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A thrifty baking stone
May 29, 2009 | 33 Comments
My baking stone and I celebrated our eighth anniversary and though we are still friends, it’s time for an amicable divorce. I’ve been planning to make a baguette for a while, and this stone’s size just will not permit that.
(If you’re wondering why anyone who wants to make artisanal breads needs a baking stone, Susan @ Wild Yeast has the answer.)
I need more surface area – something than can take two 10-inch pizzas, or six pitas/naans. I intend to leave it in my oven all the time.
I wanted something rectangular – about 15×20 inches – and found these:
- a ceramic commercial pizza stone, 3/4 inch thick (85 USD plus shipping).
- The Fibrament stone, 3/4 inch thick and made with engineered materials at 70 USD plus shipping. They even make custom sizes.
I’ve heard of using unglazed quarry tile. They are not easily available off the shelf. Plus, not all unglazed tiles are food-safe because of lead contamination.
A lot of baking forum discussions, as also celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, endorse using granite slab in their ovens as baking stones.
Granite tiles are cut at 1/2 inch, the thinnest slabs are usually 3/4 inch. They retain heat much better than 1/4 inch ceramic or earthenware pizza stones. Granite is more resistant to cracking than ceramic over repeated cycles of heating and cooling.
I visited a forgotten area of my garage where two boxes of granite tiles reside. They were left over from a project four years ago.
I fished out two tiles from there. Jai took one of them to Lowe’s and flashed his lovely smile at the nice tile-cutting lady. She cut the tile for us, even though it wasn’t from the store. We got two inches removed, though on hindsight one inch would have been sufficient.
Peeled off the labels and removed the glue from the back, washed them well with soapy water, and I have my baking stone. I placed the tiles upside down – rough side up.
Even if we break these, there are more in the garage.
We saw a 3/4 inch granite slab at a local stone store which would have, inclusive of cutting, cost us $40 for a 15×20 inch piece. Not bad at all. However, it may have been too heavy for our grate. Even the 1/2 inch tile makes it sag a bit in the middle.
Our tiles are ‘Absolute Black’ and go for about 9$ each. Usually, if it’s just one tile you need cut, the store you bought it from will do it for you for no extra charge.
If you are planning to use granite in your oven (or anywhere in your house), remember to get
1. One of the safer varieties like Uba Tuba, Black Pearl or Absolute Black (reason outlined below)
2. Almost always, the granite you buy is unsealed. However, please confirm that it has NO GLAZE or SEAL.
3. Take your baking rack from the oven with you and make sure you leave about an inch on the sides to be able to slide it in and out when the granite is placed on it.
GRANITE and RADIOACTIVITY
There are a lot of concerns being raised about the health effects of radioactivity from granite and its link to cancer. Some say it is miniscule compared to atmospheric radiation and these alarmist rumours are spread by makes of alternate engineered materials like Corian. Others claim radon exposure through granite countertops while spending two hours a day in your kitchen could have the effect of smoking a pack a day on your lungs. Almost all the articles pertaining to either of these viewpoints are sponsored either by the stone industry or their competitors.
After reading THIS, THIS and THIS, it appears that the truth is somewhere in the middle.
Radioactivity from granite is tested by checking if the material gives off alpha particles which lead to radon gas. Radon test kits can be bought for $25, or you could have experts come to your home for an inspection (that costs between $100 to $300).
Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. Most commercially sold granites do not release radon, or the emission is so statistically insignificant as not to make a lasting impact. Some types of granites, however, record dangerous amounts of radon emission.
The relatively ‘solid’ patterns with less movement (Uba Tuba, Black Pearl, Absolute Black) pose a much smaller risk than the exotic granites. The ones with a lot of pattern and colour with brown, green and yellow flecks are the ones most likely to be suspect (Niagra Gold, Savannah, Verde Peacock, Four Seasons, Crema Bourdeaux, Yellow Star, Tropic Brown, Baltic Brown). It depends, to a large extent, upon where they are mined. (Granite countertop radiation risk calculator)
If you are really concerned about granite, many stone stores will do a radon test before you buy a slab or tiles. Or get yourself a Fibrament stone. I’d rather put that $80 into my Lens Fund.
As for the other piece, I use it as a bookmark.
- Bee
Filed Under: baking stone, ceramic, granite, MUSINGS, pizza, pizza stone, radon
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33 Comments
That is one heavy bookmark!
Just like you mentioned for granite, the non stick cookware (even the better quality ones) have been linked to causing cancer. As far as I know, the jury was still out on that one, and am not sure what and if they have arrived at anything concrete.
Throw some light, maybe?
we don’t use non-stick.
Hmm 80 bucks for stone, I cannot digest! I do have some granite tile but not the one u mentionned. I roll chapati in the granite tile! Another interesting read about radioactivity and granite!
Good to know. Thank you for the info. I have some Black Pearl slab lying around in the garage, a sample we got for free for the tile store. I am going to try it out. I use one of them for rolling rotis.
Aah what a perfect timing! So we are just remodeling our fireplace and ordered Black Pearl granite. I am now hoping to have couple of leftover pieces so I can do the same thing.
I find these studies very interesting. I am happy that the studies are getting done but its always an afterthought. We are getting treated as guinea pigs more and more these days. I feel like I am on a turn in life that i can neither go back to the lifestyle my parents have nor use the new technology/innovations without a doubt in mind.
Wow, a great idea to use granite slabs as baking stones. Thanks Bee!
And that’s one heavy bookmark
and unique!!
Thanks for the link to our radiation risk calculator. We have a lot more information at our forum, not a lot of posters reply, but we use it as a blog space for the updates on the granite testing effort.
