Mountain Woods- Large Pizza Peel

I picked this peel because it was larger than others I was looking at and it was made of hardwood. I wanted to use it as a peel and as a cutting board and this peel fills the bill nicely. When I make bread, I put a little corn meal on the peel and shape my round dough and let it rise right on the peel. When the oven is ready, I slide the bread right off the peel onto a hot pizza stone in the oven and let the bread bake for 30 minutes. Because the peel has a slanted/sharp edge on the front, I can slide it under the bread and bring it back out of the oven when it is done. It sits on the peel to cool and then I cut it right on the peel and enjoy fresh home made bread.

This is my main use of the peel. I haven't really used it for pizza as my main use is a cutting board and home made bread utility. It is of high quality and has a good price. I would recommend this peel as a gift or for your own use around the kitchen. It is larger than most peels, so be sure you have a place to store it out of the way when not using.

This large 16-1/2" Pizza Peel is made of hardwood with excellent quality and is a very nice gift with an inexpensive price. We ordered nine of them recently--one for our own use, and the others for family Christmas Gifts. Just about everyone likes pizza, and this board can also be used to serve snacks, etc.--(the back side is plain wood). My husband was planning on making these, but he could not even purchase the hardwood to make them for the price we paid for the finished product. Definitely would recommend this.

During high school I worked in a pizza shop (the dark ages: 1973 to 1975 - this will take you back: in 1973, a 12" single item pizza delivered - $1.87!).

Recently I visited the place and was reminded of the 600° Baker's Pride ovens and the pizza peels. I've recreated the pizza shop recipes at home and thought I should take it to the next level, so I bought a big stone and the 16" peel. (I looked at getting a Baker's Pride oven too, but about fell over when I saw the prices).

This 16" peel is perfect for my situation: 15" target pizza size, 16" baking stone, GE JB850SPSS dual oven (I use the top oven for pizza). This peel is relatively short compared to professional peels; the handle design is ideal for a standard kitchen oven. The sale price for this peel makes it even better.

The craftsmanship seems to be quite good. The finish is even and smooth, no splinters or defects in the wood, and the appearance is quite attractive. I felt bad about running the pizza cutter across the peel, but it really is hard wood. It makes a nice serving platter too.

There is a certain amount of skill (art) to working with a pizza peel, and I wondered if I still had the touch; I do! Here's the secret: sprinkle plenty of corn meal (we used rice flour at the pizza shop) on it before putting the dough on the peel; you will need more corn meal with the toppings loaded than without anything on the dough. The first time you do this will be the hardest, so don't be discouraged if it doesn't go well.

If the pizza won't slide off the peel, don't panic. Calmly return to the counter. Get a spatula and gently lift a portion of the pizza as much as possible without doing damage to it. Throw more corn meal under the dough. Carefully work your way around the pizza. When finished give the peel a little shake just to test the result. The dough should want to slide right off the peel, so be gentle! After a while you will be able to easily judge the right amount of corn meal.

When retrieving the pizza from the stone, poke the lip just under the pizza. Using a quick movement, slide the peel forward and down to nearly horizontal; the pizza will almost jump onto the peel. This will take some practice to develop a fluid motion (it's kind of like pulling a tablecloth out from underneath the dishes without moving them). I did it the first time after a 35 year break. It was an exhilarating experience!

Using the peel is a skill, so practice frequently and often. You can never have too much pizza!

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