Italian Pizza Tips

Pizza Stone: A baking stone should be placed on the lowest oven shelf and preheated with the oven. Once pre-heated, the stone evenly transfers intense heat to the food being cooked, ensuring a particularly crisply baked base.

As to if it might crack. I always place the cold pizza stone in a cold oven. I preheat oven and stone. Once the stone is hot, I do not remove it from the oven. I place the pizza on the hot stone in the oven.

Baker's or Pizza Peel: Sprinkle cornmeal all over the surface of a baker's or pizza peel before using.



Pizza Tips:

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A helpful hint is to put a piece of parchment paper on the peel instead of using cornmeal. I place the rolled-out pizza dough on the parchment paper and then add the toppings. The parchment goes into the oven with the pizza. This makes it easier to slide the pizza off the peel and onto the baking stone.

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If you don't have a peel, an upside-down cookie sheet will do if you use parchment paper. Just slide the pizza onto the stone with the paper.

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Does pizza have to be a circle? - You can make them triangular, square, diamond, or anything else you can imagine. Just change the shape of your pan to the shape of a crust that fits your imagination.