A Pizza Stone Can Be Your Best Friend

Somer Canon — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:24:22 +0000

The first two years that I had the darned thing, I had no idea how to use it. Back then, my pizzas came to me in a cardboard box via a pimply-faced teenager. It sat in my cabinet unused, taking up space. I considered many times giving it away. I had no use for it. Boy am I glad that I never acted on that completely stupid impulse.

My pizza stone is my very dear friend. First of all, I like to use it to make pizza. On homemade pizza, I prefer a thin and crispy crust and a pizza stone is really the only way to achieve that in a standard oven.

But as time wore on and my cooking diversified (compared to what it used to be) I found another really awesome use for my pizza stone. I can use it to make Naan!

In case you are unaware, Naan is a leavened Indian flat bread. It’s usually made in a tandoor oven, but since most American kitchens do not have a tandoor, I discovered that my pizza stone can help me achieve the crazy hot surface that I needed to make a perfect Naan.

I put the pizza stone into a cold oven, and then crank the heat to the max. I let the pizza stone sit in the maximum heat of my oven for 30 minutes before putting the Naan dough on the stone. (WARNING: This thing is insanely HOT! Use every precaution when doing this. It only takes a microsecond of contact for you to get a very nasty burn…trust me…I know.)

Once the Naan is on the pizza stone, I turn the broiler on high so that the top of the bread will cook. It only takes about 3 minutes for the bread to cook fully in this fashion.

Once the Naan is through cooking, I like to finish it by basting a small amount of vegetable oil over the top, sprinkling with some finely minced garlic, and sprinkling with some chopped fresh cilantro.

I love Naan and make it every time I make an Indian dish for dinner. I use the recipe from the Indian cookbook that I’ve linked to probably a thousand times.

There are many wonderful recipes for Naan out there and I suggest you try it out. Pizza stones are readily available here, here, here, and here. Take your pick. Just don’t underestimate the power or a porous stone that you can heat to a bajillion degrees. I’m sure I’ll find many more uses for this thing in the years to come.

Also, remember that these tools don’t mix well with soap. Just wipe them down if you can.

Go and get one! Start making your own pizza crusts with whole grain flour! Make some Naan! French fries work well on this baby too!

Enjoy!

Light Artichoke Pizza

Smell My Plate » kitchen tools

A Pizza Stone Can Be Your Best Friend