The Gozney Roccbox for Gourmet Garden Pizzas

Some culinary inspiration to go with the coolest pizza oven around!

By Ricardo Pirroni July 1, 2023 9:30 AM

Today I’d like to talk about Gozney, a name that may not be familiar to everyone, including myself, until recently. However, I quickly discovered that I had been missing out on something truly remarkable. The Gozney Company was established by Tom Gozney, and hearing his story was truly inspiring.

The Gozney Story

Tom recounts, “I wasn’t a designer. I wasn’t a CEO. By 21 I was kicked out of school. Fresh out of rehab. I poured myself into cooking and built a pizza oven in my garden. It changed my life. In fact, it probably saved it. I threw myself into food. Cooking with fire was something I could lose myself in. Better myself at. It was a skill to master and a whole new way of connecting with the people around me.”

From that transformative moment onward, Tom’s journey took an upward trajectory and his enthusiasm propelled him to create a stunning collection of commercial and home-based ovens which not only are things of beauty, but also make perfect pizzas too.

When life gives you a pizza oven…

Gozney kindly sent me their Roccbox pizza oven, which had me brimming with excitement. Even the the stylish and sharply designed packaging that all the equipment comes in appealed to my inner designer, and as I began unpacking the contents and saw the eye-catching industrial design of all the components, my anticipation to start cooking reached its peak.

Unfortunately, the heavens seemed to open up, with rain and cold plaguing our weekends for what seemed to be forever! Plus our neighbors decided to commence a series of construction projects, rendering our outdoor space practically unusable. So I was left walking past my beautiful mountain of Gozney accessories for a very long time… And what do you do when you can’t make pizza? Well, if you have a daughter, who is a professional chef, you get her to come up with some unique pizza toppings that you may not have come across before.

Eventually, as luck would have it, the tides eventually turned in our favor. The weather improved, our collective mood was restored, and we managed to find a suitable spot for the pizza oven, devoid of any cement dust hazards.

Let’s get this party started…

Before getting to the toppings, you’re going to have to make your perfect pizza dough, and here are the ingredients:

500g strong white flour
250ml water
1 sachet of instant yeast (7g)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt

How to make the dough (Don’t worry it’s not as hard as you think)

Combine the water, yeast, oil and sugar together in a bowl
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour and salt, making a well in the middle
Pour the wet mix into the dry ingredients and combine using a spoon
Once a doughy mixture starts to form, bring it together using your (clean) hands
Knead well on a floured surface for about 12-15 minutes
Place in a floured bowl covered by a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place until doubled in size (about 60 minutes. If it’s very warm outside this stage will happen fairly rapidly)
Knock back the dough by kneading again for a minute
Split the dough into 5 equal balls, keeping them under a damp tea towel or cloth until needed

Of course, if you have the equipment, the pizza dough can be made using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. It’s a lot simpler to make up both the wet and dry mixtures separately, then combine them in the stand mixer and mix on low speed until your dough starts to form. Next, switch the mixer to high speed for approximately 8 minutes and there you have it, your perfect pizza dough!

It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it!

Make sure to preheat your Gozney Roccbox pizza oven 30 minutes before cooking. It is essential to prepare all your chosen toppings in advance, because making pizza is fast process once the bulit-in thermometer shows it’s at the optimum temperature.

Roll out each ball of dough on a floured surface, making them approximately 20cm wide
Dust flour onto the pizza peel and swiftly slide under the rolled-out dough
Add any toppings you’d like, leaving 2cm around the edge for the crust

(See below for our favourite pizza toppings and creative combinations)

Slide the pizza into the oven towards the middle and using the smaller turning peel and give the pizza a quarter turn. Keep turning every 20 seconds until all the edges are evenly browned and the bottom has become cooked and crispy.
Take the pizza out using the turning peel to slide it onto a pizza server and slice using the Gozney pizza Rocker!

A topping for you. A topping for you… Toppings for everybody!

(The old faithful) Margarita
Spoon a base of good quality tomato passata and drop a nice few chunks of low-moisture mozzarella and sprinkle with fresh basil leaves. Finished with a drizzle of olive oil. This is a very simple pizza that everyone is sure to enjoy.

