the bottom. So off I went to a place selling terracotta flower pots hoping to find something suitable. If I could just find a flat piece of terracotta with 1-inch thickness, that would be great.
Well, I found something even better: Terracotta tiles for fencing in and lining flower beds. Each tile is about 6 inches long x 5 inches wide and 1 inch thick. They sold them by stacks of 10 tiles. I bought one stack for just $2.50.
I got home excitedly and found I could snugly fit 4 tiles in my middle oven rack. The great thing about this is, my thick pizza stone comes in four not-too-heavy pieces. If one tile breaks, I still have 6 more spare tiles. Best of all, it cost practically nothing.
Today I made pizza for the first time ever, laying the pizza directly on the hot terracotta tiles. The pizza came out just thin and crispy, and the bottom had golden brown bubble formations, exactly the way I like it!
Thought I might share this idea with you!