Anonymous wrote:I roll/spin out the dough then put it on a wooden pizza peel with plenty of cornmeal. Think of the cornmeal as being like ball bearings. Also, the surface must be completely dry or the dough will stick.

Then dress the pizza on the peel & slide it on to the stone.

+1 Make sure the stone is really hot (at least a half hour of pre-heating) and don't let the dough sit on the peel for too long. Parchment + cornmeal or flour also works but you're not going to get the same crispy crust.

Get the oven as hot as you can go, for a full hour. Use a pizza stone.
Don't roll the dough, stretch it by hand instead. You get better blistering that way. When the dough is stretched, place it on a well-floured pizza peel and add toppings to your liking. I actually prefer flour to cornmeal, since cornmeal tends to burn, and flour gives a more uniform coating.
Transfer the pizza to the stone by placing the peel flat on it and jerking it carefully till it slips off the peel and on to the stone. I switch the oven to broil as soon as the pizza is in. That way the bottom and top both get cooked.

The parchment paper idea is good but I like the crispy crust that develops when it touches the stone.

However, yes, corn meal is key. And lots of it. It is messy; it sucks. So if you're ok with mess, go with corn meal and a BIIIIIG spatula or a pizza lifter. Otherwise, the parchment paper is a great idea and I'm kicking myself for not thinking of it first.

While I love the concept of a pizza stone, after too many times of having a pizza not quite make it on there and fall through the oven on to the element, I got a pizza pan from Wilton (get at BB&B for about 20 bucks). It's somewhat non-stick and has a lot of holes in the bottom. I just roll the pizza dough into the pan, top and put in the oven. The bottom comes nice and crispy, and it's excellent for reheating pizza.

We also use parchment paper to move the pizza onto the stone, but we usually slide it out after the first minute or so to keep it from burning. I think it also crisps the crust more without the paper.

Lots of good advice.

One more thing: learning how to bake a pizza crust takes practice. Don't get discouraged if it doesn't work the first time.

Whoops. I didnl;t see the typo. I use about 1/3 a pound of dough for each pie. Not 1/2.