May 1, 2006 - 10:49am
Large Pizza Stones
Anyone know where to get a rectangular stone that's larger than 14 x 16? I'm looking for something close to 16 x 20 so I can make larger pizza's and longer loaves of bread. The only one I've found are the fibrament stones, but they're a little on the pricey side.
Thanks,
Rich
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I did find something in the 20" range a while ago, but it was only $5 or so cheaper than the Fibrament, and since the Fibrament price includes shipping, it ended up being more expensive. I bought the Fibrament :)
If I find anything else, I'll let you know.
-Joe
What I did is I went to a garden store and got a slate paver. I got my 22" stone for $2.44. Works like a charm and have been using it for 3 years.
"What I did is I went to a garden store and got a slate paver. I got my 22" stone for $2.44"
I'm seriously thinking of doing this. Is there any problem with slate, such as smell, or flaking off on food? Is it a good stone for bread?
Do you leave this in your oven full time?
You might find this article helpful.
Thanks LindyD. It is helpful. After reading it I believe I will continue my search for a better stone for bread. The regular department store pizza stone is sounding better and better.
Like you, Maurdel, I had searched around for various tiles. I found a box of unglazed quarry tile at my local Home Depot and was about to make the purchase until I read the cautionary statments on the side of the box. Decided then I'd rather pay more for peace of mind.
I do suggest you avoid a round stone. A rectangular stone will serve you well. Check out Amazon or Fantes.com. If you come across a Fibrament stone, keep in mind they are thick, heavy, and take forever to heat up.
I used to have a rectangular stone, worked well but I always thought it was a bit small. I wanted to bake more than one large boule at a time, it didn't seem large enough. That is why I was considering other options. The largest rectangle avail. seems to be about 16"x14". Maybe that is as large as it should be, but my oven seems like it could easily accomodate more.
It eventually cracked into too many pieces to bother with, (it may not have been top quality, probably a bit thin) and then I did try some 6"X6" quarry tiles. Not as nice for pizza, and as someone mentioned a very soft dough will get between them.
I'm going to measure my oven and find out if I can find 2 smaller stones that might fit and give me greater surface area than the single big rectangle.
I looked at the fibrament stuff online. It did not sound like something I would want. Now, with your additional description I'm sure it is not. Thanks again for your help.
I made my own starter, but if you're looking to get a starter from someone else, there are several places you can go and be sure of getting the real thing.
Carl's 1847 Oregon Trail Sourdough Starter is distributed free by Friends of Carl in exchange for a self-addressed stamp. Just click the link.
You seem to already know of Sourdough International.
King Arthur Flour's Baker's Catalogue sells two types of starter: 250-year-old New England starter and French Sourdough Starter.
If you live near Boston, I'd be happy to give you some of mine. I've always got extra, and usually give it away over Craig's List.
But you should know that any starter you get will eventually lose its special properties as your local micro-organisms take over. If you buy a San Francisco starter, for instance, the loaves will taste like SF sourdough for just a couple of weeks or so before they taste like your local sourdough tastes.
The Fathers Day fairy brought me a fibrament stone, and hopefully I'll have a chance to put it to good use this weekend.