I have used a baking stone for the past 8 years. My routine is to preheat
the oven and the stone to 500 F for at least 30 minutes, usually 45 to 60
minutes, then drop it to 450 F just before placing the loaf in the oven. I
also place a steam pan on the shelf below the stone, if required for the
type of bread. Preheating seems to serve two purposes, first the browning
of the bottom crust, second it is a heat sink that maintains the oven heat
with the opening of the door to insert the loaf or rotate it half way
through baking. For breads that are baked at lower temperatures I still
preheat the stone to 500 F then drop to the indicated temperature.
I also have used Maggie Glezer's technique of preheating the stone to 550 F
and then using the broiler to bake various flatbreads. Essentially it
calls to preheat the stone, insert the loaf, and then turn on the
broiler. Leave the door ajar at this point. The residual heat of the
stone browns the bottom of the flatbread and the broiler cooks the
top crust and any toppings. I have found that I need to bring the stone
back to temperature before baking a second loaf. My stone came with
seasoning instructions. These called for placing the stone in the oven at
200 F for 1 hour, then increasing the temperature by 100 F until the
maximum temperature of the oven is reached. Each step is for 1 hour. I
assume this is to drive out any residual moisture in the stone material.
I don't have any solution for the preheating of the kitchen when preheating
the oven.
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