While Chef Nancy Silverton is known most for her bread baking, her favorite dessert to bake for guests is, actually, a slab pie (which is exactly what it sounds like—a large, rectangular "slab" of a pie instead of a smaller, round one).
During her bakes, there was one issue she kept running into: slab pies are meant to be presented in the dish in which they are baked, meaning they're typically served out of sheet pans. From a plating perspective, this meant that these gorgeous bakes were getting the short end of the stick. Aesthetics aside, Chef Silverton didn’t think there were any other tools that existed and were right for the job, resorting to sheet pans that were servicable and "good enough."
We both thought her slab pies deserved better than sheet pans—so we designed a home for them to her exacting specifications, working tirelessly with our French porcelain factory to bring her ideal piece of Bakeware to life. Here are three of the most exciting features of the first-of-its-kind Baking Slab, now available to join your bakeware lineup.
Pure Porcelain Construction
Our Baking Slab (like the other pieces in our Bakeware Collection) is made from French Porcelain, crafted from a more than 200 year-old recipe. This is the perfect material for the Baking Slab for a number of reasons, the first being that pure porcelain creates a naturally non-stick surface. This means easy cleanup and bakes that release easily, without the need to coat it in oil prior to baking.
Our porcelain recipe is dishwasher, freezer, and oven-safe up to 650F. It's also thermal shock resistant—a quality Chef Silverton loves because it allows her to take her dough from the freezer to the oven.
Precise Dimensions
We started with the same dimensions as a ¼ sheet pan, but soon realized that we needed to start from scratch entirely. While the depth worked well, the length and width was lacking—and after all, slab pies should have an equal ratio of filling to crust.
Noticing that the rest of our Porcelain Bakeware was too narrow to suitably house her famous slab pies, Chef Silverton decided on a specific length and width that could perfectly fit crust and fillings, without compromising on either.
Unique Handles
The first iteration of the Baking Slab had flared handles, like our other Bakeware pieces. But upon showing a prototype to Chef Silverton, we both realized the handles as-is wouldn’t be as effective for the needs of a piece like this.
Instead, we designed handles that flare out and scoop under. Not only does this allow for an ergonomic hold, but it also allows for your slab pie crust to drape evenly over the sides, bolstering crust formation. Most importantly, it allows you to take the dish from oven to table, without touching the crust.
Ready to Bake?
Whether you're a slab pie enthusiast or just want a more beautiful version of a sheet pan, Chef Nancy Silverton designed the Baking Slab with you in mind. Perfect for a variety of recipes both sweet and savory, it's the piece your bakeware collection has been missing.
