For this recipe, and stone or steel is critical, as they hold large amounts of heat from the oven and rapidly transfer it to your pizza. One of our commenters said they used a cast iron pan placed upside down instead, and had some success (I believe they recommended the oven at 450, bake for 4 minutes, then turn on the broiler for the last few minutes to char the crust) but we haven't tested it that way, so we can't guarantee the results. Honestly though - if you're a big fan of pizza (or bread) and bake it a fair amount at home, invest in a stone or steel! The steel is expensive but worth every penny - the stone will work well too, and isn't as expensive. Either will change the way you bake!

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