The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Baking pan bread on a pizza stone or baking steel?

boxerbread's picture
boxerbread

Baking pan bread on a pizza stone or baking steel?

Hi, anybody ever try baking pan bread on a stone or steel? I want to make two types of bread during the same bake-off: hearth breads first on a baking steel, immediately followed by pan breads, but I'd rather not take the super-hot steel out for the second bake. Am I going to run into problems if I put the pans right on steel?

Antilope's picture
Antilope

placing the baking steel on the lower middle oven rack. Then when ready to bake the pan breads, slide an oven rack in immediately above it. Then the pan loaves would not be resting on the baking steel.

WoodenSpoon's picture
WoodenSpoon

I think it might prove important to keep the pan off the stone, but having a preheated stone in the oven while you bake will act as additional thermal mass and help keep your oven a consistent temperature.

Ford's picture
Ford

I use a baking stone all of the time in my oven for baking bread in pans and for baking bread directly on the stone.  The main suggestion is to allow the stone to come to temperature by preheating the oven for half an hour before baking.

Ford

David Esq.'s picture
David Esq.

If you find that the stone is too hot (and of course, you won't know it until you try), you can slide an insulated cookie sheet between the stone and the pan.  That is also a good trick if baking on the stone and you find that that the bottoms are over-baked. Just slide the sheet between the bread and the steel.

barryvabeach's picture
barryvabeach

I have baked in pans on a baking stone without problems.  Your question is a little unclear because I have never heard of a baking steel.  The are many who sell thick steel plates  ( around 1/4 inch thick to as much as 1/2 inch thick) for pizza.  The benefit of a steel is that it transfers heat much more quickly than stone, so a pizza baked on a 500 degree stone may take 7 minutes to get crispy on the bottom, but would get crispy much quicker on a 500 degree steel.  For pizza, the steel works well since it is so thin, and often the broiler is used to give top heat so that the top and bottom are done pretty quickly.  You generally do not need that efficient a transfer of heat in baking bread, which is why I don't know anyone using it for bread.

sirrith's picture
sirrith

I use my baking steel for bread.  I find that initial increased heat from the bottom helps it get great oven spring.  The bottoms of my bread are generally darker than the tops as a result, with a slightly thicker crust, but they're never burnt. 

I use my steel both for breads in and out of pans; same great results.