If you've just received your new baking steel - you're one step closer to professional baking results, straight from your own oven.
Whether you're making crispy and airy sourdough rolls or a crispy pizza - like the one you get at the local pizzeria - the baking steel helps elevate your baked goods to new heights.
But as important as the right tools are, so is the technique.
Therefore, in this post, we'll take you through the important things to keep in mind when using your baking steel.
The First Few Times You Use the Baking Steel
Even though your baking steel can be used right away, you'll get better rust protection and nonstick if you give it several layers of seasoning. We recommend seasoning your baking steel the first 2-3 times you use it, and then once every six months after that.
Before you begin, the baking steel should be completely dry and free of dirt. Coat the baking steel with a thin layer of neutral oil - we recommend grapeseed oil - and wipe it off with a dry, lint-free cloth, ensuring the oil layer is very thin. Then, place the baking steel in the oven at 240 degrees Celsius for one hour to burn in the oil. You can bake on it immediately afterward. Read more about how to season your baking steel here→
How to Use Your Baking Steel
Place the baking steel on the rack in your oven and heat it up for 45-60 minutes until it's completely heated through. Often, you'll achieve the best results by placing the baking steel in the upper half of the oven.
As a general rule, we recommend preheating your baking steel with convection, but switching to top and bottom heat to bake your baked goods. Convection provides the most efficient heat, but it's not optimal for baking. Convection dries out the crust of your dough, causing it to set before the dough has finished rising.
Can you use your baking steel on the grill?
Yes, you can also use your baking steel on the grill!
A grill will usually be hotter than an oven, so monitor the temperature to prevent your bread from burning.
Baking Steel and Steam
If you have an oven with a steam function, this is excellent to use at the beginning of baking. It allows your bread to develop and rise even more before the crust sets, giving you airy and delicious bread.
You can certainly bake with steam along with your baking steel, but it's important that the baking steel has received several layers of seasoning to better protect it from rust. After baking with steam, the baking steel should be allowed to dry thoroughly to prevent rust.
Should you use parchment paper on the baking steel?
Parchment paper or not? It depends on what you're baking.
Your seasoning helps the dough release from the surface, but if your dough is very sticky, we recommend using parchment paper. It makes it easier to transfer your delicious airy rolls to the baking steel without puncturing the bubbles in the dough. Additionally, you'll avoid burnt bread residue on the baking steel.
If you're making pizza, you can certainly bake directly on the baking steel.
Pizza dough is not as sticky - and it needs to be cooked at such a high temperature that the parchment paper will char in the oven. Therefore, it's best to place the pizza dough directly on your baking steel.
Need inspiration for what to bake? Try one of these delicious recipes
