Need inspiration for what to make on your baking steel?
Here are our 3 favourite recipes for your baking tray – with an extra bonus at the bottom of the post.
1. The perfect pizza dough
Homemade pizza has become increasingly popular, and with good reason: pizza is a sure winner in any home, and if you really want to, you can dive right into a complicated process to achieve that authentic Italian result.
Here's a recipe that anyone can follow and that works every time. The dough is left to rise in the fridge, where it has time to develop flavour and gluten structure – and then you can leave it in the fridge until you're ready to use it. The pizzas have a light and delicious crust with a moist crumb.
2. Sourdough buns
It's a very special feeling to take your first successful sourdough buns out of the oven, and it certainly won't be the last once you've discovered the amazing baking properties of sourdough. The buns are crispy, light, delicious and perfect with your morning coffee, butter and a slice of cheese.
You can bake sourdough buns on a regular baking tray, but they rise best when baked on a baking steel, so they become crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The buns keep longer than yeast bread because they are made with sourdough, and they can easily be frozen so you always have a sourdough bun ready to take out of the freezer.
3. Sourdough baguettes
Baguettes are a sure winner on most dining tables, whether served with charcuterie, tapas or as an accompaniment to the main course. Here is a simple version, baked with sourdough.
The dough is left to rise in the fridge so that it has time to develop flavour and an even better texture. When you're ready, simply turn the dough out onto a board, cut into baguettes, bake, and you have warm sourdough baguettes for dinner. They can also be used for sandwiches the next day, as the sourdough keeps the bread fresh and moist for longer.
Bonus: Pita bread
Many people think that homemade pita bread is difficult to make because it needs to have that characteristic hollow centre to make room for delicious fillings. However, it's much easier than you think, and you'll never tire of seeing your pita bread ‘pop’ in the oven.
If you bake your pita bread on a baking steel, you'll get the best results, as the explosive heat of the baking steel helps the bread to rise. Fill them with your favourite fillings, and if you have any left over, they can easily be frozen for a quick and easy dinner another day.
