Are you’re looking for a pizza stone alternative? Perhaps you don’t have a pizza stone, or your current stone just cracked. Then you’ve come to the right place! Here’s a list of 8 pizza stone alternatives, that might make even better pizza than a pizza stone.
Here is the list of pizza stone alternatives:
- Pizza steel
- Inverted baking sheet
- Pizza pan
- Cake ting
- Cast iron skillet
- Dutch Oven
- Tiles
- Fire Bricks
Do You Really Need a Pizza Stone?
A pizza stone is an awesome tool that makes crispier, better pizza. What a pizza stone is trying to do is replicate a
One of the disadvantages of conventional clay or ceramic pizza stones is that they are thin and brittle, and can easily crack (click here to read more about cracking pizza stones). The fact that most pizza stones for sale are thin also prevents them from retaining as much heat as they can.
Pizza stones are not ideal, but the idea behind the pizza stone is good! So when we’re looking for pizza stone alternatives, we’re looking for something that can conduct heat well or crisp the pizza well. You don’t necessarily need a pizza stone, you just need a way to make a crispier pizza crust.
1. Pizza Steel – My Favorite Stone Alternative
The first pizza stone alternative is a
A
Another benefit of a pizza stone is that it is more sturdy. It therefore will not crack or shatter, like pizza stones tend to do. Pizza steels are also easier to clean, because they both have a smoother surface and can handle a little rougher cleaning. Pizza steels are usually more expensive than pizza stones, but if it’s taken properly care of, a
Baking pizza on a
You don’t need to invest in a
2. Inverted Baking Sheet
A baking sheet is something everyone has and can save the day if you don’t have a pizza stone.
Using a baking sheet will not make it as crispy pizza as a pizza stone. The reason is that a baking tray doesn’t retain as much heat as a pizza stone because it’s much thinner. If you have a thicker, baking steel made from steel, I recommend using that. This will retain more heat and give a result more similar to a
3. Pizza Pan
This might be obvious, but a good pizza stone alternative is a pizza pan. A pizza pan is a pan specifically made for baking pizza. They are most commonly made from aluminum and stainless steel. Most pizza pans are perforated, meaning that the pan comes with a bunch of holes.
I recommend a perforated pizza pan. The holes allow airflow, that accomplishes two things: less moisture to be trapped and the heat to hit the crust.
A pizza pan works a little bit differently from a pizza stone. Instead of pre-heating the pan in the oven, you place the raw pizza on the pan and put the whole thing in the
A quality, dishwasher-safe perforated pizza pan for easy pizza baking.
4. Cake Tin
A cake tin is actually very similar to a non-perforated pizza pan. I recommend using the cake tin with the thickest bottom, and if you can have one with made from iron or steel, it’s even better!
5. Cast Iron Skillet
Another household item that you probably already own, is a cast iron skillet. A cast iron skillet is a really great pizza stone alternative. The reason is that cast iron is a material that conducts heat very well, resulting in a really nice and crispy pizza!
There are actually several ways you can use a cast iron pan to bake pizza: in the oven, on the stovetop, or place it upside-down in the oven as a pizza stone.
Cast Iron Skillet in the Oven
You can use a cast iron skillet like a pizza pan, by placing the raw pizza in the skillet and then transferring it into a hot oven. Cast iron pans are obviously not perforated (I’d like to see someone cook on that!), but the cast iron conducts heat much better than a thin aluminum pan. After it’s done baking, take the whole pan out of the oven, and serve the pizza either in the pan or by transferring it to a cutting board.
Just make sure you use a skillet with a handle that can handle the heat. You don’t want melted plastic all over that place, or a wooden handle to catch fire!
Cast Iron Skillet on the Stove Top
Another way to use a cast-iron skillet is on the stovetop. With this method, you put the raw pizza in the pan, and then place it over medium-high heat on the stovetop. After 4-5 minutes, put a lid on the skillet, to make sure the cheese melts, and the topping bakes. Alternatively, you can finish it in a hot oven. This also makes wonderful, crispy pizza.
Cast Iron Skillet as Pizza Stone
This is a method one of my friends told me about, that use all the time. He has a pretty large 12.5-inch cast iron skillet that he simply places upside-down in the oven and uses as a pizza stone. And it works really well! The pan has a very flat bottom, and the result is very similar to my
All you need to do is to place it in a cold oven and let it pre-heat with the oven on the hottest setting. Let it have at least 45 minutes to an hour to make sure it’s really nice and hot. Then simply place the pizza on the inverted skillet using a
6. Dutch Oven
Dutch ovens are made from cast iron, so similar to a cast-iron skillet, it conducts heat well, and is, therefore, a good pizza stone alternative. And similarly, you can both bake pizza on your stovetop and in a preheated oven. For a Dutch oven, I recommend placing the pizza on parchment paper to make it easier to get it out of the pot. If you’re using parchment paper, you have to lower the temperature, since most parchment paper can’t handle more than 430-450°F (220-230°C).
7. Tiles
Another pizza stone alternative is using tiles as a pizza stone. Perhaps you have some lying around at home? Tiles are actually very similar to pizza stones, both in thickness and conductiveness. There are many types of tiles you can use, the most important thing is that they are safe to cook on by not containing any harmful chemicals. Two cheap options are quarry and terracotta tiles.
All you have to do is place the tiles on a baking sheet and preheat them with the oven, like with a regular pizza stone. The tiles can move, so you have to be a little bit careful when you slide the pizza off the
8. Fire Bricks
Fire bricks, or refractory bricks, are perhaps the best pizza stone alternative since this is what actual pizza ovens are made with. They are made from a refractory ceramic material intended to withstand very high temperatures. Fire bricks are therefore used in furnaces, fireplaces, and pizza ovens, and are perfect to bake pizza on!
A disadvantage of using fire bricks is that they are big and heavy. Most fire bricks are around 9″x4.5″x2.5″ (22.9×11.4×6.4cm), and weigh around 8 pounds (3.6kg). You can get thinner bricks too, which would make it a bit easier to handle. Doing some quick math, I’ve calculated that you need 5-6 of these bricks to bake a 12-inch (30cm) pizza.
All you need to do is place the bricks together (you’ll probably have to do some Tetris here) on a baking sheet. It’s a good idea to put two baking sheets together for extra support for the heavy bricks. You might want to build it inside the cold oven because moving it is heavy! Then let the oven pre-heat for at least 45 minutes to an oven. Then simply use it as a regular pizza stone. Even though the bricks aren’t attached, they are so heavy that they are very unlikely to move. Also make sure to let the bricks cool down completely before you attempt to take them out of the oven, it’s going to take some time for them to cool.
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