The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

baking stone

sybram's picture
sybram

baking stone

Hello baker friends.  I need help with my anniversary present.  Gifts not being my love language nor my husband's, and knowing neither of us had done shopping for our tomorrow's anniversary, I suggested we just take each other out to eat and forgo the gifts.  DH said, "Didn't you say something about wanting one of those pizza things for the oven last week?"  I said, "Yes, but then what would I get you?"  "Didn't you want two," he said?  ;^ )  I have 24" over and under ovens, so he'll get a gift stone for the top one, and the bottom one will be my gift.  Is that a daaaahling husband, or what?! 

So, I began my search for large oven stones and have been sadly disappointed, finding only 14½ X 16½ the largest.  I've checked King Arthur, Amazon, ebay and some restaurant supply sites that came up on Google.  Just thought some of you might know a source for larger ones.

Hoping,

Syb

subfuscpersona's picture
subfuscpersona

I am clueless what "24-inch over and under ovens" are, but check out this TFL thread for sources for larger baking stones...

www.thefreshloaf.com/node/13128/which-baking-stone-best

TFL member Elagins is selling baking stones so perhaps he can accommodate your needs. Read the above thread for info on how to contact him directly.

Hope this helps

sybram's picture
sybram

Thanks, subfuscpersona.  My built in ovens are 24" wide, with one positioned over the other.  My racks slant upward in the back, so a 14" deep and 22" wide stone would be perfect, leaving an inch all around.  I presently only have a 13" round stone, which will accommodate 1 pizza only, so even though they cook fairly quickly, it still takes a while when feeding these hungry grands.  Being able to cook two in each oven on stones would be wonderful.

chuppy's picture
chuppy

Syb,

Try this! I bought the best baking stone ever a couple of years ago. I took the advice of a couple of members and visited a local stone and masonry supply store. They sell masonry tools and more importantly quary material. I chose a slate stone and gave them the exact measurements to fit my oven.

I reduced the measurements of the stone by 1/4 of an inch on all sides to ensure a good fit. I've had this stone for 3 years and love it! It is about an inch thick and keeps the heat very well.

Hope that helps.

Chuppy

By the way, that particular stone only cost me about $14.00 and I didn't risk having it shipped either.

sybram's picture
sybram

Oh gosh, this sounds great.  I'll go back to the same store where we bought our fireplace stone, etc. when we built our home.  Hope it's still there.  Thanks so much Chuppy.  My husband (of 49 years today) will love the price.

Syb

sybram's picture
sybram

Well, no luck at the masonry supply store.  They're gone!  Ive been calling around to countertop vendors, though, and nobody seems to have slate.  Some have suggested granite.  Would that be just a good? 

Syb

chuppy's picture
chuppy

I'd still look for a nice 1-2 inch stone of another variety that would fit into the oven. The one I have is a slate type, but you could try something else that would still hold heat. The idea again is to have a stone surface for the hearth affect. As long as you accomplish that, your oven will be complete.

I'd still try to shop around maybe in the next closest town that would have a masonry store with slate pavers.

Good luck Syb!

Jeff

jannrn's picture
jannrn

How about Home Depot and pick up plain Terra Cotta tiles?!?!

asicign's picture
asicign

I bought unglazed tiles from Home Depot, but had two problems.  First, they are hard to cut, assuming you want to cover the rack with a small border all around.  Second, they crack easily.

I ended up buying a FibraMent stone (there is a lot of info about stones on this site) from Breadatopia.com.  They have a good selection of sizes, and they had the best price.

sybram's picture
sybram

Then do you just push them together, or use grout or what, jannrn?

 

FaithHope's picture
FaithHope

I also just got a FibraMent stone from Breadatopia.com. a few months ago!  LOVE IT!!  WORKS AWESOME!!  Fits in the oven great!  I totally recommend it!  Breadatopia had the best price too.

Happy shopping!  How fun!! :)

gcook17's picture
gcook17

I went through 2 sets of tiles from Home Depot.  They worked fine for baking but eventually started cracking.  I was really careful with them and never bumped them, but I guess they just couldn't hold up to the heat and cooling.  I kept using them after they cracked until they cracked into pieces too small to stay on the oven racks.

Cutting them is really easy if you use a tile-cutting blade on a hand-held grinder.

I finally bit the bullet and bought one of these from Bargreen-Ellingson http://www.bargreen.com/ and it's been working perfectly for about 6 months now.  It's exactly the right size for my very narrow oven.  It was about $42 and as I recall the shipping cost was pretty reasonable. -->

Pizza Stone - Rectangle
Perfect for bars and small restaurants that serve pizzas without pizza ovens. Keeps pizzas warm in heated display cases. Made of Cordierite. Perfect thickness and porosity for heat retention. 7/8" thick. 14" x 16".

$42.64 EA

UOM: EA   WT: 11 lbs
MFR: American Metalcraft   MFR#: PS1416
Part Number: 17200
deweytc's picture
deweytc

I purchased my stone from his place.  Arrived unbroken, and have been using it for over four years.  I even moved it a thousand miles in the back of my car and it arrived safley.  I would buy from this place again.

http://www.bakingstone.com

I placed foil underneath my stone to protect it from any splash of water when I pour water into my cast iron skillet.  The foil does not seem to interfer with any pre-heating conditions.

Not connected to this company, only sharing where I bought mine.

sybram's picture
sybram

Thanks to all for responding.  I've checked out all the sites.  I'm going to try to get a custom cut at the masonry supply store.  My hubby will love that price, but if that doesn't work out for me, you've given me some very good resources.

Syb