The Fresh Loaf

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Sicilian Style Pizza Pan Recommendations?

onipar's picture
onipar

Sicilian Style Pizza Pan Recommendations?

I've had a real heck of a time over the years finding the "right" Sicilian style pizza pan. My brother got me a carbon steel Detroit style pan, which is great, but not the right size and shape.

For a long time I was only looking for carbon steel pans that I could season myself, but after having trouble finding any, I've finally resorted to maybe, possibly, perhaps getting an anodized aluminum pan. I have no experience with these, so a couple questions:

Will the anodized aluminum pan result in a proper Sicilian pie? (I'm assuming the pizzerias in Brooklyn used to use carbon steel, but I'm not 100% sure about that).

If so, which of these two would you recommend? I'm leaning toward the cheaper one (American Metalcraft), but I wasn't sure if the 1 inch sides are too short (the more expensive one, Lloydpans, has 1.5 inch sides). Other than the slightly taller sides, I think these two pans are pretty similar in specs, size, weight, etc. 

Any advice is appreciated.

LloydPans 14x14x1.5 inch Sicilian Style Pizza Pan, Pre-Seasoned

American Metalcraft HCSS14 Hard Coat Square Pan, 14" SQ

The Roadside Pie King's picture
The Roadside Pi...

There was a company in Brooklyn that supplied most every pizza place with untreated black steel pizza pans. Sadly they are now defunct. I have had good luck with this aluminum 16X16 pan. As I season it more and more the performance gets better. 

 

The Roadside Pie King's picture
The Roadside Pi...

onipar's picture
onipar

Ah ha, figures. I did find this one random place making the carbon steel pans, but the cost after shipping came to like $70-ish, and that was much more than I wanted to spend on a pan. I'll post the link if anyone else if interested. I think he has only one left. Scratch that, he sold the last one. But I'm sure he'll get more made eventually. Looks like you can email to be notified when they have more: https://www.swhenterprises.com/product/Cold-Rolled-Steel-Sicilian-Pizza-Pan-Grandma/1  

Anywho, thanks for the advice. I was tempted to pick up a shiny aluminum pan instead of the anodized one, thinking maybe I could season the shiny one myself (not sure if you can really season the anodized ones, or if it's even necessary). 

Have you used the anodized kind and prefer the one you have?

The Roadside Pie King's picture
The Roadside Pi...

I am lucky enough to live near the Bowery restaurant supply district. ( what is left of it.) I saw the American metalcraft anodized pans in person. The first few in the stack were scratched badly. That's when I decided on untreated shiny. I never did use an anodized pan. I do have a brand spanking new, imported from Italia, blue steel pan. I will get around to seasoning and using it one day. 

 

onipar's picture
onipar

Oh nice! I mean, that's what I'd prefer. Do you have a link to where you got it? Though, I'm guessing it was probably up there in price. 

embth's picture
embth

Thank you, Onipar, for posting the link.  I enjoyed visiting the website of this pizzeria.  I am tempted to buy a couple of the pans when they come back into stock.

It has been a while since I've signed on to "The Fresh Loaf" and it is good to see lots of familiar names are still baking and posting great information.   

Happy Holidays to all!    Embth

onipar's picture
onipar

You're welcome! They definitely seem to be good quality ones. I wish they were a bit bigger than 12X12, but I do think they are the closest to the real thing you can get these days, except maybe the link I posted for the ones from Italy, though I think those might be a thinner metal. 

onipar's picture
onipar

Oh, dang. I found this one in Italy, but of course shipping is like $40. So it'd be $65...maybe worth it though? That's more than twice what I was planning on spending, but it's "blue iron." 

The Roadside Pie King's picture
The Roadside Pi...

I found the order from 2021, on Amazon. It seems like I paid $55.00 total with shipping. This is the link to the pan. However, it is no longer available. At least you have the brand name to search for it. (Paderno)

Paderno - Blue Steel

This is the link for the American Metalcraft Aluminum pan. I can attest that it is of good quality and makes a very nice par-baked Sicilian base. Now that it is well seasoned the next test will be a straight bake. One day, When I am settled I'll get back to it. Much bigger fish to fry right now. 

Aluminum 16 X 16

 

The Roadside Pie King's picture
The Roadside Pi...

