Baking Steel for Pizza?

Ted Calver

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
8,434
Location
Yorktown, Virginia
We love pizza and usually make it on the grill, but this looks like a good idea for making it in the oven. It even looks like it's better than a pizza stone.

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/09/the-pizza-lab-the-baking-steel-delivers.html

I'm thinking I can just buy a piece of 14"x22"x1/4" A36 steel, bead blast the mill scale off, round the edges, season like a cast iron skillet and be off to the pizza races for less than the advertised price of $99 plus shipping for a comparable "baking steel".

I read elsewhere that if you leave the steel in the oven all the time, it will help eliminate the hot spots and you can also put it in the freezer and then use it as a cold plate for buffet items.

The only drawback I can see would be keeping it rust free and dealing with the weight (2.13 SF@10.3 pounds per SF =22.03 pounds) which is really not that bad.

Anybody have any experience with this method?
 
Looks kind of interesting.

We make pizzas quite a bit. I bought 18" ceramic square tiles at the local tile store for $5.00 each and have been using them for years with great results. preheated to 450 degrees and the pizza takes no more than 13-15 minutes.
 
I'm thinking I can just buy a piece of 14"x22"x1/4" A36 steel, bead blast the mill scale off, round the edges, season like a cast iron skillet and be off to the pizza races for less than the advertised price of $99 plus shipping for a comparable "baking steel".

I've been thinking the same thing - I read about that idea a while back but haven't gotten motivated to try doing it. I don't think keeping it rust free should be a huge issue if you season it even moderately well. I've been using a similar setup to Bob G, the tiles eventually thermal shock and break on me but haven't run out yet so might figure out something once that happens.

I hadn't see the cold plate idea... that might acerbate the rust issues a little but could definitely be handy..

I think any carbon steel ought to work for this, I don't think? there is anything magical about A36 (other than its relatively cheap..).
 
Haven't been on in a bit. Most pizza ovens are one of two styles; the conveyor belt, or a oven with a rock deck. The actual deck is Rokite and it has metal underneath it and neither prevents hot spots. The burners, like a grill, have a deflector on them to diffuse the flame, but like anything metal, they rust and right over them, a hot spot develops.
I've rebuilt a Blodgett a few times with a gas man friend and the door with a machinist friend.
 
Top