Keep it real with a traditional Ham and cheese
Using your quality tomato passata base, sprinkle slices (or chunks) of ham, prosciuto or any cured meat you like, along with morazella and grated Emental cheese. Using a good quality ham will elevate this pizza from just a basic ham and cheese to your new favourite pizza.

Spicy Italian sausage
Again start with a good quality tomato passata base and add some chilli oil. Top this with crumbled Italian sausage and torn-off pieces of mozzarella. Finishing the pizza with rocket salad and drizzle of as much chilli oil as you can bear (or leave it out if you’re not feeling it) after cooking brings a welcome freshness to this spicy pizza.

The 4 cheeser
Spread creme fraiche across the base, then layer with mozzarella, pecorino, goats cheese and gorgonzola. As all the cheese melts together, the flavours combine into a wonderfully creamy delight. A drizzle of chilli oil will also help cut through the richness. Remember pizza is fun so feel free to use any cheese you have to hand.

Goat’s cheese and honey
I know it sounds odd but it’s gorgeous! Spoon a nice creme fraiche base with cheerful amounts of crumbled goat’s cheese, walnuts, and a generous drizzle of honey. The sweet honey on salty melted goat’s cheese, along with the crunch from the walnuts is a taste sensation and makes this my definite favourite.

Courgette and chilli
Another unusual one but your taste buds will thank you. Use the creme fraiche base again but this time top the pizza with thinly sliced courgette, handfuls of mozzarella and pecorino and garnish with fresh red chilli. This summery pizza will bring freshness and excitement and zing to your next pizza party.

Sweet treats

Of course, pizza is a fantastic, fun main course, but if you and your guests have some room left why not go the whole hog and cook up some pizza-based desserts?

Peach and ricotta
As I write, I can’t stop thinking about this one… Spoon out a nice creme fraiche base, add some sliced peaches (fresh or tinned), some spoonfuls of ricotta cheese, a sprinkle of brown sugar, and fresh mint. Sliced strawberries, pineapple, or other stone fruits would be great alternatives or additions to the peaches. This one will surprise and delight your guests. Dazzle them by using the freshest fruits you have.

Even when you can’t eat any more, everyone will eat S’mores
Spread your pizza base with a thick coating of Nutella, and drop fistfuls of mini marshmallows and crumbled biscuits into the choccy, nutty spread. This is another great dessert pizza that will definitely be a hit with any kids – as long as you can keep it away from the adults!

Remember to watch your pizzas like a hawk when you slide them into the oven with the Roccbox pizza peel. You should be turning them to ensure consistent cooking and colour all the way around and they will be in and out very rapidly when the oven is fully heated!
(Recipes developed by Giuliana Pirroni)

Who wants an extra slice?

The Gozney Roccbox has truly made us realize that pizza is all about fun. Pretty much anything can become a pizza and there’s nothing more fun than everyone getting topping they love! Combine all of your favourite toppings to make your own personalised creation, remember to add ingredients after cooking too for different flavours and textures. Why not experiment with alternative spreads and sauces (spicy tomato, pesto, ‘nduja…), meats and vegetables, cheeses and flavoured oils (chilli, garlic, basil…). There’s an infinite combination just begging to be tried out.

You can check out the Gozney pizza ovens here and purchase ovens and accessories direct from Gozney here.

It’s not all flour, flames & feast…

Remember the Gozney story is more than just about cooking. Inspired by Tom’s life-changing story, the Gozney company has partnered with organizations that support people struggling with alcohol and drug dependencies across the globe. Gozney has pledged $100,000 from the proceeds of the Tom Gozney Signature Edition Roccbox to three incredible organizations that support people struggling with alcohol and drug dependencies across the globe. Click here if you’d like to find out more…

About Author

Ricardo Pirroni

Born into a family of restauranteurs, Ricardo Pirroni didn't want to join the family business. His talents extended beyond the kitchen and he has spent the last 20 years honing his skills in various creative pursuits. From making things from scratch, 3d sculpting, drawing, designing graphics, art directing to brainstorming concepts. His work is not only functional, but also thought-provoking and entertaining. In addition to being a recognised authority on cake, his diverse range of talents and love of all things tech, makes him a versatile writer, capable of crafting stories that are both engaging and visually compelling.