June 5, 2015 - 2:10pm
Has anybody tried the baking steel
being offered in the King Arthur catalog?
Several posts over time on this site have talked about different baking surfaces and quite a few people use a steel sheet (I use an upside down baking sheet myself) with good results. I just started seeing this item in their catalog a couple months ago and wondered if anybody had tried one.
They're kinda pricey at $124.95 for a 1/4" sheet of "recycled" steel, over twice the price of the stone I was looking to get. But the size and shape are perfect, and I wouldn't have to go find a metal supplier and do the cutting and finishing myself. So I am intrigued...
KAF catalog #11389 Baking Steel
Share
I replaced the 3 grids in my Lincat with 10mm thick steel plates. they cost me £32 each from a local workshop.
Find a local workshop if you can - bonus points if they can laser cut them for you. All you need to do is sand them clean and smooth (use an electric sander!) then give them a wipe with oil (e.g. peanut or rapeseed) and bake them off as hot as your oven will go. (might need to do this a couple of times)
Picture here: http://moorbakes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/oven.jpg
-Gordon
but bought it directly from the manufacturer: http://www.bakingsteel.com/ so it was cheaper than listed by KA. I get nice oven bloom and crisp crusts. I've done pizza as well. Stones can crack, steel won't. If you get a spot of rust or tomato sauce, just a little sandpaper and flax oil brings it right back 'new' I have no affiliation with the company and would recommend the product. They also make a 1/2" thick steel but that weighs about 30 lbs and I believe is offered by Modernist Cuisine. Sur la Table also carries a branded version made by the same manufacturer but it's a shade smaller.
I just use my steel for pizza, and have been reasonably happy with it. I have the 1/4" version, bought from the manufacturer. I haven't used it much yet, but it seems to work pretty well and will be more durable than my pizza stone that cracked a while back.
As AlanG mentioned, there is also a 1/2" version available, but I thought that would be too much of a pain to take in and out of the oven.
There's also a new variation on it that will be released soon, that will be usable as a griddle on your stove top as well as a baking surface in the oven. It's even more expensive, but seems worth mentioning in case that usage makes it more valuable to you. You can read about the release here: http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/06/baking-steel-griddle-has-arrived.html
I can't say I've ever owned or tried a baking steel, but it kinda feels like we're coming full circle in a way.
A few years ago pizza stones were all the rage to get the best-est crisp-est crust. Baking on metal was almost taboo among some of the pizza elite and those wanting to emulating them.
Maybe we'll finally realize that there is no perfect pickle. There are only perfect pickles (plural) And this tool can be accepted as another tool in a bakers arsenal.
I'm curious from those who've tried baking steels if there are any tips you have on using them. I have enough heavy plate in the back yard that I'm tempted to clean up a piece and try it.
... the only tip I'd give is to just use it! (or a baking stone)
The steel plates I added into my oven are doing the same as a "baking steel" - essentially acting as a heat store when you put a kilo of water on-top bound with flour to help get heat into the base of the loaf at the same time as heat coming from the one above (or the top of the oven) radiating down.
My idea was to mimic the same effects of a bigger bakery deck oven with stone bases as I'd found that baking in the Lincat was OK, but when I loaded it up with 12 loaves, the wet dough just soaked up so much energy trying to get hot that I needed to bake the loaves for a lot longer time to make sure they were fully cooked - the elements would run flat-out just trying to recover the heat loss - now it's back up to temperature in a few minutes. I do give it the best part of an hour to properly heat up though.
I've not cooked pizzas on them, but I have used pizza stones in my smaller oven and for big boulles they do make a difference to the way the base cooks - in a good way!
-Gordon
is price wise more reasonable. Do turn down the temp and bake cooler than with a stone.
In mini ovens (ha) flipping the baking tray works very good! ...with a cardboard or thin wood peel! ...and cut parchment :)
So far, I have used it only for pizzas. I use a baking stone for "hearth loaves." The steel cooks pizza hotter and faster than the stone. It's effect seems like baking the pizza at a higher temperature, which is a good thing.
As I said, I have not used the steel for bread. I am a little afraid the bottoms of the loaves would cook too dark. I really should give it a try.
Advice: Use good ergonomic posture when lifting the steel. It is heavy!
David
I have used it for pizzas and for breads.
I got excellent results on my last batch while using the steel and a cloche lid for the first 15 minutes.
Great crust!
For pizzas it is superb!
https://instagram.com/p/3hvZHMgixF/