In the past, we've written about the effects of different types of bakeware on your baked goods. I wonder if a the pie is best baked in a metal, glass or ceramic pie pan? We've got you covered. The same for cakes baked in glass, metal and stoneware.
But what about the bread? We were wondering if there was an optimal way to bake freeform breads that do not require a baking dish, but a specific baking surface: or bread and pizza stone. Does baking bread or pizza on a stone really make a difference in the finished product? We did the testing so you don't have to.
Let's go over some baking basics
The type of container you bake in, or in, will have an impact on your results. This is because different materials transfer heat from the oven to your baked goods in different ways. Get brownies, for example. Glass takes longer to heat up, so if you bake the brownies in a glass pan, the edges may cook by the time the center is done. Meanwhile, brownies baked in a metal pan will have shorter, softer edges because the metal conducts heat more efficiently.
To test the effect of baking bread on a pizza stone, I made several loaves (as well as pita and pizza) side by side: one on an aluminum baking sheet placed directly on the oven rack and the other directly on a preheated one. King Arthur Bread and Pizza Stone, of cordierite. A food-safe mineral compound, cordierite is essentially stone, and the stone benefits from baking by absorbing and retaining heat, which it then transfers to the bread (or pizza) during baking. Stone is also slow to cool, so it can radiate heat continuously for a long time. These qualities make baked goods cook and brown more evenly.
By comparison, aluminum is a conductor, which means it's great at transferring heat through itself and into your dough, and it heats up and cools down relatively quickly. Unfortunately, aluminum heats up erratically and can cause uneven baking and browning in baked goods.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Artisan Hearth Bread: Spring Bakery Better
I first tested the difference between these two materials using our recipe for artisan hearth bread, where we call for baking on a stone. The stone-baked dough had better oven spring — that burst that rises in the oven before the bread develops its outer crust — than the pan-baked one. Since the spring of the oven is caused in part by the temperature rise of the gases in the dough, this tells me that the stone helped to give the dough a lot of heat from the beginning of baking. As a result, the stone-baked bread was taller and had a nicer roundness bubble shape, while bread baked on a baking sheet was somewhat flat and disc-shaped in comparison.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Sourdough bread with natural yeast: browns more
Then I turned to one of our most popular sourdough recipes: Sourdough bread with natural yeast. While both loaves browned nicely, the one baked in the aluminum pan browned unevenly. The stone-baked bread was evenly browned all over, including the bottom. How dark do you like your bread? it's mostly a matter of preference, and personally, I'd rather eat it pan-roasted for its more nuanced and delicious flavor. However, if I judge the two loaves on uniformity of caramelization, the stone wins. Looking up and down, the tray-baked bread was more stained than the stone-baked, though that's not a big deal if you don't mind the inconsistent flavor from bite to bite.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Written Pita: Faster baking time and less cracking
In ours Pita recipe written, we provide instructions for both baking stones and baking trays. Pizza stone-baked pitas puff up within 1 to 1 1/2 minutes—as a result of the near-instant, intense heat they receive from the stone. They were fully baked in 3 minutes and remained soft and pliable. By comparison, pitas baked on aluminum baking sheets took twice as long to rise and required a longer baking time overall. The result: drier, leatherier pies that tended to crack when deflated. Although both methods work, the award goes to stone-baked pitas, as they remain pliable and soft enough to split and fill.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Light and fresh pizza: the best fry
our Light and crispy pizza it's meant to have a fresh, crispy crust, and here the stone definitely delivered. Once again, I found that the consistent, intense heat from the stone caused constant redness all over. And, as with pitas, pizza cooks faster than a hearth flatbread, so it needs an instant burst of heat to get the crust crispy and crunchy before the toppings burn.
Meanwhile, the aluminum baking sheet provided a more unevenly browned pizza with less color and a less crispy texture. A light and fluffy pizza is better than no pizza, but if you want a fresh and crispy crust, the stone is the way to go.
Food pick-up: Baking bread on a pizza stone has a noticeable impact
My tests found that using a bread and pizza stone for bread really does make a difference, and depending on the recipe, that difference can be more or less subtle. Stone creates faster, superior rise in breads where it matters, like pita and artisan hearth bread. It also provided more even coloring on everything I tested, as well as crisper, crispier crusts on the pizzas.
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
But wait, there's more!
Still wondering if you should invest in one baking stone? Not only is it great for bread, pizza and pita, but baking your own pie on a stone also helps prevent wet ends. The consistent heat from the stone combined with the conductivity of a metal pan helps ensure your pies are fully cooked and evenly browned in the end.
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
