Pizza Screen not cooking the bottom middle of my pies - what am i doing wrong?

[pythonic]

Hi folks, I've tried using my newly purchased pizza screen for the last couple of pies I have made but I am having problems cooking the bottom middle crust of my 12' pies.

I preheat my stone at 500F for 1 hour and after dressing the pizza on the screen I place it directly over the stone for roughly 6-7mins and then wish to bake it directly on the stone for 2 more mins to finish cooking the bottom.  However when I try get the pizza off the screen it rips in the middle because the dough is still raw.

Please note my pizzas are pretty thin and maybe this is why I am having problems.

What am I doing wrong?

[c0mpl3x]

brillo pad scrub your screen clean.
spray it down with a high temp oil
dust it with finely ground semolina, corn FLOUR, or any flour.
put it on a bbq gas grill, and get it temp nice and high
remove the screen when the border has a glassy look to it, and is no longer sticky.

you now have a stick-proof screen

[chickenparm]

I agree,you may need to "season" the screen before use.

I sprayed Pams olive oil spray on mine before use.I did not season mine like complex posted,I just sprayed and put the dough on the screen.It helps prevent the dough from getting stuck.Either way should work,but try to season yours.

Also,if the pizza is super thin,the weight of the sauce,cheese and toppings can push the pizza into the small holes,causing the disaster.I make NY style thin pies on my screen with no problems,but If I went any thinner,it would tear when trying to remove.

Im just letting you know,that after 2 minutes,my pies are already ready to slide off the screen.I usually opoen the oven to spin the pie 180 degrees around and the pie slides easily.I would imagine past the 2-3 minute mark,check to see if the pie is coming loose.

If not take it out and use a spatula and see if it stuck somewhere.If it frees up,then put it back onto the stone.

[Steveinid]

I saw something about this subject on that "cooks Country" TV show. They were testing different pie pans (not pizza pie, but apple pie) and one of them had a screen bottom. They found that the bottom of the pan allowed moisture to evaporate. When moisture evaporates it has a cooling effect. So, their apple pies were coming out not completely cooked on the bottom.

[c0mpl3x]

I agree,you may need to "season" the screen before use.

I sprayed Pams olive oil spray on mine before use.I did not season mine like complex posted,I just sprayed and put the dough on the screen.It helps prevent the dough from getting stuck.Either way should work,but try to season yours.

Also,if the pizza is super thin,the weight of the sauce,cheese and toppings can push the pizza into the small holes,causing the disaster.I make NY style thin pies on my screen with no problems,but If I went any thinner,it would tear when trying to remove.

Im just letting you know,that after 2 minutes,my pies are already ready to slide off the screen.I usually opoen the oven to spin the pie 180 degrees around and the pie slides easily.I would imagine past the 2-3 minute mark,check to see if the pie is coming loose.

If not take it out and use a spatula and see if it stuck somewhere.If it frees up,then put it back onto the stone.

in the commercial experiences i have had with screens, this is how they did it.   a 'stretch' medium to prevent them sticking to each other, and an oil medium to keep them from sticking to the product.

[patdakat345]

I have been using the screens for several years and I have never had a problem with the pizza just sliding off the screen easily.
I make my own Pam in a heavier version that I can brush onto both sides of the screen. This is a simple mixture of 1/3 liquid lecithin
and 2/3 canola (don't use olive oil). It lasts a long long time, unrefrigerated. When you use the spray, 90% goes through the screen.
Do your rolling or stretching before you place it on the screen and the final stretching on the screen to size if necessary. Don't push
down on the dough to do the stretching or your dough because the dough will fill the spaces between wires.
I don't know what kind of oven your using but you may have to change to a different rack in the process. Or possibly go longer at the
upper rack before you put it down on the stone.

pat