Conference turris::cooks

I would certainly expect that it might crack. Why not heat it in the
oven?

-Jack

    a bread/pizza stone is supposed to be heated in the oven while you are
    preheating your over.  Simply place the stone in your oven before you
    turn it on to pre-heat and it should not crack. The stone should have
    come with instructions if you brought it from a store.
    
    
    Liz

    Anyone out there using a pizza stone?
    
    I just got one and am experimenting with it.  
    
    Right now, I'd love some instructions on how to form the dough by hand
    by tossing it in the air.  My grandson feels our pizza deffinately
    lacks something by not being tossed!
    
    thanks for any suggestions
    
    mj

    We have a stone but do not spin the dough. It works just as well if you
    roll it round and put in the oven. I have a friend that works in a
    pizza shop and he said that it is like working a hula hoop and some
    have it and some don't. He also mentioned that dough will spin better
    if put in the refrigerator and left over night. The gluten breaks down
    and the dough will not pull apart when spun. He told me to put your
    fist in the middle and the other farther near the edge and toss and
    spin. Sounds great but I usually put it on the ceiling. I was also
    never good with a hula hoop. Good Luck :-)

    I love our pizza stone. I'll never get another take out pizza again. 
    I don't know how to toss the pizza dough, my step son would love to 
    do that in the kitchen, but I buy the dough in a bag, let it rise, roll
    it out and on top I buy the packages of pizza cheese and ragu or prince 
    pizza sauce. I love it The stone is great.  But getting it from the 
    pizza spatula to the stone takes a bit of practice. 
    
    

    Buy a pizza peal (sp?) or maybe peel. It is the large spatula for
    pizza or bread. They have them in wood or metal. Put some corn meal on
    the peal. Roll it out and put the pizza dough on the peal. Put the
    stuff on the pizza and just jerk it into the oven. The corn meal will
    let it slide right off and it stops it from sticking to the stone. Not
    too much or you will have a smoking oven and will require a cleanup.
    The peals are available at kitchens etc and at the Prince Arther flour
    store in Norwich VT. This is a catalog store. Will look up address and
    cost when I get home.

    ok, so I do all that, but when you add the stuff on the top of the
    dough, it weighs it down, who do I avoid the mess from the peel to the
    stone..i've done all the cornmeal and flour and all that stuff..help!
    
    
    

    I guess I don't know. It works for me? I put some corn meal on the
    stone and the peel. I roll out the dough and then transfer to the peel
    with the corn meal. I then take it to the oven and put it toward the
    back and give it a little jerk and it slides off a little. When the
    edge is where I want it I just give it another jerk and it slides off
    more. When a good portion is on the stone, just pull out the peel and
    the pizza will stay on the stone. Worked the first time and everytime.
    Try more corn meal? Maybe it is sticking to the peel? I use about a
    tablespoon the first time and spread it with my hand. Try shaking the
    pizza on top of the peel, it usually moves around for me on the peel.
    

One thing that helps is to try to find coarse corn meal.  The regular stuff
is a bit to finely ground to do an optimal job.  I've gotten coarse corn
meal in the Hispanic sections of stores around here.  If you have a significant
Hispanic population near where you live you might try the same.

-Hal

    Course meal might do the trick. Your dough might be sticky also. You
    mentioned that you get it at the store as a pre-mix. I make my own
    dough. I will enter the recipe.
    
    4 1/2 cups flour
    1 tsp salt
    1/4 cup (4 tbsp) olive oil
    2 pkgs dry yeast
    1 1/2 cups warm water
    2 tsp brown sugar
    
    Measure 1/2 cup warm water (about 110 F.), stir in 2 tsp of brown sugar
    and dissolve 2 pkgs yeast. Let stand about 5 min. until it starts to
    foam. Put 4 cups flour in mixing bowl with salt. Put 3 tbsp of olive
    oil and 1 cup of warm water in center of flour. Add yeast mixture and
    mix with dough hook in mixer until smooth or by hand in large bowl. If
    using hand method, put mixture on floured board after mixed and knead
    for about 8 to 10 min. Rub a large bowl with a little olive oil. Put
    dough in bowl and coat the top with the oil. Let rise until doubled,
    about 1 1/2 hours. Makes one large tray, about 14x20 or two 12 inch
    round pizza's. The tray takes about 20 - 25 min at 375F or the pizza
    stone takes about 20 min at 400F. Yours might vary depending on the
    oven.
    
    later

    >ok, so I do all that, but when you add the stuff on the top of the
    >dough, it weighs it down, who do I avoid the mess from the peel to the
    >stone..i've done all the cornmeal and flour and all that stuff..help!
    
     First off, make sure that you flour the dough before rolling it out.
    Make sure that the peel is floured as well. Then put a coating of corn
    meal on the peel. Roll out your dough on a separate surface, then move
    it to the peel. If you still have trouble, you can cheat by cooking the
    dough on the stone for about 2 minutes prior to putting the toppings
    on. That will prevent it from sticking. This is the method I use,
    because I don't have a peel.

    Sounds like the dough is too wet.  If it is, then letting it sit there
    on the corn meal it will cause it sink down encasing the corn meal and 
    making it durn near impossible to move.  I've been using a pizza stone 
    for about 20 years now and if I have a problem it's usually due to the 
    dough being too wet.  You want it just to the point of where the pieces
    stick together (assuming you're using a food processor to mix it in the
    first place).  I usually add water slowly until it forms small pieces,
    then let it set a while, the flour will absorb the water and the 
    consistancy will be just right.
    
    Ken

   fwiw,
   
   We use a pizza stone, and the notes that came with it said something
   about the stone turning color with use and how it would get seasoned
   with use.  I don't remember if there were any guidelines about how to
   season a pizza stone, or if it were simply a matter of using it to get
   it seasoned.  So, it may be that you just need to kepe using it and it
   will get better.
   
   ymmv,
   

    Make sure the stone is hot before you put the dough on it.......
    
    The stone gets seasoned with use.  Mine is almost black with use!