I would be very, very, careful of using granite as a food preparation surface. Granite is loaded with toxic heavy metal, you name it, it is present from trace quanities to thousands of parts per million. Our first XRF test found over 1% thallium in one consumer’s granite countertop. Thallium is both water and fat soluble (skin contact is one pathway) and produces birth defects similar to the Thalidomide drug that produced thousands of deformed children in the 1950′s.
http://forum.solidsurfacealliance.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=222
We are conducting a major test June 12th to test 88 common granites for toxic heavy metal content.
solidsurfacealliance.org is dedicated to dissing granite. which solid surface manufacturers does it represent?
in india both our families have used granite for hundreds of years daily to grind various ingredients. it’s called ‘ammi kallu’. cancer was practically unheard of even among the previous generation.
We represent no manufacture, just a group of people that research countertop materials. Most of us sell granite.
Really, you expect the stone industry to tell you about these issues? The source of the information matters little if the information is factual.
What is sold as granite in this country may not be what you used in India. Only about 3% of commercially sold granite is really granite.
Oh noo! You’ll warp your Peanuts Treasury
I was actually on the lookout for granite tiles before we just got lazy and got a commercial baking stone. It’s not bad– about $12– but it’s only 16″ diameter. But then again, that’s all my oven floor can accommodate 
Cool. I’ll do this at some point.
That looks more like a reliable paperweight than a bookmark, and so unfair to Peanuts to leave something heavy as that:D Great post, and I so agree about Ammi Kallu:-) I even have a granite mortar and pestle which is huge and heavy, though I use my tiny brass one for daily use and the granite one is tucked away somewhere. I would never have imagined about radioactivity and all even if I used it…thanks for all the info.
nice idea….good info about granite being radioactive.
non stick cookware should not be used……i bought it jsut after my marriage but after knowing this i use them for serving purpose (they are attractive cook n serve kind), n avoid high temperature cooking in them.
The artisian book i have too ask the stone, but i have not seen them anywere here, good idea of he granite stone, i should ask mubby’s uncle if he has , as they are building a new house.
I badly need a baking stone, but have been putting it off becoz of the cost.cannot afford to spend 80 dollars for the little amount of baking i do. Good info Bee. Recently we went for a trip where it is just granite all around… the hills are all humongous domes of granite & they had quite a few granite quarry. i should have looked into the local stores there! would have been much easier to find an unglazed one & cheaper too…isn’t it natural that i didn’t think of it:-(
read Anu’s comment: I do not use Non Stick either.. only may be once a year when i have to take out my big pot when i need to feed 40 or so. I have got myself some hard anodized without non stick coating.. & mostly cast iron, some beaten iron Kadai from india.. hope the hard anodized are safe..
I bought a pizza stone last year. But it has already become so dirty looking. I just clean it with water and kitchen soap. Also, I leave it in oven most of the time. Yours looks so much better even after so many years of usage. I think I need to research more for a better way to keep it clean.
Love the granite idea. U have so much surface area now. Great
don’t use soap on your baking stone. it affects its performance. just scrape off the crumbs or other stuff.
I just love these types of frugal solutions! I was looking for a trivet to keep next to my stove for hot pots, and remembered some leftover floor tiles from a project in the living room. Voila — trivets! I felt so sustainable!
I wonder what the stone had to say
Oh wow! thanx for all this info..!
Sometimes I feel a bit lost not knowing what to use anymore..
Ammi kallu is made of granite?? Wow! I didn’t know that. Thanks! I get to learn something new every time I hop in here.
we bake so much bread that our pizza stone basically lives in the oven. I was able to get a decent deal at a restaurant supply store. This seems like a cool approach, and starting out black means it never looks dirty
I’m surprised your relationship lasted 8 years. Mine usually end much more quickly! I’d love to have a darker color so you wouldn’t see how splattered mine is all the time.
I have not used a baking stone till now. Must get one just to check out .
I have learnt 2 things from this post Bee. One you could use a granite slab instead of baking stone and hardware stores do cut things for you. I wanted to cut a piece of wooden slab and was thinking that we had to do it ourselves in Home Depot, so just did not get to it. We both are not handy. This weekend I’m going to HD.
I dont have own a granite stone…and the tiles i found in this house are not oven friendly me thinks. My stone though little worn out now, works pretty well. So for now am happy with it…I baked a bread v recently too and it came out well….but will watch out for those tiles!
Hi Bee,
Thanks for the helpful info for this post
http://chefinyou.com/2009/06/how-to-make-ragi-flour-finger-millet-flour-at-home/comment-page-1/#comment-9978
I have a question though
would roasting for say even few seconds kill the enzymes? My roasting process lasts probably only few seconds, less than a minute on low heat. if it does kill even then, probably I am better off just drying it out and powdering them next time…..Just wanted to know if there is a time frame
it’s not for how long you roast it. it’s the temperature – above 125F, i think. raw food cookbooks advocate keeping all temps below 140F.
That is so interesting, I was not aware of the risk. Thanks for the info, nice baking stone too!
Please stop by Taste With The Eyes on Sunday evening, MLLA will be posted, and thanks for participating!
LL
I was lucky-enough to find a large baking-stone (stoneware) at a tag sale a few years ago- for like 10 bucks
; the top is totally black now and well-seasoned. I’ve had friends ask about them and I’ve always said to use unglazed quarry tiles- saw them on a cooking-show, but I sure am glad to hear all of this other info!
Thanks for the tip of using granite. Though I am still on the look out for a pizza stone. Very hard to find in Mumbai i guess
Dear Jai & Bee,
I came to know a lot about granite and radioactivity after referring to your post. We are building a house in India and considering of granite or marble for flooring. We decided not to go with granite after reading your post.
Please advise if marble flooring is radioactive too.
Thank you very much for all the detailed posts.
no idea. not all granite poses a threat.
http://www.marble-institute.com/industryresources/granite_consumerpr081108.cfm