The Fresh Loaf

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Pizza Steel - getting oven hot enough

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

Pizza Steel - getting oven hot enough

I've been geeking out on videos and forum posts about 90 second (or at least sub-3 minute) pizza baking by using a thick steel and getting it as hot as your oven can go to try and simulate the fast bake a 900F pizza oven can do.

I picked up a 3/8" pizza steel and experimented a little today. The pizza was very good, but it took 6 minutes to bake (I don't think I preheated long enough - I was impatient). I tried it with the steel up close to the broiler element and after the preheat, I ran the broiler on HI for 10 minutes.  

My oven has a max temp of 550F -- but am I better off to have the steel down at the bottom of the oven as close to the bottom heat element as possible?   Or am I better off having the steel on the highest shelf right under the broiler and using the broiler on high to get the steel as hot as possible?   (EDIT: I just tested and discovered that once my oven is heated to 550, the broiler element will not come on until the oven cools down - so that really defeats the purpose.  I'm guessing I'd be better off having the steel close to the bottom element)

A thought I had - my oven has a self cleaning option that will take the oven up to 900F - that would be too hot with the steel but I wondered about using it to get the steel up to heat and then cancelling the cleaning cycle before it gets too hot.  I would have to modify my door latch though because once you enter the cleaning cycle (even if you cancel it) the door locks and cannot be opened until it cools down.

Anyway - thanks in advance for any tips on how to best use the steel.

 

 

pmccool's picture
pmccool

about warranty abuse and paid-up fire insurance, you might want to check out Jeff Varasano's site.  One of the things he tried in his obsessive pizza quest was defeating the oven lock so that he could bake his pies at oven-cleaning temperatures.  That doesn't answer your question about using a steel but it might give you some other avenues to consider.  Or not.

Paul

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

I'm reading that link now and it's fascinating - thanks so much!

AlanG's picture
AlanG

You are literally playing with fire on this if you do. Not only that, the self cleaning feature can fry the electonics of your control panel and more ovens have to be repaired because of this.  I don't use the feature at all and just use Easy Off to clean the oven when needed.

If your oven has a convection feature, do the heating with that on.  It provides more uniform heat throughout the oven.  I pretty much follow the approach that Andris of Stoughten Steel set out.  Pre-heat for one hour at 500F with convection.  Pizza goes in and it's usually done in 5-6 minutes and depending on the topping I will run the broiler for another 1-2 minutes.  Seems to work just fine.

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

This may be unique to my particular oven (electric) - but the broiler will not come on when my oven is that hot.   6 minutes is about what I'm getting now - and the pizza is very delicious.  But I don't have the charring at all like I see in examples of pizza done in 2-3 minutes.  Just a nice even brown across the bottom.

When you preheat with convection, do you have the steel up close to the top element for when you turn on the broiler?  Or do you slide the pizza off of the steel and onto a plain wire rack under the broiler?

I did find a way to adjust the the temp offset on my thermostat (I read the manual - what a concept - haha).  There is an adjustment of plus/minus 35 degrees - but I'm not sure if that works when I'm at the max temp (there may be a master thermal limiter)  I'll have to experiment a bit more.

 

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

Well ... I experimented a little.  After the hour long preheat, I turned on the broiler (it didn't do anything at first) and waited a few minutes until the broiler finally cycled on.  I had the steel up close to the broiler so my intent was to let the bare steel soak up heat from the broiler element.  I dressed the pizza while the broiler was on and immediately slid the pie on the hot steel.  When the broiler cycled off, I switched to convection.  I'm very pleased with how this turned out and I'm sure it will only get better as I learn more and start making better dough.

I know that they say "less is more"  but I couldn't resist adding some red peppers, olives and onion besides the basic fresh basil.

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

I made a "chilled sleeve" to slide over the thermostat probe in my oven.   Essentially it's a length of wet cotton cloth wrapped around a pencil and then aluminum foil wrapped around the cotton and stored in the freezer.  

This time I had the oven preheated with my baking steel down lower in the oven on second rack from the bottom.  My hope was to get the steel and oven up to a good heat and then kick on the broiler during the bake - mainly because I like lots of toppings and I wanted to get good heat from the top.  But my oven would not turn the broiler on when the oven is up to heat - so that's why I wanted to trick the thermostat.  (I could also use this trick if I decided I want to get the oven and steel hotter than 550F but so far I'm thinking 550F is a workable temp, with a steel, as long as I can use the broiler too).

So I got the oven and steel up to heat, then I shaped my dough.  Then I put the chilled sleeve over the thermostat probe and kicked on the broiler (which came on now, thanks to the trick - woohoo).  Then I dressed the pizza with lots of toppings (too many?  probably - but it was delicious!)  and slid it onto the steel and watched the crust puff up just like I had hoped for.   Took about 3 1/2 minutes this time and I'm thinking I might try kicking on the broiler before I shape the pie next time (or preheat an extra 10 minutes with the chilled sleeve and get the oven up to 600-650F).

 

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

Well ... I had watched all these videos of pizza baking in 90 seconds or so.  I've been very happy with the 3 1/2 to 4 minute pizzas I've been baking with the steel and preheating to 550F and then using broil for a couple of minutes.   But I have a really hard time leaving well enough alone - I always want to see what will happen if I push it a little further.

Today I put my chilled sleeve over the thermostat a little sooner so the oven continued to heat up past 550F for about 10 minutes while I shaped and dressed the dough.   The pizza did bake VERY fast but I really burned the bottom (the burnt layer stayed on the steel so the pizza was actually still reasonably tasty).  I used my IR gun to read the temp of the steel after I pulled the pizza off (it was surely hotter when I put the pizza on) and it was about 680F.  I'm guessing it must have been well over 700F when I slid the pie onto the hot steel.  

Well I know now not to do that again :)   The formula that seems to be working well for me is to preheat to 550 and then put the chilled sleeve over the thermostat so I can kick the broiler on while the pizza is baking. 

DaveF's picture
DaveF

I modified my electric GE oven to allow opening the door when in cleaning mode. Each oven locks the door differently. My oven was fairly simple to modify once I observed how the lock worked. I was able to use a Dremel tool with a cut off wheel to remove the piece of the lock that held the door closed. I am now able to heat my oven between 750 and 900deg in cleaning mode and let it preheat for an hour before using it. I have been using my oven this way for well over 5 years and have not had the oven fail. The results are very nice. Takes between 90 seconds and 120 seconds to cook a pizza. I use a thick Baking Steel for my baking surface. When heating the oven to the 750+ deg range I have found I need to cover the steel with aluminum foil during preheating in order to keep the stone cooler than the oven or else the bottom of the pizza tends to burn. Just before placing the pizza on the stone I remove the foil. I position the stone in the upper one third of the oven, higher than center but not directly underneath the upper burner. This setup works well for me.

In response to 'AndyPanda' I would not place my stone at the bottom of the oven. It will tend to burn the bottom of the pizza and the top will not cook enough.

kellyon's picture
kellyon

Great thanks for the Jeff Varasano's site! Homemade pizza is my fav dish. I used to take it even to work (I ordered special food containers for that at http://allinpackaging.co.uk/. Neapolitan-style pizza I like the most. 

Norcalbaker's picture
Norcalbaker

you can with a home oven and steel.  I have the same set-up/limitations. I'm going to experiment with the kettle pizza grill this summer.  at Serious Eats, they got the temperature of the stone to 800°F, with air temperatures in the 800 to 900°F range using the grill.

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2012/06/pizza-lab-in-which-we-get-the-kettlepizza-insert-working-and-meet-its-maker.html#comment-anchor-209537