Pizza... Burnt crust! Help!

theyolksonyou

In the grocery where the foil and plastic wrap is.

blasting

#1 ^^ I agree with Bosco's method.  I too use an oversized bottom stone with a smaller upper stone.  The upsized deflector seems to eliminate burned edges caused by higher edge heat.  

Right now I'm using two granite slabs as my stones.  This spring planning to purchase a plasma cutter, and will make a couple of 3/8 plates.  I'm curious to see the difference between granite and steel.

Ladeback69

I am no expert, but I just did pizza this last Sunday and my first 2 had burnt crust because there was not enough air gap between the PS and stone. So I raised the stone about 3"-4" and it helped. Yes using parchment paper will be easier then corn meal . I was cooking at 500-550, but 450-500 should be good enough, just a couple more minutes of time.

westernbbq

1move said:

Thanks for all your comments I will have to try the gap and the parchment paper. Any suggestions on where I can get parchemnt paper?

safeway has it on sale for $2.99 a roll the last time i checked.  any grocery store will have it in the section where there's wax paper, aluminum foil, etc.  Super easy to find

I've used parchment paper at lower temps and it is super slick for getting the 'za off the peel and onto the stone.  However, if you're above 650F, the paper may end up burning underneath the pizza in addition to the skirts.  One thing I've done is that after about the first 30 seconds to a minute, you can slip the parchment right out from under the 'za - just use heat resistant gloves or risk losing all the hair on your knuckles.  500F cooks with pizza though and using parchment yields the predictable and replicated results that CookinBob uses above.  Mighty tasty looking rockstar pizza!

Tjcoley

1move said:

Thanks for all your comments I will have to try the gap and the parchment paper. Any suggestions on where I can get parchemnt paper?

Any grocery store next to the foil and wax paper.

Carolina Q

Ladeback69 said:

...using parchment paper will be easier then corn meal .

Easier? Why? With corn meal (or better yet, semolina), all you have to do is sprinkle a little bit on the peel. No cutting required. No expensive paper to buy either.

And the crust is nowhere near as good when using paper. I used it once. That was enough. Now I have a roll of parchment that hasn't been touched since then. Don't like parchment. At all.

Botch

Carolina Q said:

...using parchment paper will be easier then corn meal .

Easier? Why? With corn meal (or better yet, semolina), all you have to do is sprinkle a little bit on the peel. No cutting required. No expensive paper to buy either. And the crust is nowhere near as good when using paper. I used it once. That was enough. Now I have a roll of parchment that hasn't been touched since then. Don't like parchment. At all.

 

Agreed, I consider parchment, in pizza-making, to be "training wheels".  And note that NO pizzarias go that route... 

Deviledegger

@Tjcoley‌ I also brought my egg temp around to 200* just tonight. It's cold here also. Everything on the egg is fine as far as I know however my pizza stone and 2 pizza bagels didn't take it well. Oops!

Tjcoley

Got to keep an eye on those temps. Glad all is ok. I've actually gone higher in the past with no issue.

keepervodeflame

You can buy parchment paper in the baking section of almost any market. It comes in rolls like wax paper. I use parchment rounds 13' in dia. I bought 500 of them on Amazon. Really convenient, and work very well. Good luck. 

SunDeviledEgg

Isn't part of the purpose of a pizza stone to draw out the moisture in the dough, which makes the crust golden brown and crispy?  If you use parchment paper, I'm not sure how that can happen since there's no crust to stone contact.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Tjcoley

Parchment paper also has a wicking property, drawing moisture out of the dough. This allows you to remove the paper after a few minutes after the dough has set. Also best for making chocolate chip cookies and clean up is easy.

jtcBoynton

SunDeviledEgg said:

Isn't part of the purpose of a pizza stone to draw out the moisture in the dough, which makes the crust golden brown and crispy?  If you use parchment paper, I'm not sure how that can happen since there's no crust to stone contact.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.

the moisture is not wicked out from the dough to the stone. It is actually moving the moisture in the opposite direction. The heat from the stone transfers to the dough and creates steam. This causes the oven spring in the dough. Heat movement is by conduction and the paper will not significantly impact the heat transfer.

1move

Thanks guys, I will experiment with everyones suggestions. I will try the air gap first and move from there, I was thinking of going to buy 3/4" 90 deg copper bends.

Ladeback69

Carolina Q said:

...using parchment paper will be easier then corn meal .

Easier? Why? With corn meal (or better yet, semolina), all you have to do is sprinkle a little bit on the peel. No cutting required. No expensive paper to buy either. And the crust is nowhere near as good when using paper. I used it once. That was enough. Now I have a roll of parchment that hasn't been touched since then. Don't like parchment. At all.

I don't like the gritty texture of the corn meal when I bite into the pizza. It a personal preference. @westernbbq, I will have to try removing the parchment paper after a few minutes next time to see if that helps to. I am also going to try and cook around 450 instead of 500-550. My first two pizzas i did where burnt tell I put a larger air gap under the stone, but I think the high heat was and issues too. We really liked the "00" pizza flour and it can be made up with in an hour before the cook so you don't have to do it the night before. Has anyone used any of the packaged pizza flour mixes found in the grocery store? I was wondering how they would fair. I may have try one.

500

I have yet to venture into making dough.  Instead, I buy dough balls from the local pizzeria.  They make a good New York style from-scratch dough, and charge $4 for it.  I use parchment as well.