Pizza on a Baking Steel
In the original review of baking stones, steel stones weren’t covered because they weren’t yet available. So here’s a test run of the Baking Steel. Just like cast iron, the Baking Steel is virtually indestructible, heats up a bit quicker and conducts heat really well. It’s larger (14×16 inches), and rectangularly shaped, while the cast-iron Lodge product is round, and smaller, with more chance for stray ingredients to go overboard. That’s in favor of this alternative metal product.
Here’s a breakfast pizza with prosciutto, cherry tomatoes, sautéed kale, soft goat cheese and fresh thyme, baked on our olive oil dough with an egg cracked on top.
This one’s a little thicker so that the crust would be nice and puffy.
This is a traditional Margherita pizza with homemade tomato sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil.
Happy baking!
Note: BreadIn5.com is reader supported–when you buy through links on the site, BreadIn5 LLC earns commissions. Baking Steel, Inc. provided their product for testing.
I absolutely love a chicken Alfredo pizza with fresh torn basil, spinach, and diced tomatoes. I usually use the light wheat dough found in the Artisan Breads book and substitute in 1/4c olive oil for some of the water. A-MAZING!
Cannot wait to try. Fresh pizza is always a hit.
Homegrown, oven-dried cherry tomatoes, paper-thin red onion, basil and fresh mozz.
I love the classic Margherita!
can’t wait to make a pepperoni pizza with this dough!!
My favorite pizza has loads of mushrooms and just enough pepperoni with very thin red onions!
Our most popular “house pizza” is made on the BBQ. Lightly toast one side of pizza dough, flip and top with slices of grilled chicken (seasoned w/your favorite grilling salt/spice combo, sliced Kalamata olives, caramelized onions and Fontina cheese. I don’t remember where we found the recipe, but we can’t make it fast enough for our friends.
I have heard a lot of great comments lately regarding baking on a steel. I would love to try it.
My husband is dairy-free. No cheese on his pizza. Not even a crumb of parmesan or he’s sick for days. We’ve created our own dairy-free toppings which create flavors and textures that have our friends stunned when they realize there’s no cheese on their pizza (which we have to point out to them while they’re helping themselves to another slice). The Davies Special: a light base of marinara (we strain the organic jarred marinara from Trader Joe’s while prepping the other ingredients),
WELL-caramelized onions (adds the mouth-feel of melted cheese), medium-grilled red peppers, pre-cooked boiled kale, squeezed dry and cut into little chunks of slightly chewy veggie goodness, chopped artichoke hearts (the canned kind from Trader Joe’s that isn’t marinated, just lightly brined), sliced kalamata olives. Sauce first, all the toppings next so they don’t burn, onions on top to protect the underlayer. “O.M.G results” using your olive oil pizza dough recipe (I use only a tsp of sugar per 4-batch recipe). BTW, people don’t think they’re eating cheese, it’s a different experience, but it’s so yummy that they forget to miss it.
I remember making pizza in a local shop in high school. The smell of pizza in the oven has always been a trip down memory lane.
Making pizza with my children using your dough is so much fun. I would love to try different variations from your book.
,
Any pizza with caramelized onions!
I used to make my own pizza crust but gave it up as too much work years ago. Now that I’ve found your book and website, I am going to start making my own again!
Apple, blue cheese walnut pizza with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar
Fresh blistered tomatoes, a little olive oil, paper thin sweet onions and sliced mushrooms. <3 Be still, my heart.
My favorite pizza…. it’s gotta be a simple thin crust layered with garden fresh tomatoes, torn basil and fresh thin sliced buffalo mozzarella. Add a drizzle of olive oil. This pizza is only really possible in the heart of summertime with a thriving garden.
I had this great pizza with prosciutto, figs, honey, and goat cheese at a pizza place in Brooklyn. So delicious!
My all time favorite pizza is mascarpone cheese, smoked salmon, capers, and green onions, with cracked black pepper. It’s heavenly.
This sounds really good. I’m going to try it. Thanks.
Doug, hot-smoked or cold-smoked salmon? I’m guessing you add it and the pepper after baking off the crust with the mascarpone, capers, and green onion?
Ooops! Sorry Doug, I meant to reply to Ashley.
I would love to try the recipe’s in the cookbook, I use veggie cheese to make my own pizza. My favorite is ham and pineapple!
I make my own pizza because of allergies
Pizza classic for me is pepperoni and chopped garlic with cheese and homemade sauce.
I love pizza with fresh mozzarella and wild mushrooms =)
I love thick crust with pepperoni and mushrooms, toppings UNDER the cheese.
What a great contest! My son makes a wicked Mexican Vegetarian Pizza using the olive oil dough and topped with: re-fried beans, dices onion, habanero tabasco sauce, seitan strips, corn, fresh grated mozerella and cheddar cheese, cracked black pepper, and topped with cold and creamy guacamole when served. Did I mention he’s only five? (But in all honesty, I make the guacamole.) ;-D Good luck everyone. Thanks Jeff and Zoe!
