You can’t beat homemade pizza. There’s just something about that beautifully crisp base combined with your favorite topping that is enough to set anyone’s mouth-watering.
However, if you’re trying to imitate your favorite artisan pizza from the comfort of your own kitchen, it can be very hard to get the pizza off your pizza stone. Especially if the pizza stone is relatively new!
To get that beautifully crisp base on your pizza, you will need to use your oven set to the hottest temperatures.
Generally, this will mean pairing it with that pizza stone or pizza steel, as you will need something to help your pizza reach the higher temperatures it needs to get to for that tasty crunch.
However, sticky pizza can of course be a problem. No one wants to worry about parts of your pizza base being missing because they’ve gotten stuck to your pizza stone.
So you may be tempted to use parchment paper underneath your pizza to prevent it from sticking to the pizza stone.
You may have heard the rumors that this is a bad idea. So why should you never put parchment paper on a pizza stone?
The main reason of course is that parchment paper can’t handle the higher temperatures.
In order to get that beautifully crispy pizza, you will need to set your oven to the higher temperatures of around 450 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, parchment paper is only suitable for use up to around 430 degrees Fahrenheit. So once your oven exceeds this temperature, the parchment paper will start to burn.
This will of course prove to be a fire hazard in your kitchen and will mean that you can’t eat the pizza you’ve just spent lovingly creating with your own hands.
Another factor to consider is that the parchment paper will completely defeat the point of using a pizza stone in the first place.
The whole point of using a pizza stone instead of a baking sheet is that it can reach the higher temperatures needed to give you a crispy pizza base.
When using a pizza stone, you will need to preheat this along with your oven so that it reaches the higher temperatures that you need.
If you were to add parchment paper to this or cook your pizza at a lower temperature, it won’t be able to cook your pizza as efficiently.
The parchment paper will also trap moisture between itself and your pizza, so the base won’t get as crispy as you need it to be.
If you’re worried about transferring your pizza from the pizza stone onto your plate, it will be best to invest in a pizza peel instead.
Is Parchment Paper Safe With A Pizza Stone?
The short answer is that no, parchment paper isn’t safe to use with a pizza stone. This is because parchment paper is only safe to be used up to a certain temperature, 430 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you’re using a pizza stone, chances are that you’re trying to achieve a crispy pizza base. Which will mean exceeding the maximum temperature that parchment paper can withstand.
When parchment paper is placed in an oven hotter than 430 degrees Fahrenheit, it will start to catch fire and burn.
Not only will this mean your pizza will be virtually inedible because it hasn’t been able to cook properly, it will also be a massive fire hazard.
We’re sure that you don’t want to accidentally burn down your kitchen!
It’s also important to remember never to use parchment paper on a pizza steel, either.
These work very similarly to pizza stones, so it won’t be safe to use parchment paper on a pizza steel if you want to cook your pizza at higher temperatures.
Perhaps you’re feeling tempted to use parchment paper with your pizza stone, but cook it at a much lower temperature. However, this will mean that you can’t get the crispy pizza base that you’re after.
If you want a crispy base, you will need to use the pizza stone without any parchment paper in place.
Is Parchment Paper Good For Pizza?
Ultimately, parchment paper isn’t a good mix with pizza. This is because, in order to use it safely, you will need to cook at a much lower temperature.
This will mean that you can’t achieve the crispy base that you’re after. Parchment paper will also trap more moisture around the pizza base.
So while it’s technically possible to cook pizza with parchment paper, it’s best to leave this in your kitchen drawer.
If you want to create a superior pizza that will give you the beautiful crunch that you’re after when you bite into it, you will be better off using the pizza stone or steel that you have in your oven instead.
The only real benefit to using parchment paper with pizza is that it makes it easier to transfer from the oven to your kitchen table.
Pizza stones are very hot, and don’t cope well with an extreme change in temperature.
If you were to remove your pizza stone from the oven and place it on a cold surface, this will cause the material to go into thermal shock and crack.
So if you want to get your pizza out of the oven without burning yourself, it will be worth investing in a quality pizza peel so that you can do so safely.
What Do You Put On A Pizza Stone So It Doesn’t Stick?
If you’re tempted to use parchment paper on your pizza stone to prevent your pizza from sticking to it, then the best alternative for you to use instead is cornmeal, semolina, or a fine polenta.
These are naturally more coarse than an ingredient like flour, so won’t become a sticky, gluey paste once you’ve placed your pizza on top of your pizza stone.
You can also use these sprinkled on your pizza peel before you slide your pizza off into the oven.
The best way to prevent your pizza from sticking to your pizza stone is to sprinkle a little bit of cornmeal or one of the other alternatives we’ve mentioned on your pizza stone before you place your pizza onto this.
You should also use a generous sprinkling on your pizza peel, which should give your pizza base more than enough to stop it from sticking to your pizza stone.
You will need to ensure that your pizza stone is hot before you place the pizza on it. Make sure to leave it in your oven when you switch this on.
The two should be allowed to heat up to your desired temperature so that the pizza stone can do its job.
