Baking Sourdough on Pizza Stone – Your Easy Guide!

Published By Categorized as Equipment + Product Guides

If you’re an avid sourdough baker, you’ve probably heard of a pizza stone. And while they’re often used for what their name implies, they’re also great for baking bread on, especially sourdough bread. So if you’re looking to bake sourdough on a pizza stone, then stick around for your easy guide!

Baking sourdough on pizza stone – your easy guide!

Table of Contents

How to Bake Sourdough Bread on a Baking Stone

Baking sourdough bread on a baking stone is fairly simple, and well worth it, especially for the amazing results.

If you’re wondering how to do this, then simply check out the instructions outlined below:

Method

  1. Start by placing your baking stone on a shelf in the lower half of your oven.
  2. Preheat your oven and pizza stone to 482 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour. This is an important step in the process, as the intense heat will help your sourdough loaf rise beautifully.
  3. Once the oven has been on for an hour, remove your loaf from the fridge, and tip it onto a piece of parchment paper. Brush your loaf with water, and add a light dusting of flour.
  4. Use a sharp knife or razor blade to cut or score your dough. You can create an amazing design or a simple swift cross. You can check out my article, on how to score sourdough bread, for the best tips and tricks to creating the perfect sourdough loaf.
  5. Place your scored loaf with the parchment paper onto a chopping board, and quickly slide the dough and parchment paper onto the baking stone.
  6. Cover the dough with an upturned cake tin.
  7. Bake your sourdough bread on the baking stone for 10 minutes at 480 degrees F. Then remove the cake tin lid, and reduce the heat to 190 degrees. Continue baking for 25-35 minutes.

Can I Make Sourdough Using the Pizza Stone & Steamed Oven Method?

If you find that your regular gas oven isn’t providing you with the results you desire, then you can certainly use a method that involves a pizza stone and steamed oven.

Essentially, this method involves hot water, a pizza stone, and lots and lots of steam!

  1. Simply start by preheating the pizza stone in your oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Then place an oven tray in the oven below the pizza stone.
  2. Once your sourdough bread is ready for baking, place your dough ball onto the pizza stone.
  3. Pour a cup of hot water onto the baking tray, and quickly close the oven door.
  4. Bake for 40 minutes.

What If I Don’t Have a Baking Stone?

Don’t have a baking stone? Don’t fret. There are many alternatives to choose from, all of which will provide the same results.

Some of the best alternatives to pizza or baking stones include:

  • Dutch oven: These are phenomenal little pots that are great at trapping steam, and help develop that crisp, crunchy crust we all desire. Take a look at the best Dutch oven for sourdough bread, for the perfect choice.
  • Baking pan: This is another great option for bread baking, especially for sandwich bread, thanks to the square shape that permits perfectly even slices, compared to round loaves. You can choose the perfect material that suits your particular baking. From aluminum, to cast iron it’s entirely up to you!
  • Fire bricks: An inexpensive alternative to pizza stones, are fire bricks. This method allows you to take a step back in time, and gauge how our ancestors would bake bread. The bricks are made out of clay, and specially built for intense heat resistance. They’re also incredible at absorbing heat, and fit snugly in your oven!
  • Cookie sheet: This is great for soft crust bread, like challah, or dinner rolls. If you’re looking for a perfectly formed crisp crust, then your best option would have to be a Dutch oven or cast iron pot.
  • A slab of steel: Lastly, the simplest option would be to bake on a simple slab of steel. The steel is capable of retaining heat well, especially when it comes to high temperatures, so your sourdough can get that perfect blast of heat it needs to bake!

Sourdough Pizza Stone

Both pizza and baking stones provide amazing results to your sourdough loaves, so if you’re tired of dealing with your gas oven, then perhaps it’s time to invest in a pizza stone!

Baking Sourdough on Pizza Stone FAQs

Is it Good to Bake Bread on a Pizza Stone?

Yes. You may find that most sourdough bakers prefer to bake sourdough bread on a pizza or baking stone. This is mainly due to the fact that pizza stones are amazing at absorbing moisture, and help develop a wonderfully crisp crust that we desperately seek from our sourdough baking.

Why are Home Ovens not Effective at Baking Bread?

Home ovens aren’t great at baking bread, as gas ovens have hot and cold spots, meaning that you may have to rotate your bread twice while it bakes.

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By Natasha Krajnc

Hi! My name is Natasha and I'm specialized in home sourdough bread baking and currently based in Slovakia - a very small country in Central Europe. My bread baking story began in 2011 when I decided to give up commercial yeast. I felt tired all the time (especially after eating bread and other foods made with yeast), I wasn’t motivated to do anything, had trouble concentrating throughout the day, my abdomen was bloated and I was like a trumpet on steroids – basically, I was quite a wreck. I was a big bread lover (and still am) and having to stop eating bread was quite hard at that time but I felt I was on a right way to give my body a chance to heal itself.

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