Tested by Foodies Magazine: our Utenovn!

Willem and Bas from Foodies had the task of testing our Utenovn. "That the oven looks beautiful and immediately creates atmosphere in the garden is something I'm sure everyone agrees on, but does this wood-fired pizza oven really make tasty pizzas?" That was the question they set to work on. The results, you can read below.

Prefer to read the article on the Foodies website? You can here.

Utenovn - the pizza oven from Welvaere

A pizza oven in your garden, isn't that what everyone wants? Preferably wood-fired and with a good pizza stone, so you can bake the most delicious pizzas just like in an Italian restaurant. Willem & Bas were the lucky ones who got to work with the pizza oven from Welvaere, the Utenovn. The website of Welvaere says: "Make the most delicious pizza in your own wood-fired pizza oven." Whether they live up to that? Read on quickly and find out all about this unique pizza oven for the garden.

Putting together pizza oven

The oven comes in two separate packages, and because the pizza oven is made of steel, they are certainly not light packages. In good spirits, Willem takes the packages home, and then assembles the pizza oven in the garden. Willem is delighted with the design. "This is definitely well thought out," Willem says enthusiastically. "The design is very nice; it took me a little over an hour to assemble the oven. Good to know; it is just a bit more difficult than a standard package from Ikea for example. You need some basic tools like a hammer and a drill."

With clear descriptions and convenient pins (which only snap together one way), it's almost impossible to go wrong.

Coming up to temperature

You fire the oven on wood, make sure you use at least good and clean wood to avoid unpleasant smells and black smoke. The wood-fired fire definitely gives working with this pizza oven an extra dimension, as soon as the oven is burning I already feel like a real pizza baker. And all I have done is put some wood in the bottom of the oven. Willem talks about the best temperature for baking: "The thermometer on the oven indicates the temperature, which is extremely handy. Basically, you can bake pizzas as low as 250°C, but I prefer to bake them at about 400°C."

It doesn't take long for the oven to reach temperature, although of course the wood needs some time to fully burn. After half an hour, we add some more wood for a final boost so that we can then bake the first pizzas. Once the oven has come up to temperature, it manages to hold the heat well. The built-in pizza stone naturally retains quite a bit of heat, in addition, the included doors allow you to conveniently close the oven without the fire going out. Keep in mind that the entire oven gets incredibly hot, including the outside. Playing children or pets should be kept at a distance when using this pizza oven.

The perfect pizza dough

Of course you can buy ready-made pizza dough in the supermarket, but for the real experience, Willem made pizza dough himself. Fortunately, making your own pizza dough is not difficult at all, although you do need some patience. The dough is ready in nice little balls, just like at an Italian restaurant. Willem makes the first pizza; like a real pizza baker, he uses his hands to turn the ball of dough into a thin pizza crust in no time.

As I ponder the toppings on the pizza, I feel the warmth of the pizza oven and hear the wood crackling. It immediately creates coziness in the green garden; I can already see myself sitting around the wood-fired pizza oven with friends until late at night.

The first pizza from the pizza oven

Where the first pancake is always doomed to fail, I am confident that the first pizza is an instant hit. Spreading some tomato sauce over the pizza crust, I smell the wonderful scent of fennel seeds and other herbs that sit through the sauce.

After the tomato sauce, of course some mozzarella goes on the pizza, then I take some slices of salami and spread them on the bottom. Over the years, I've learned that pizzas shouldn't be overloaded, so I just sprinkle some parmesan on top. I take one last look at the oven; the thermometer is now at about 450°C. Knowing that some heat disappears when opening the pizza oven, it's time to slide the first pizza onto the stone. Carefully, I slide the pizza into the beautiful oven, then think about what goes on the next pizza.

Patience will be rewarded

Whereas in an ordinary oven it can sometimes take quite a while for a pizza to cook, in the Utenovn from Welvaere it goes incredibly fast. Thanks to the high temperature and the robust pizza stone, the dough cooks very quickly. But not too fast, as the cheese must also be able to melt. After less than five minutes, Willem deftly takes the pizza out of the oven. The smell alone transports you to Italy; this is how a fresh pizza should smell. As it should be with a real pizza; the rim has bubbles in some places that are a bit darker in color.

The first bite

William cuts the pizza into eight pieces. We look at each other proudly for a moment and both grab a piece of the fresh pizza. Wisps of melted cheese hang to the side as Willem proudly taps the bottom of the pizza. "You don't get a pizza this crispy easily, this looks really good," Willem tells me. I eagerly take a bite of the pizza, and of course, as if it were tradition, I burn my palate. Willem smiles and lets his piece of pizza cool slightly. Despite my eagerness, I taste the perfect pizza. Crispy and golden brown dough, a flavorful sauce, melted cheese AND delicious salami. This is the best pizza I have eaten in ages.

Time for the next pizza

The Utenovn at Welvaere manages to hold the temperature well. After Willem and I consume the first pizza, the thermometer is still at about 400°C. Willem starts working on the next pizza. After a generous spoonful of tomato sauce, of course a lot of cheese goes on, together with fresh basil. Not much later we put this pizza in the oven as well. So far, the pizza oven is more than satisfactory. Apart from the beautiful design, the oven does exactly what Welvaere promised us it would do; we make the tastiest pizzas in our own wood-fired pizza oven.

Full enjoyment of the pizza oven from Welvaere

The second pizza is also well liked. The combination of the right pizza dough, fresh toppings and the Utenovn from Welvaere make for great pizzas. In addition to the quality, the crackling wood of the pizza oven also creates a cosy atmosphere. After the second pizza, we feel we are far from finished. We still have enough ingredients for two pizzas. While we think about the next pizza, we take a closer look at the oven.

In fact, the top of the oven is also a grill plate at the same time. Are you having guests over for dinner? You can simultaneously bake the most delicious pizzas along with a good piece of meat. This way you make optimal use of the heat and put a delicious saltimbocca on the table in addition to pizza.

Butter chicken pizza?

Where discussions flare up considerably the moment pineapple comes near a pizza, Willem and I know how to take it a step further. Not long ago, our colleague Marieke suggested a butter chicken pizza. Exactly; a pizza with sauce from butter chicken instead of tomato sauce. This is the moment to test this pizza. Willem runs inside and comes back with butter chicken, which happened to be still in the fridge.

We top the pizza with the sauce, some slices of chicken breast and sesame seeds. Then we slide the pizza into the oven and wait patiently. Not much later, the pizza is ready. It already smells delicious, but we are not yet satisfied. Willem quickly grabs some yogurt, picks some fresh mint in the garden and pulls out spices like coriander seeds and mustard seeds. Proudly we look at the end result, then taste. Despite the fact that we will probably never be welcome in Italy and India again, the pizza tastes delicious. Experiment successful!

Conclusion: this is what you want

Unfortunately, after four pizzas, our pizza party really does come to an end. Our conclusion is actually quite simple; you want this pizza oven. Never before have we baked real pizzas that tasted the way they do in Italy. Apart from our experiment, you won't find that kind of pizza anywhere else.

Cooking over wood-burning fire provides a real experience in your own garden. Not only in terms of atmosphere, certainly also in terms of taste. With the Utenovn from Welvaere you can create a pizza the way you would eat it on an idyllic terrace in Italy. Thanks to the baking plate on top of the pizza oven, we believe it is a true all-rounder, because you can also use it for grilling.