Pizza Stone Cleaning

The main advantage in cooking with pizza stones is that they distribute heat evenly along the entire surface which, in turn, creates a pizza that is cooked on both the top and the bottom and has a crispy crust. The fact that pizza stones are porous create the crispy crust as it allows them absorb excess moisture.

The primary disadvantage to cooking with pizza stones is that they require extra maintenance. Cleaning a pizza stone, although not complicated, does require specific instructions so that it doesn't get ruined. Be sure to check the manufacturers instructions for cleaning instruction but, in general, there are a few simple rules to follow.

Never wash your pizza stone with soap or water. If you do, the pizza stone will absorb the water and soap and you'll be able to taste it when you make your next pizza with it. Rather than using water, just scrape off stuck food after it cools completely and use a stiff and dry brush to wipe it down. Pizza stones should also never be used in an oven when it is on the self-cleaning setting. Most ovens will heat more rapidly than the pizza stone can stand, which will cause it to shatter or break.

However, you won't do any cleaning without a few good recipes for use with your pizza stone. Here's a recipe for crust that cooks up excellently on a pizza stone:

New York Style Pizza Crust

(Makes six servings of one slice each)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon dry yeast

2/3 cup brown rice flour or sorghum flour

1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning

2/3 cup warm milk or non-dairy liquid

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Extra corn meal for sprinkling

Preparation

Along with your pizza stone, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium mixer bowl using regular beaters (not dough hooks), blend the yeast, flours, salt, and Italian seasoning on low speed. Add warm milk, sugar, oil, and vinegar.

Beat on high speed for two minutes. If the mixer bounces around the bowl, the dough is too stiff and you'll want to add water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough does not resist the beaters. The dough will resemble soft bread dough when ready.

Put mixture on a greased 12-inch pizza pan. Liberally sprinkle corn meal onto the dough, continuing to sprinkle dough with flour to prevent sticking to your hands. Make edges thicker to hold the toppings.

Bake pizza crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Top pizza crust with sauce and your preferred toppings.

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