It will also be best to avoid putting excessive amounts of toppings on your pizza as well, as these can create added moisture to your pizza.
Another important factor to remember is that your pizza stone or steel will season the more often you use it. This will give it natural non-stick properties.
So it’s important to remember never to wash your stone or steel using dish soap or detergent as this can ruin your pizza stone.
Pizza stones are porous and will absorb any moisture they are exposed to.
It will be best to avoid trying to clean your stone, but if you notice a build-up of burnt bits, then you can try cleaning it with a self-made paste of baking soda and a small amount of water.
Can You Use Parchment Paper Instead Of A Pizza Peel?
Technically you can use parchment paper instead of a pizza peel, however, this shouldn’t then be left in the oven.
This is because, in order to achieve the crispy crust that you’re after, you will need to cook it at higher temperatures. These will cause your parchment paper to burn, which will be a major fire hazard.
Trying to use parchment paper instead of a pizza peel could also be making life more difficult for yourself. Once you’ve got the pizza onto your pizza stone and in the oven, great!
But how are you going to get it out again?
It will be much easier investing in a quality pizza peel so that you can quickly and efficiently place and remove your pizza from your pizza stone as you need to.
So just because you technically can use parchment paper instead of a pizza peel, it doesn’t mean that you should use parchment paper instead of a pizza peel.
Why Is My Pizza Sticking To The Stone?
Your pizza could be sticking to your pizza stone for several different reasons.
The main reasons for this could be that your pizza dough is far too wet, your pizza stone isn’t hot enough, you’re trying to move your pizza too soon before it’s had a chance to crisp up, your pizza dough has a hole in it, or you’re using far too many toppings that are leaking moisture onto the pizza base.
When you start to cook your pizza, it will be important to ensure that you preheat your pizza stone at the same time as your oven.
Make sure that you have placed your cold pizza stone into a cold oven before you turn up the temperature.
You will also need to ensure that your pizza stone has reached the higher temperatures that you need for a crispy base. This will help to cook your pizza thoroughly so that it doesn’t stick to the stone.
If you need to tackle pizza dough that is too wet, it will be crucial to ensure that you have followed an authentic recipe to give you the right consistency.
The flour will need at least 20 minutes to properly absorb the water in the dough.
You can also use a sprinkling of semolina, fine polenta, or cornmeal on your pizza peel and stone to prevent your dough from sticking to them.
If you want to use any fresh veggies for your pizza, it will be useful to cook these separately first. Ingredients like bell peppers have a high water content, and when these cook, the moisture can seep down into the pizza base.
Should I Oil My Pizza Stone?
While it’s always a good idea to season your pizza steel with oil of some kind to ensure that it maintains its non-stick properties, you don’t need to do this with a pizza stone.
This is because a pizza stone is naturally non-stick, and will become even more so over time.
If you were to use oil on your pizza stone, this would cause a lot of smoke in your oven once it got up to temperature.
Another factor to consider is that pizza stones are highly porous. They will absorb any moisture that they come into contact with.
So the more oil you try to brush into your stone, the more this will become absorbed.
There will get to a point where the pizza stone will become so saturated with moisture that it will become more likely to crack.
To ensure that your pizza stone lasts you for many years to come, it will be essential to make sure that it encounters as little moisture as possible.
If you’re overly concerned about your pizza sticking to your pizza stone, it will be better to opt for sprinkling a little bit of cornmeal over it instead.
Are You Supposed To Clean A Pizza Stone?
No, you’re not really supposed to clean a pizza stone. This may go against the grain, particularly if you want to keep your pizza stone as clean as possible.
However, this is because the more water your pizza stone is exposed to, the more of this it will absorb, and the more likely it will be to crack over time.
Another thing to remember is that pizza stones are highly porous.
So you should never try to clean them with dish soap or detergent, as your pizza stone will absorb this and leave you with soapy tasting pizza.
Yuck! Instead, you will be better off scraping away any burnt bits of food with a spatula after every time you use your pizza stone.
By avoiding cleaning it, this will also naturally season your pizza stone over time so that it can maintain its non-stick properties.
If you do need to clean your pizza stone at any point, you should do so with baking soda.
Combine baking soda with a small amount of water to make a paste, then carefully use this to scrub away at your pizza stone until any stubborn bits of food that are stuck to it are removed.
In Summary
So there you have it! It will be important to remember never to use parchment paper on your pizza stone. The whole point of pizza stones is to try and give your pizza a crispy base.
These are able to reach the hotter temperatures needed to do this, which will be way too hot for parchment paper.
Parchment paper can only be used in heat of up to 430 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything hotter than this and the parchment paper will burn.
If you want to use parchment paper to help transfer your pizza from the hot oven to your kitchen table, you will be better off investing in a quality pizza peel to help you do this.
If you want to use parchment paper to help prevent your pizza from sticking to your pizza stone, you will be better off using cornmeal, fine polenta, or semolina sprinkled on your pizza peel and stone instead.
Using parchment paper on a pizza stone at a lower temperature will leave you with a soggy pizza base.
It’s best to leave your parchment paper in your kitchen drawer and let your pizza stone do its job properly instead!