I "know" the dude that is selling the steel grandma pans from the Pizza club. (pizzamaking.com) He actually designed them after the old Allied pans. He found an ironworker to handmake the pans in small batches. The people who have purchased the pans rave about them. I was going to get one too, however, I am not a fan of that size. So, all that being said. if you like that size I don't think you will regret spending the extra cake for that custom pan. Tell him Gumba Will sent you. Smile...

onipar's picture
onipar

Thanks for the links and suggestions. Oh. okay, that one you mentioned is the one I found online that are sold out at the moment. Yeah, the 12 X 12 was  a little small and the shipping was kinda high, but they definitely looked like really nice quality pans. I may still grab one at some point. 

CalBeachBaker's picture
CalBeachBaker

FWIW

I purchased this pan 4 yrs ago - it performs like a champ.

Matfer Bourgeat 455003,  12 3/4" x 20 7/8" x 1/2" x 1/16" Straight Edge Blue Carbon Steel Sheet Pan

The Roadside Pie King's picture
The Roadside Pi...

That is defiantly what he is in the market for! Price? Well as we know you have to pay for quality. 

onipar's picture
onipar

Ah, very cool. Yeah, the blue steel is where it's at. I'm really tempted to import the one I linked from Italy for $65. I'll see if I can find this one too for comparison, thanks! 

onipar's picture
onipar

So check it out, what do you all think of these? They call the "blue Iron" which I'm assuming is the same thing as "blue steel/carbon steel," from the sound of it on the site. The shipping cost from Italy is crazy, but then the price of the pans themselves is actually super cheap, so it sorta evens out and turns out being around the price I'd expect to pay anyway. 

I'm thinking the 38cmx38cm square one is the biggest I can fit in my oven, but that have all sorts of sizes which is cool. Anyone have one of these pans?

https://www.palepizza.com/en-us/blue-iron-rectangular-pizza-pans/

EDIT:  Hmmm, reading the description a little more closely, these pans apparently are prone to warping at temps over 575 F, but then it says it could also happen at lower temps...  Not sure about that. Maybe the metal is too thin at .8mm thick. Second guessing these now...

trailrunner's picture
trailrunner

I got the untreated ones and use the flaxseed oil to treat them as instructed. They are perfect and give an amazing crust. They are deep for the Detroit Pizza that we like and rectangular. I make large batches of my sourdough crust dough ahead and par bake the crusts as Will does with a small schmear of sauce and a sprinkle of cheese. I then stack them with parchment and double bag and freeze. Thus we have our frozen from fresh pizzas whenever we like. I have posted pics if you look back at my bakes. 

I also have a 45 yr old heavy black steel pan that was originally for jellyroll cakes . I use it for the more shallow crusts when we aren't making Detroit. It really has a nice weight to it. 

A great tip is to parbake the crusts and then when you top them slide them in right on the rack and place a baking sheet under a shelf down to catch any drips and you will get the most amazing bottom crust. You of course can also get the steel preheated and place the parbaked crust onto the preheated steel. I have gotten away from the steel due to the lengthy heatup. I get as good or better crust with no effort and less than 10 min. 

Hope you settle on something that works for you. c

onipar's picture
onipar

Right on, thanks for the advice. I feel like I might start with the lower priced options and then move up to the possibility of importing a blue steel pan in the future if the need arises, or if these cheaper options don't perform how I was hoping. 

semolina_man's picture
semolina_man

I like Nordic Ware baking sheets.  Sicilian style to me is about the thickness of the crust, and uniform thickness with little or no edge rim.   Stretch the dough into the baking sheet, let it rise for 30 minutes, add topping and bake.  

onipar's picture
onipar

Thanks! right before Christmas I ended up getting one of the American Metalcraft Hard Coat 14 inch Square Pan because it was the cheapest option at the time. I was a little worried about the height, but it works out well. I still want to get a blue steel at some point too. 

JackD's picture
JackD

Anodized aluminum pans can be a suitable choice for making Sicilian style pizza. The pizzerias in Brooklyn may have traditionally used carbon steel pans, but anodized aluminum can still result in a proper Sicilian pie. The American Metalcraft pan with 1-inch sides can work well for making Sicilian style pizza. If you prefer slightly taller sides, the Lloydpans option with 1.5-inch sides may be worth considering. Both pans have similar specifications, size, and weight, so it ultimately comes down to personal preference and budget. Consider your needs and preferences before making a decision, and any choice between the two pans should work fine for your Sicilian style pizza.

tpassin's picture
tpassin

This sounds awfully like a Chatbot response. Kindly do not paste chatbot responses into our site.  At least edit it down to be more to the point and sound like a person.

Or maybe some people are learning to write like a chatbot, heaven help us.

JackD's picture
JackD

Thanks for sharing this amazing information.