Bread and pizza
Baking Steel Original
16 × 14 in, 15 lb
Drawn to its outside size
The standard 16 × 14 × 1/4 in steel, 15 lb.
Baking steel vs stone for bread
A baking steel moves heat into the loaf faster than a stone of the same thickness, cannot crack, and doubles as a pizza steel. A stone costs less, is lighter at the same size and is a little gentler on the bottom crust. For bread alone, both work; the steel lasts forever.
Our pick for your situation
Drawn to its outside size
Light enough to lift out
Brod & Taylor Bread Steel
14 × 14 in, 5.6 lb
Drawn to its outside size
5.6 lb and 14 × 14 in, for ovens where a heavy slab is impractical.
Lower cost, lighter slab
Cordierite baking stone, 16 × 14 in
Cordierite, about 16 × 14 in
Cordierite handles oven heat better than cheaper ceramic stones. Let it heat up with the oven and never put it in water hot.
How we know: weights and sizes are the makers' published figures, linked from each product page, and a dough range marked “our estimate” is our arithmetic on them. We do not perform hands-on testing. How we compare.
| Baking steel | Baking stone | |
|---|---|---|
| Heat into the loaf | Faster: steel conducts heat far better | Slower and gentler |
| Cracking | Cannot crack | Can crack with sudden temperature change or a wet loaf |
| Weight at about 16 × 14 in | About 15 lb at 1/4 in | Usually lighter for the same size |
| Care | Dry, oil if it rusts | Brush off; never soap or oil |
| Pizza | Excellent, very fast bake | Good, slower |
| Price | Higher | Lower |
Already have a stone?
Keep using it. A stone bakes a fine loaf with steam or a cover; preheat it for 45 to 60 minutes. Replace it with a steel when it cracks, or if you want faster, darker bottoms on pizza and flatbreads.
Why steel bakes faster
Steel conducts heat many times better than ceramic, so at the same oven temperature it pushes heat into the base of the loaf faster. For bread that means a strong first burst of oven spring and a well-coloured base. In a very hot oven it can scorch the bottom of a sweet or enriched loaf; set a second tray under it, or lower the temperature.
Which bakes which bread best
Baguettes, several small loaves and anything shaped long: a steel or stone with steam, because a round pot cannot hold them. Pizza and flatbreads: steel. A single boule or bâtard: a Dutch oven is easier than either. Pan loaves: neither is needed, though a steel under the pan gives a crisper base.
What to buy
Measure your rack first; the largest slab that leaves an inch of air around it. A quarter-inch steel for most ovens, a thin steel if you will move it often, a cordierite stone if cost or weight decides. Steam the loaf on either one: see how to steam on a steel.
Questions bakers ask
Is a baking steel better than a stone for sourdough?
For sourdough baked directly on the surface, a steel gives faster bottom heat and never cracks. For sourdough baked in a Dutch oven, neither is needed.
Why did my baking stone crack?
Usually a sudden temperature change: a cold stone into a hot oven, water on a hot stone, or a wet frozen pizza. Heat it with the oven and let it cool inside.
Can I put a Dutch oven on a baking steel?
Yes. It adds heat to the bottom of the pot; if loaf bottoms burn, move the steel to a higher rack or bake the pot without it.