Making your favorite pizza recipes at home is one of the great joys of cooking. There is something so satisfying about making your pizza dough from scratch and being able to create your favorite topping combinations with fresh ingredients you love. However, if your recipe calls for a baking or pizza stone, do you really need one? The answer is no. You can use an inverted baking sheet instead of this portable cooking surface.
Baking sheets are the unsung hero in just about every kitchen. We tend to take them for granted unless we are baking cookies, but these babies are so much more. To use your baking sheet when making pizza, simply flip it over so it is inverted. Placement is key so make certain you slide it onto the lowest rack in your oven before preheating. Set your oven to the highest temperature you can and be sure to build in at least 30 minutes for preheating into your prep time. Once your oven reaches its optimal temperature, place your pizza with all its toppings on top of the baking sheet and let it transform into pizza perfection. There are a few things to keep in mind, however.
Skip the nonstick bakeware when making pizza in the oven
FIrst, you should add a little grease to your baking pan before sliding your pizza dough onto it to make sure it doesn’t stick or cause the crust to burn. Also, it will probably take about 10 minutes for your pizza to bake with this technique, but it is best not to wander too far away so you can keep an eye on it as it becomes chewy and crispy. Using this makeshift baking stone also has a couple of benefits that you will really like. It will give you a truly crispy pizza crust, and a baking sheet is perfect for creating a larger pizza when feeding a big crowd. Not only that, but you can dispense with a pizza paddle as well.
The baking pan is worth two kitchen tools when making pizza. That has to say something about its incredible value to the culinary curious. However, it is important to note that you do not want to use a nonstick baking sheet. Your crust will quickly move from golden brown to burnt if you do.
