I tried the Witt Etna Rotante oven and made my best ever pizza
While for many of us a barbecue has been a garden staple for a while, in recent years we have seen a surge in popularity for pizza ovens. Danish firm Witt is, alongside Ooni and Gozney, one of the most well-known brands taking a slice of the growing market among UK consumers, with both their Fermo and Rotante ovens proving popular with shoppers during Black Friday season.
Over the last year, Mirror Choice has put various different ovens through their paces, from the budget to the high end, so when I was given the chance to try the Witt Etna Rotante, I was feeling pretty laid back - once you've tried a couple, all pizza ovens are pretty much the same right?
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Actually much to my surprise the answer was no. There are several things that Witt brings to the (dining) table with their latest model that make it a great option for people who are perhaps lacking a bit of confidence in their pizza making abilities.
Witt Etna Rotante setup and first impressions
The dual stones and curved burner make the Witt Etna Rotante pizza oven design unique - and virtually foolproof for home cooks (Narin Flanders)Setting up the Witt is incredibly and pleasingly simple although the first word of warning I'd give is it is most definitely not a one person job. It's not fiddly by any means but this is a huge oven and getting it out of the box safely needs two people.
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What's more, it's definitely worth measuring where you're intending to stand it to cook and also where you'll store it if you're planning to move it in and out as needed. Either way, rest assured once it's sorted this isn't the sort of pizza oven you're chucking in the boot of the car to take camping or to a friend's house - from here on in you're doing the hosting.
Taking it out of the box and getting it unwrapped is a bit of a wrestle, but otherwise setting up the Rotante is a breeze. The three legs unfold easily and provide a solid base, then all you have to do is put the stones inside the mouth of the oven, put a total of five batteries in the oven's small motor and ignition and then attach the hose to a gas cannister.
While the motor can be powered by a plug if you have an outdoor socket, you'll definitely need at least one battery and the gas, both bought separately. Also, if you're looking to keep it in your garden you'll need to buy a cover to protect it from the elements - I'd also recommend if you're leaving it outside to remove the stones and store them indoors for the coldest weather just to protect your investment, especially when they're so easily removed.
We tested the Rotante in a cheery orange but if you want it to look slightly more understated in the corner of your garden it's also available in black, grey and white. The oven is a sturdy and well-made piece of kit.
Using the Witt Etna Rotante
The Witt Etna Rotante's rotating stone meant every pizza we cooked had a uniform leopard-print style bubbled crust and a crisp bottom (Narin Flanders)The game changer with the Rotante is, arguably, not a surprise if you speak Italian. It boasts not one but two stones, including a rotating one that not only gives it its name but negates the need to use a peel to try and spin your pizza as it cooks to ensure the all-important even bake.
The Rotante works in a way similar to a gas hob, where you press the dial and ignition at the same time to light it. Once it's lit you have to let it get to temperature and, as with all pizza ovens, the trick to make the perfect pie is patience because if the oven (and more importantly the stone) isn't fully hot you'll end up with the top cooked before the bottom crisps making for a slightly soggy option, even with the booster burner underneath the stone.
There isn't a temperature gauge to confirm when it's ready to begin cooking on which feels like a bit of an oversight, but we got round this by erring on the side of caution, giving it 20 minutes to get to temperature when Witt's recommendation in the manual is that it takes around fifteen.
It might mean you use a little more gas than you might otherwise, but it's a simple and straightforward way to get great results. There is a curved flame that runs across the entire back of the oven ensuring that the heat inside is even - something that we really noticed bearing in mind we were testing this in December in fairly windy conditions.
You put the pizza in on the stone - you'll need a pizza peel if you haven't already got one - and then press the button to start the stone rotating. You can turn the flames down using the dial if you're worried about too much char, but we left it up and got a pleasingly crispy result in around 90 seconds.
When making pizza now I use the tried and tested tactic of rolling out my dough on polenta, which gives it the kind of chewy yet crunchy texture of Domino's but with the joy of home made.
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Once I'd got the knack, pizzas made in the Rotante using this method were nothing short of perfection and the results you can get for minimal effort are outstanding with each one we made coming out with a crisp bottom and even leopard-print crust with the perfect amount of crunch.
The one thing to watch out for is making sure if you're cooking a batch one after the other that the temperature in the oven stays hot enough to get that perfect texture consistent whether you're cooking the first or the fourth - we got round this by giving a couple of minutes for the oven to get back to temperature between rounds.
Final thoughts
With both a chunky price tag and footprint, the Witt Etna Rotante is not a casual purchase but, whether you're keen to upgrade an existing oven for something higher spec that provides consistent results or want to treat yourself for 2024, it's a really great option.
There's much less of a learning curve to getting great results with the Witt than other ovens we've tested and the results are impressive with minimal faff - as long as you've got the space to give it a home.
The Witt Etna Rotante has a recommended retail price of £699 and is available from Amazon currently with a free accessory bundle worth £120 including a peel, pizza cutter, rolling pin and dough scraper - perfect if you're looking to buy it as a gift. It's a really good option for home cooks looking to expand or start a garden kitchen.
If you're looking for something a bit more premium we have also tried and recommend the Gozney Dome S1, while at the more budget end of the scale Drew & Cole's Adoro pizza oven was also a hit with our review team.
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