Homemade pizza is my favorite, especially with homemade pesto, olives, mushrooms and fresh mozzarella!
I love pizza with lots of heirloom tomatoes! They brighten up the look and flavor of any pizza.
Pizza is my favorite food, and now the pizza you have taught me to make is my favorite pizza. Just a Margherita. Yum!
Best crust is basic boule recipe after resting in the fridge for a few days.
Who won?
Sarah Heat, we announced in the post after this one…
The baking steel is amazing! The crunch when the rocker rolls over the pie is just heaven!
Those pizzas look really nice, coming from France it does look like the one we have here. I also like the NY style pizza with the folding crust! 2 different Style that are amazing! I usually use cream as a base and I add diced ham, oignons, cheese, oregano and rosemary! The best pizza ever!
Fantastic! Yes, France makes terrific pizzas, most Americans don’t know it.
Morning Jeff!
I must have really shown my disappointment when I did not win your baking steel contest… My wonderful (adult) kids gave me one for Mother’s day. They are reaping the benefits at Sunday lunch with how awesome my bread is turning out! I want to explore using it more, do you have any links to some good info on them?
You mean the steel? If so, don’t have any other links– except to say that they work great– as well as cast-iron or ceramic. More about baking surfaces at Zoe’s post on this, at https://artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/08/24/pizza-stones-which-creates-the-best-crust but this was before we knew about the steels…
I just wanted to mention that I have been using the baking steel for over 2 years. I first saw it on kick starter and got one of the early models. No stone can even compare to it. My biggest problem is deciding whether to put it on the bottom on bake or the top on broil. So far my best results have been on the bottom at 500° or maximum oven temperature. For some reason logic would tell me that placing it on the top rack on broil should make it as hot as it could possibly get. But for some unknown reason I get better results on the bottom of the oven. I get a beautiful black speckling underneath from the baking steel. I am convinced there is no better way to cook a pizza at home in a conventional oven. Once you start using it you will never go back to a stone.
I just got one as a gift from my adult kids for mothers day Jeff. Do you have any sites you would suggest for learning more how to bake bread etc with it? I have used it several times and LOVE the results but feel quite “insecure” trying to figure out the bst ways to use it!
I don’t think the basic method for baking is any different than our instructions in any of our books or in this post, no need for modifications from that. I usually put my baking stone (or cast iron) near the center of the oven, though you can adjust the browning by manipulating that: bottom crust gets browner when you place on the bottom shelf, top crust gets browner when you place near the top of the oven.
I don’t think there are any “special Links” to baking with the steel. It is just a different (IMO superior) surface to make your hearth. It retains more heat and seems to get the oven hotter that a stone. Any recipe will do. I have to admit I started baking bread after reading “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread by Peter Reinhart”. After trying that I was intrigued by Jeff and Zoe’s concept of 5 minutes a day bread and storing dough for up to two weeks. For me I had to have a better understanding of traditional methods before I could move on to the no knead method. I am happy to say I have all their books and rarely use anything else. I strongly recommend their original book “The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” and once you get that down you will have the basic concept down.
Wow, thank you for the kind words. A baker always is pleased to be compared favorably to Peter R!
You deserve it and all the success you have gotten. Now I need a 5 minute bagel recipe!
Thanks for the encouragement! I agree… a 5 min bagel YUM! Get right on that Jeff and Zoe!
Zoe has also been raving about these…
What brand of baking steel do you use?
Hi Jolene,
The brand is Baking Steel: https://bakingsteel.com/
Thanks, Zoë
Hi
I have the artisan pizza in 5 minutes book and i’d like to try some recipes, but they are too large. I’d like to make 1/4 of the recipe, how can I do that? Only divide by 4, including yeast ?
Thanks in advance,
Valéria.
Exactly! But you’ll lose the advantage of storing the dough… Could always just delay baking a couple days.
Or freeze up the rest of the dough in your portion preference size! Once you make one, you will add it to your menu rotation!
Yep, that’s also a good way.
Baking Steel now have a sheet that is thicker …. And more expensive. Do you think there is any advantage to have the half inch thick over the quarter inch thick sheet ?? Did you have any moment you though a thicker one would be better ?
I am new at all this started with the master recipe… My god, the trips to the baker’s place will be a lot less frequent with fresh bread made at home !!
Thanks for your input about the baking steel !
We’ve only tested withe the original, and it worked great. In general, thicker is better with ceramic materials, but I bet it doesn’t matter with steel.
Wondering if you use baking steel to bake your loaves of bread or is the steel just recommended for pizza & flat breads?
When you use a loaf pan, the use of a steel (or baking stone) is less important. Some people, using some ovens, find that the steel or stone helps even out the hot and cold spots in ovens, especially cheaper ones. But in general, you don’t need it and it certainly shortens the preheat time, which is very nice in the warm seasons.