Side Form Pan Sicilian?

[pizzablogger]

Just thinking, but has anyone seen any type of square, removable side form for either a square cake or specifically made for square pizza? They have round versions for cake (no bottom, just a metal ring which is removable).

I would be interested to place a no-bottom side form on a well floured pizza peel and make a sicilian in such a form mold so the bottom would always have direct contact with the pizza stone from the second the pizza is put in the oven, helping to give maximum browning to the bottom. Not sure if it would make a difference, just thinking out loud I guess.

Thanks! --PB

[Pete-zza]

PB,

If you do a Google search using the terms "rectangular springform pan" (in quotes as shown), you will find several sources for such pans, mostly for home use. However, I think you will find that the pans are for baked goods other than pizza and also that they have nonstick coatings that may make them unsuitable for oven temperatures in excess of around 450 degrees F (see, for example, the use instructions at the bottom of http://www.kaiserbakeware.com/La-Forme-Rectangular-Springform-Pan-13-inch-by-9-inch-plu630700.html). I am also not sure how well the rectangular springform pans would slide off of a peel, along with the dough, into the oven and onto a pizza stone. You perhaps could use silicone paper to facilitate this step.

You will also note that the pans--at least the better ones--are not exactly cheap. The "Sicilian Pizza" pans such as sold by pizzatools/Lloyd (http://www.pizzatools.com/SearchByCategory.aspx?CategoryCode=158000) aren't cheap either but they will tolerate temperatures in excess of 450 degrees F and I believe that their heat transfer characteristics are good enough to allow good bottom crust browning.

Peter

[Jose L. Piedra]

Just thinking, but has anyone seen any type of square, removable side form for either a square cake or specifically made for square pizza? They have round versions for cake (no bottom, just a metal ring which is removable).

I would be interested to place a no-bottom side form on a well floured pizza peel and make a sicilian in such a form mold so the bottom would always have direct contact with the pizza stone from the second the pizza is put in the oven, helping to give maximum browning to the bottom. Not sure if it would make a difference, just thinking out loud I guess.

Thanks! --PB

It would make a difference alright- without the partial frying of the bottom that comes from baking it in an oiled pan, its character would change dramatically. Sounds like an interesting and worthwhile experiment to me.

-JLP

[TronCarter]

I preheat my oven to 550 with a stone on the middle rack.  I put foil over the top of the pan and cook for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and go for another 5-6.  This way both the bottom and top get browned the way I like them.

Pete, that is interesting about the non-stick pans and using them above 450F.  I had not heard that before but I routinely use my non-stick pans at 550 and have not noticed any side effects.  No odd smells or tastes, and they still perform well.  I also have one of the Lloyd pans and it performs just as well as my other non-stick cake pans using the above method.  Expensive, yes, but awesome pans.  I think I will buy the other sizes and make a set.

[Pete-zza]

Pete, that is interesting about the non-stick pans and using them above 450F.  I had not heard that before but I routinely use my non-stick pans at 550 and have not noticed any side effects.  No odd smells or tastes, and they still perform well.

Tron,

I have been told (by a member whose technical expertise I respect) that a nonstick pan or disk that has been used for a long time can usually be used above 450 degrees F. How far above, I have no idea. I will often mention the 450 degrees F cutoff for those people who are not aware of it and for those who, for health or other reasons, may not wish to operate above that temperature, especially if they have other options, such as using a PSTK pan/disk from Lloyd's/pizzatools.com. It may be possible to "season" a nonstick pan/disk by using progressively higher temperatures to allow outgassing, but I have never tried that. Unfortunately, you are unlikely to get much guidance from manufacturers of such pans/disks. For legal reasons, they are unlikely to tell you to operate above 450 degrees F or other cutoff values for their products.

Peter