How to Use a Pizza peel and Stone (With Video)

Hi KitchenChore Lover! Today I will show you how to use a pizza peel perfectly. Let’s start.

There’s nothing as comforting as getting to enjoy a crispy crust with crushed tomatoes and melted cheese altogether. You do not necessarily need to grab that pizza at the pizzaiolo. You can make it from scratch in your oven with the ingredients of your choice.

The oven heat should be 800 F to attain a perfectly crisped pizza. The baking surface should be well heated so that the cheese and toppings are well cooked by the hot air in the oven and the heat at the bottom surface.

This article will guide you on how to bake your pizza with a pizza peel and stone.

How to use pizza peel and stone

Pizza, one of the most delicious foods, can also serve as an all-around snack. No one wants to spoil the pizza moments with the ingredients landing on the wrong slices. To make the pizza as authentic as the home-delivered ones, you will need to use a pizza peel.

How to use a pizza stone 

A pizza stone is a flat slab in your oven that sits on the racks and is responsible for holding on to heat. The unbaked pizza dough absorbs the heat turning the bottom side crusty.

Place the pizza stone on the lowest rack in the oven. The oven should be cold to prevent thermal shock, which makes the stone break.

Turn on 500 F heat of the oven and let the stone sit in it for at least 30 minutes before placing the pizza in it.

Ensure that your dough sits at room temperatures first. If the cold dough is placed on the pizza stone immediately, there might be a risk of cracking.

• Slide the pizza onto the stone.
• Bake the pizza till the cheese gets browned.
• Remove the pizza once ready and turn off the oven.

After the stone has cooled, brush it lightly and do not wash it.

Tips for using a pizza stone

Below are the most important tips for using a pizza stone. Employ them for a merrier time with the tool.

• Don’t use detergent to clean pizza stones. Future pizzas might absorb the soapy taste into them.
• Avoid handling the stone while it’s still hot. Allow it to cool first.

Pizza peel maintenance

If you want to extend the lifespan of the tool, and possibly have it safe for long, adhere to the following maintenance practices:

• Always ensure that your pizza stone is dry.
• Always Store the pizza stone in the oven. This ensures that the stone’s temperatures will be maintained and reduce risks of cracking.
• Do not season your pizza stone or even oil it.
• Wait for the pizza stone to cool before cleaning it. Do not use metal scouring pads or soap to clean it.

How to use a pizza peel properly 

A pizza peel is a kitchen tool used to place pizza while baking in the oven, so the cheese and toppings don’t spill. It enables you to remove the pizza from the oven easily without risking burns on your fingers.

Stretch your dough on a working surface to the desired size.

Pour your sauce onto the stretched dough, add cheese and toppings. The sauce should not in any way touch the peel to prevent dough from sticking onto it.

Sprinkle some cornmeal onto the pizza peel so that the pizza dough doesn’t stick. You can shake it from time to time to make sure it hasn’t stuck.

The next step is placing the unbaked pizza in the oven. Pull the rack with a pizza stone and in a back and forth action from the opened rack. Drop the pizza onto the stone and ensure that you don’t angle the peel too down so the dough might stick onto the stone and make your toppings fall.

Carefully give the dough some circular shape stretches and close the oven door for the pizza to cook. After few minutes into cooking, use the peel to pick the pizza and place it in the pizza stone’s middle.

Once the pizza is ready, pull it out and place it on a pizza platter.

 Tips when using the pizza peel

Want to get the most out of that pizza peel? The following tips will prove invaluable to you:

• Do not put too many toppings on your pizza, so the pizza doesn’t stick.
• You can dust some flour on the peel to prevent the pizza from sticking onto the peel.
• Ensure that your peel is big enough to hold your pizza.
• You can consider placing parchment paper on the peel before placing your dough and then sliding it in the oven.

Pizza peel maintenance

The following maintenance practices will have you rejoicing over that pizza peel’s performance. Check them out.

• Always ensure that your peel is clean before using it. It should be free of grease and moisture so that pizza slides off easily.
• Do not slice your baked pizza on the peel. This will make grooves on the peel, and that makes the surface hard. That means pizza won’t slide off easily.
• Clean off any stuck dough using a dough scraper, then wipe it off and allow it to dry.
• Keep wood peels away from heat and do not place them inside the oven. When exposed to heat, the wood might end up splitting.
• You can get creative with the peel and use it as décor. Hang it up on the wall.

How to use a turning peel

Just like the name suggests, a turning peel is a kitchen item used in turning pizzas as they bake in the oven. The turning peel is mostly used when preparing a large number of pizzas. Using it is a simple task that requires some practice.

First, once the pizza is placed perfectly in the oven, give it some time to cook before you start turning it.

You can check if the pizza is ready to turn by checking whether it has risen at the back of the oven.

If the pizza has risen, slide the turning peel under the pizza and loosen its base.

Focus first on one side of the pizza and gently lift it to rotate it.

Hold the pizza in your direction and then push it back in the oven in circular motions. Keep doing this till your pizza is perfectly baked.

Once the pizza is ready, lift it from the oven with the turning peel.

Why use a turning peel?

A pizza peel offers you the following benefits:

• Ensures that the pizza doesn’t lose its temperatures by needing to be removed from the oven.
• You don’t need to touch the hot pizza if you have this peel in your space.
• Allows you to check the pizza base easily.

See Video How to Use a Metal Pizza Peel

Conclusion

It is essential to use the pizza peel when cooking with a pizza stone because the stone is first heated, then the pizza placed directly onto it. That makes the complete baking process feel safer, especially if pizza is your household’s favorite delicacy.