Sourced a custom Baking Steel for Pizza

samcanadian

samcanadian

So I was reading up on the newest trend of people buying baking steels to make pizza and bread, and decided I could save myself some money by using my connections in the construction industry to hit up a few steel companies.  
 
This is what 14" x 16" of A37 (W44 in Canada) mild steel looks like, with a 1/2" radius edge.
 
IMAG3155_zps36be3c61.jpg

 
IMAG3157_zps1983d904.jpg

 
 
If anyone knows what this is for, they can appreciate that I got it from a local supplier, laser cut, for $60.00.  Considering they're going at modernistcuisine.com for ~$120.00 (Nevermind what shipping to Canada would be) I'd say I saved myself some money.
 
Will clean this puppy off tonight and test it out on the weekend with some pizza.  Can't wait to put it through it's paces!
 
 
 
Is that carbon steel? If so, cool. Be careful what metals are in alloys. Some you can't cook with.
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Is that carbon steel? If so, cool. Be careful what metals are in alloys. Some you can't cook with.
Click to expand...
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Is that carbon steel? If so, cool. Be careful what metals are in alloys. Some you can't cook with.
Click to expand...
 
 
It's safe for cooking.  
 
hogleg said:
Does it need to be seasoned?
Click to expand...
 
Yes, I'll clean off the mill scale and then season it in the oven with some oil...or else it'll rust over.  
 
Hefty piece of metal ya got there samcan!  Your crust will thank you :)
 
I'm trying to figure out the best way to get the mill scale off, and I'll likely just dump it in a bucket with some vinegar for a couple days.  
 
So if any of you noticed, there's a layer of mill scale all over the thing.  I did some googling and found out that one way to remove it is to soak a few nights in vinegar.  SO, after a trip to Safeway, I put the steel at the bottom of a wash basin and covered it with vinegar.
 
I woke up this morning to find a bunch of the scale had fallen off the sides by itself, and with some light rubbing with a finger the scale would come off.  Planning on getting a wire brush and cleaning it up good and proper tonight before oiling and baking in the oven to season!
 
SavinaRed said:
Good luck with your new pizza pan ! Make sure we get to see a pic of the finished product after seasoning.
Click to expand...
Absolutely.  from what I can tell, it's looking like the mill scale will come off clean and give me a nice raw steel look.
 
IMAG3155_zps36be3c61.jpg


And after 2 day soak in vinegar, light brushing with a BBQ brush, and a brief sandpaper once-over. I also poured some baking soda on it to act as a bit of grit for polishing as well as to stop the vinegar reacting with the steel (not sure if that does anything).


IMAG3167_zps28603e1b.jpg


That shot was taken before I gave it a soap and water scrub down, so it still wasn't 100% clean yet but it gives you an idea of how raw steel can look pretty sharp once the mill scale is off.

It's currently in the oven at 400 degrees with a coat of flax oil on both sides. I'm gonna probably add another coat once it bakes for an hour and then after it cools down enough.
 
I was just about to open my yap with the "smoke point of flaxseed oil" spiel, when I googled it and came on the topic of flax to season cast. It looks promising, I'll have to give it a shot soon.
 
Oh yeah, and wicked pan :)
 
miguelovic said:
I was just about to open my yap with the "smoke point of flaxseed oil" spiel, when I googled it and came on the topic of flax to season cast. It looks promising, I'll have to give it a shot soon.
 
Oh yeah, and wicked pan :)
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's a little counterintuitive to anything I've learned about oils too lol.
 
samcanadian said:
Here's a pic of it after its been seasoned. I cooked a pizza on it this afternoon and the burnt cheese that dripped onto it came up easy as anything. The surface is legitimately no-stick.

IMAG3173_zps05c4bdc4.jpg
Click to expand...
 
You cooked a pizza on it and didn't post pics?
 
BOOOOOOOOOOOO!
 
texas blues said:
 
You cooked a pizza on it and didn't post pics?
 
BOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Click to expand...
Yeah, colossal error on my part, I was too concerned with the cooking portion.  I take way too many pictures of food as it is, so I can't believe I didn't snap one for this.
 
First off, my semi fail pizza crusts.  They sat in the fridge for about 20 hours, and they were still pretty sticky/goopy when I tried to work with them.  They were IMPOSSIBLE to round off into nice pie shapes without plopping onto the parchment and pushing them into place.  I will have to figure out a proper way to do it if I want to improve on maintaining the air bubbles etc.
 
IMAG3186_zps95191450.jpg

 
Just a regular pepperoni pizza.  This is after 5 minutes cooking on the 500 degree steel and under the broiler.
 
IMAG3187_zpsab97605e.jpg

 
IMAG3191_zps142d3ddd.jpg

 
The bottom
 
IMAG3190_zps8a216386.jpg

 
IMAG3196_zps2d2b928b.jpg

 
And a shot from the side.  This one could have cooked for another minute longer or so, but the bottom was still crisp, even if it was a bit flat and not totally cooked through in all the spots.  
 
IMAG3194_zps45c1e334.jpg

 
IMAG3195_zps95e94cc7.jpg

 
Here was the other pizza.  Just added peppers and onions to the pepperoni, but forgot to add them on top of the cheese, which I prefer.
 
IMAG3192_zps921cc1ef.jpg

 
We cooked this one for a minute or two longer because it as thicker and the crust rose a little bit nicer....even though it wasn't 100% cooked through all the way.  
 
IMAG3193_zps264cfd71.jpg

 
 
 
IMAG3189_zps2134c1f8.jpg

 
 
 
Things we'll do next time
 
1. Continue to use the parchment and my makeshift peel.  Worked like an absolute charm getting pizza in and out of the oven.
2. Probably either put the broiler on low or else turn it on after 5 minutes of cooking..because it was starting to get pretty brown on top and as evidenced, the bottom of the pizza, while crispy...could've used a bit more cooking to get through the dough.
3. Figure out my dough issues.  This one seemed to be okay and tasted really great, but I wish I could've gotten an easier to work with dough (i.e. shaping it on the back of my knuckles etc etc FUARK.  It just kept dripping off or stretching out too far, etc.  Really hard to work with)
4. My wife's pizza sauce apparently is my favourite sauce ever :rofl:  She had a recipe she uses that's fantastic...everything from scratch too.
5. Keep it simple.  Less ingredients make the pizza crust and sauce stand out.  Now to look into expensive cheeses 
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top