Thursday, November 19, 2009

Good News for Pizza Lovers!

The other day, a friend told me she had successfully baked her homemade pizza on parchment paper—which entirely eliminated the oh-so-awkward transfer of the pizza from the peel to the stone. Of course, I couldn't resist trying it immediately, so I did, and (drumroll please) she was right!


Preheat oven to 425. Simply spread some parchment paper over your pizza peel, sprinkle cornmeal, roll out the dough, and add toppings. Roughly trim the edges of the paper to about an inch from the crust, creating a circle instead of a square of parchment paper underneath the dough. Then relish the ease with which you slide the pizza onto the preheated stone!

The only disadvantage is that you can't crank the oven up as high, because parchment paper isn't meant to be heated above 425. But especially if you place the stone on the bottom rack, you should have no problem getting a nice, crispy crust nonetheless.

Just so no one sues me if the parchment paper somehow ignites in your oven, please keep an eye on it the first time you try this. Don't throw the pizza in the oven and leave for 40 minutes. (But really, who would do that??)

9 comments:

Natalie said...

YES! That IS good news! I hated transferring my dough (mostly because I have no pizza peel which makes things even worse). I'll try it out! Thanks!

Hope you're feeling good these days :)

Emily said...

that's what I do! It gets a little brown, but you can touch it with your hands for a quick transfer even! I love it!

Liz said...

Ok, Erica, I'm enlisting your help. I love lasagna. I got a supposed great recipe from a friend and it turned out nasty. It has scared me away from lasagna for quite some time. Do you have a yummy (no fail/Liz proof) recipe for me. You were the first person I thought of! Happy pregnancy--when are you due again?

Erica Layne | Let Why Lead said...

Hey Liz! I'm sorry to say I don't have a surefire lasagna recipe either! I actually tried one recently and wasn't happy with how it turned out, just like you. Sorry! If you find a keeper, let me know! Btw, I'm due March 5. I hope your pregnancy is going well too - you still look tiny in photos! I'm jealous! :)

Alicia said...

Erica, I love your food blog! Fun fun fun to see the recipes you're trying. This pizza look fabulous, and my pizza-loving husband is sure to like it. Can't wait to try it out!

Nat's ol' pal, Alicia Mathias

This is it!! said...

I once had parchment paper go up in flames. I used it to cover some bread I had baking in the oven and the next time I looked, poof little black embers were floating around the oven. It made me chuckle. Just remember to keep the oven door shut though.

dancer4life said...

hey erica i loved the way your pizza turned out my dough always gets soggy have any tips

Natalie said...

I thought of you tonight as I effortlessly slide my pizza out on parchment!! What a revelation you had! I didn't know it wasn't supposed to be heated past 425 until I glanced at your post just now. I had mine cranked to 450 and cooked three separate pizzas on the same parchment. No fire department calls :)

Has that baby of yours arrived yet??

Alicia said...

Erica,

My husband made your pizza dough, and WE LOVE IT! He got a peel for Christmas and was determined to master it...and the results were fantastic.

Thanks for sharing such a good recipe and for the tips!

Alicia