baking stone
Hi bakers!
I have a little dilemma. Several years ago I purchased a baking stone from a local pottery supply store. The material is cordierite-mullite. It is quite large, and has become almost impossible for me to move it in and out of the oven. I am looking for a thinner and a little smaller baking stone. Besides, I have never been quite happy with the way it often burns the bread on the bottom when baking at high temperatures. I attribute it to the material but I have never had a baking stone that is all cordierite to be able to compare. I also did not condition my stone before using it for baking. Would that explain why the breads burn? Does cordierite perform better than cordierite-mullite? I've seen great reviews of Old Stone Oven baking stone but the available size is too small. There is also cordierite available from www.northwestsourdough.com (http://www.northwestsourdough.com/store). This one is closer to the size I am looking for. And last, there is one available from www.nybakers.com (http://nybakers.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=11) but it's quite pricey with the added shipping cost.
I would appreciate your input. Thank you!
Olga
I have a simple round clay stone, 12-inch diameter, from Bed Bath and Beyond, which came in a pizza kit. I think it cost me $10, it's up to $15 now . I also see rectangular stones on their website which run $19 to $35 (if you have their coupons, everything is 20% off). I've seen them at other department stores as well (Penneys, Sears) for much less ($20-25 range)
I got my second stone, a 12x15 rectangle, off the clearance shelf at Ross Dress-for-Less, for $11. It was unpackaged with no price tag and the clerks had no idea what it was. Maybe it's your turn to nab a bargain?
Why are you taking it in and out of your oven? I have a heavy stone (Fibramet) that I leave in my oven even when not baking bread. I can simply move the empty shelves around if need be. I also have an Old Stone baking stone which is easier to move around and is plenty big to bake 4 large boules on. It is the one that I will move if necessary. I haven't noticed any difference on how either stone bakes the bottom of the loaves. Both stones give identical results.
If you need a larger space - Old Stone sells smaller stones that can be used to fill in the gaps in your oven. I think they are about 4x4 or 5x5 each and come is a set of 4 or maybe 6 tiles.
Janet
Janet, it takes too long to heat the oven to desired temperature with my huge stone in it when I need to cook something fast. I also don't like to have it in the oven when I bake cookies or cakes. I just like to use it for breads and pizza.
It is good to know that your cordierite Old Stone baking stone doesn't burn your loaves.