Soapstone as a pizza stone

[SCChris]

I like the 3cm size over the 2cm, I'm sure the 3cm stuff will float over support and still be tough enough to deal with a log thrown on the fire. Additionally, if the SStone is your floor directly over insulation I think you'll be happier with 50% more thermal mass than the 2cm will provide. I'd hate to have you put in 2cm and find it breaks up with normal wear and tear or not have the TMass that you want...

Pay attention to your 63% oven entry height.

Chris


PS I do like the way it works in my oven.. For additional Soapstone / Firebrick info look at "http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f8/soapstone-vs-firebrick-13110.html"

[SCChris]

I ran the WFO for the third and ended up with extra dough, so I ramped up the inside oven to 500F and cooked off the rest of the dough as Calzones. Sorry no pictures.. The Calzones are easy to make up and freeze. Easy left-overs! I do love the soapstone surface in the oven. It's easy to clean and holds the heat up in the oven through the opening and closing of the door. The inside oven is a whole new tool in a really good way.

Chris

[GianniFocaccia]

Chris,

Good to see you're expanding your knowledge of your SS, which should cross over to your WFO. I hope to do the same if I have enough 'leftovers'.

John

[SCChris]

John, I think you're going to love the soapstone surface. I'm still resolved to try a 20 by 16 piece in the WFO just to see where it takes me. I don't really know if I had the WFO fitted out in SStone if I'd really find it a problem with bread. When I do bread in the kitchen oven I preheat to the temp that I want and skip the pre-heat to a higher temp and turn down the oven thing. The Reinheart hearthbread recipe would want me to pre-heat the oven up to 500 and then turn down to 450 after putting in the dough. I'm finding that I'm happier preheating to 450 and not adjusting. The IR thermometer shows the stone spot on at 450 :-) and the oven doesn't swing much from this. I guess its the thermal mass regulating things.

A so-so oven made much better.

Chris

[GianniFocaccia]

Ah-hah! Given the heat-absorbing qualities of your SS, your gas oven management sounds pretty efficient. I think a next logical test could involve an upper tray full of firebrick (splits?), both walls and rear vertically covered with splits, and soapstone on the bottom rack. Think this would make a difference in oven spring?

[SCChris]

I don't think it would make much difference in my gas oven. I'm getting great spring and the oven temps don't dip much or for long. I have a cast iron fry pan on the bottom rack and dump a cup of hot water into this as well as mist the top of the loafs as they go in. I think I'm done with the thermal mass improvements in the gas oven. I'm really looking forward to cooking pizza side by side in the WFO. One pizza cooked on the SStone, and one on the brick deck. My expectation is that the SStone pizza will cook quicker and the crust will be crisper.

I'll let you know what happens.

Chris

[GianniFocaccia]

Please do. BTW, our live in college student/baby sitter showed me an ad for a product called 'whiskey stones'. If you haven't heard of them, they are nothing but soapstone cubes with rounded edges that are placed in the freezer prior to pouring your favorite beverage over. Personally, I prefer the nuance of melting ice to mellow out my single malts, but will be giving this a try once I have some SS cutoffs after I cut my oven floor.