Stainless steel plate to replace baking stone
Can I use a stainless steel plate to replace the baking stone for the oven?
I can get access to black granite stone. I can it custom cut to the size I need (about 16 inches x 14 inches). HOWEVER, one piece of that granite will be very heavy. My granite supplier says at least 10kg. And I need 2 such stones to bake 2 loaves at a time. So total weight will be around 20kg. I am worred that 20kg will be too much a strain on the side rails that hold up the metal racks (I plan to place the granite pieces on top of the oven racks). Anybody has a similar issue/problem?
As a substitute, I am thinking of using 3-4mm thick stainless steel plates. These should be lighter to some extent.
What are your thoughts and feedback on this? Do you think it will be ok for the loaves?
Currently, my oven comes with a metal tray. I basically invert/turn upside down that tray and bake my loaves on top of that. And for the 2nd loaf, I have a cookie tray that I turn upside down and bake on top of that. The problem is that neither fully maximise the space of the oven. Also, the cookie trap warps and bends when I spray water into the oven to create steam.
Since I am currently using metal as my baking base, I thought that a 3-4mm thick steel plate will do the job as well, minus the warping when spraying the oven. And I can custom cut the steel plates so that it fits the racks perfectly and maximises my baking area (which will allow me to bake longer baguettes!)
Thanks in advance,
whw