No, I didn’t become a Pastafarian. 😎
I converted from a “Baking Stone” guy to a “Baking Steel” guy.
After decades of pursuing The Perfect Pizza, I’d come really, really close. But nearly every pizza had one flaw: The bottom of the crust was soggy in the middle.
Click to Drool.
(if you want the recipe but don’t want to hear me ramble on about my new toy, click here)
I tried all sorts of fixes like a hotter oven or a longer preheat, but nothing consistently provided a crisp bottom. Then one day, I ran into a reference to a “Baking Steel” on the internet, and decided to try it.
It turns out that a Baking Steel is exactly like a Baking Stone but a lot heavier, and it’s steel, and holds a lot more heat.
This means that the bottom is crispy all the way from the edge to the center, and the top is nicely browned, without burning.
It’s light and airy and crunchy on the edges and crispy on the bottom from one side to the other. I couldn’t ask for anything better, and my victims friends absolutely loved it.
If you want one just like mine, it’s the “Modernist Cuisine” version from bakingsteel.com. It’s heavy enough to keep cranking out pies all night and a little lighter than the full 1/2″ monster.
If you want to make the pizza, here are step-by-step directions.