This post may contain affiliate links. If you click one of these links and stone baking sheet a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. In addition, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You may well have questioned why your efforts at homemade bread or pizza do not come out the same as the one from the pizzeria or bakery.
Well, there is a fairly simple reason to that- it is something called a baking stone. A baking stone is a portable natural stone surface used to bake goods. It is intended to absorb moisture from the dough and help create a crust that is crispy and evenly cooked, resembling the bakery or pizzeria crust. This makes the baking stone an ideal choice for foods made from dough which present a crispy texture with a hint of a crunch.
How Do You Use a Baking Stone? The baking stone when used for baking pizza also goes by the name of a pizza stone. However, this should-be kitchen staple goes beyond being a single-use tool as it can be used for so much more than making pizza. In fact, one of the best uses you can put the baking stone to is for baking bread. The results will yield delicious artisan breads that will closely resemble bread made in a brick oven.
If you’re new to bread baking, check out my post with tips and tricks for baking bread. This quality is a result of the baking stone’s ability for superior heat absorption and retention. The high heat from the stone’s porous surface extracts moisture from the outer side of the dough to produce an impeccably crunchy crust. You need to preheat your baking stone prior to the baking process. 1 inch stones, preheating time could go up to a full hour. This makes the stone heat up and transfer heat straight to the bottom of the bread when the dough is placed on it. This is different from using a baking sheet where the dough is placed on a cold surface and the bread gets off to a cold start on a non-heated surface.
The preheated surface allows the bread to bake at a more even temperature all over. This yields a nicer crust, especially for artisan style breads. In contrast, the metal baking sheet is not porous and unable to absorb moisture. This is also why you may end up with softer, even soggy crusts when using a metal baking sheet. Since the stone retains heat so well, it also maintains a more even temperature inside the oven.
Depending on the type of baking stone used, they are generally safe to use up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. While your oven may be done preheating to the required baking temperature, the baking stone will not be done heating yet. This is to prevent the cold stone from cracking from a sudden change in temperature if placed in a hot oven. Instead, the stone should heat up while the oven heats, ruling out thermal shock along with possible breakage. Baking stones can come in different materials such as clay, marble, tile, firebrick, and even cast iron and steel. Your choice may depend on what results you are looking for. For instance, do you want a stone that yields an ultra-crispy crust, or are you looking for something that is convenient to move in and out of the oven?
Do you consider yourself a dough professional willing to pay a high price for the latest equipment, or do you just want something to deliver impressive results without too much effort involved? This classic baking stone absorbs moisture during baking and delivers a crispy crust. However, if not handled carefully, these stones can crack or break. This option is also the most cost effective one. Slightly more expensive and extremely durable, cordierite is a mineral known for handling extreme temperatures very well. It is easy to take a cordierite stone from a low temperature to a very high temperature without the risk of breaking it.
The cast iron option will not break, heat up quickly and be easier to clean than the stone option. Most models will also come with handles for easy maneuvering in and out of the oven. Baking steel is the newest entrant to the baking stone world. While these steels radiate heat less evenly than their ceramic or cordierite counterparts, they can achieve higher temperatures. They are virtually indestructible, free of the risk of breaking but do require more maintenance than stones as they will need to be seasoned from time to time to prevent rusting. This is more of a consideration than a baking stone material option.
Those that come in natural materials like clay, stone, ceramic or cordierite are sold as unglazed given the reason that they take in moisture while yielding even heat. Others that are sold as glazed are considered micro glazed as the glazing has fine cracks or fissures that allow some moisture to penetrate. So whether you decide to go with the glazed or unglazed version is more of a matter of personal preference. Of the two, glazed products are marketed as easier to clean and cost a little more. Baking stones comes in different shapes and sizes so keep your oven size in mind before getting one. There are round, square and rectangular shapes to choose from.