617633 Wed May 06 04:12:21 -0700 2009 3 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4658293 Ok, so I have an idea for a pizza recipe: first, I make a really moist dough with high gluten flour using a poolish left to prove for a day. Then I pre-heat an oven for about 30 minutes with my cast iron casserole filled with water. I figure if I put the casserole just under the pizza, the steam will help, but also, the cast iron might raise the oven temp. What do you guys think? Wed May 06 04:12:21 -0700 2009 180623 Soop 1 4658312 I'm not a physicist, but intuitively it seems like it wouldn't help. If the cast iron pot is filled with water, will the metal get heated much above the boiling point of water? You have indirect heat from the oven trying to heat metal that is cooled from the inside by water, so it seems like that would cool the oven rather than raise the temperature. There might be a reason why pizza is always cooked with dry heat. What are you hoping steam will add to your pizza? I know steam is good for getting a better rise and crisper crust out of loaf breads, but since a stone is usually used to get a crisp bottom crust and the top is wet with sauce and cheese anyway I don't see how steam would enter the picture. Wed May 06 04:35:36 -0700 2009 4658293 13150 babette feasts 2 4658340 Good thinking. Originally I thought about just putting the casserole in empty, but then the enamel might be affected. Wed May 06 04:59:51 -0700 2009 4658312 180623 Soop 3 4658349 Le Crueset type? You're right high heat is probably not recommended for an empty casserole. Do you have a pizza stone? Lacking that, tiles or bricks are often used to hold heat, and if you are attached to the steam idea, why not just throw water on the bottom of the oven when you put the pizza in? Wed May 06 05:11:09 -0700 2009 4658340 13150 babette feasts