Instructions

1. Sprinkle a light coating of cornmeal or flour onto the pizza stone and pizza peel to prevent the dough from sticking.

2. Preheat the oven with the pizza stone inside. Prepare the pizza directly on the cornmeal-dusted peel. When the oven is hot, transfer the pizza to the hot stone: Line up the pizza peel with the stone, then, making a short, jerking motion with the peel handle, slide the pizza onto the stone. If the pizza dough sticks to the peel, try jerking the peel a few times to loosen the pizza or use dental floss to free the dough from the peel. Simply slide the floss under the dough and then slide the pizza onto the stone.

3. Once the pizza is cooked, use the peel to remove it from the oven. Use a quick jerking motion to slide the peel under the the hot pizza. It should slide easily onto the peel if the crust is crisp. If it is sticking to the stone, use the peel to loosen the pizza around the edges. The pizza can then be transferred to a plate or tray for serving.