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Re: Need baking stone lessons

Werner Gansz <wwgansz@madriver.com>
Sun, 06 Mar 2005 08:06:13 -0500
v105.n011.10
Fredericka,  I'm not sure the baking stone does much for pre-baked 
pizza.  It's purpose is normally to drive heat up into a raw dough.  The 
direct contact with the stone transfers heat into the dough faster than the 
air contact in the oven so the loaf cooks (at least initially) from the 
bottom up, providing a strong oven rise.  For most pre-baked pizza there is 
little for the oven  to do except heat the pizza and provide a little final 
browning for the crust.

For baking bread, I turn the oven on with about 35 minutes lead time. It 
takes about 20 minutes for my oven to get up to temperature so that leaves 
an extra 15 minutes for the stone to get uniformly heated.  My baking stone 
is heated by the electric element which is directly below the stone.  In 
effect it is the stone which heats the oven.  If your stone is far above 
the heating element it may take longer for it to be uniformly heated.

You may also find that your baking procedure and times will change a bit 
with the stone.  I found that it was best to start with a high temperature, 
475 to 500 F, then turn the oven down to 400 or 425 F immediately after 
putting the loaves in the oven.  (Lower temperature for larger loaves, 
higher temperature for baguettes, rolls.)  The hot stone drives the heat up 
through the loaves while the dough is still soft enough to allow the bread 
to rise, then the air in the oven slowly bakes the upper crust.  You'll 
know it's right when the bottom crust is the same color as the top crust 
and the crumb gets to the right temperature at the same time the color is 
right, 195 F (moist crumb) to 205 F (drier crumb).

Werner