Having a good oven at home and not knowing how to use it’s almost a sin, and if that oven is manufactured by Gaggenau, we assure you that it’s in your best interest to know how to take full advantage of it. Why? Because this German brand that’s devoted to permanently improve its catalog of ovens adding not only state-of-the-art technology but also designs of sober lines and materials of the highest quality, now has taken a step further.

Gaggenau created an exclusive recipe book for its customers that teaches them, in a very smart way, to exploit all the advantages offered by this appliance, while they cook a dish worth bragging about. The brand intends to familiarize the user with the vast capabilities of this oven to prepare extraordinary dishes, with professional cooking results, in the comfort of your home.

For example, thanks to this recipe book you can discover how the 200 series oven BOP251612 by Gaggenau allows you to make crispy bread or fluffy cakes just by trying a few tricks or using the diverse baking modes of the appliance, as well as the special accessories.

Does anybody want pizza?

Gaggenau offers the secret formula to make a homemade pizza worthy of a restaurant to its ovens’ users. One of the main complaints of the most demanding audience of the house (the children), is the fact that homemade pizza is nowhere near what you get in a restaurant. That’s why one of the master recipes of this recipe book by Gaggenau is no other than Margherita pizza.

All pizza specialists know that the secret of a good pizza isn’t the dough or the sauce, and not even the cheese. The secret is the oven and the required temperature, so the dough is crispy and delicious. That’s why you should accurately follow the instructions regarding preheating and the adjustment of temperatures and modes of your Gaggenau oven for this recipe.

Professional tips

As we said before, the secret lies in the preparation of the oven and its temperature, but we forgot to mention the accessories (see accessories) that’ll guarantee an optimal result: broil pan, heating element, wire rack, pizza peels/paddles and baking stone. All of them can be purchased individually.

So, this recipe that’s meant to take advantage of the benefits of the ovens manufactured by Gaggenau, can be made in the 200 series BOP251612 as follows.

Preparing this recipe takes 1 and a half hours, which includes 1 hour for the dough to rest, 20 minutes of preparation time, and 10 minutes for cooking time.

Ingredients

What do you need for the dough?

• ¾ cup (180 ml) warm water
• 1 ¼ teaspoons (6 ml) active dried yeast
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (500 ml) 00 flour
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt

For the sauce you’ll need:

• ½ cup (125 ml) San Marzano whole tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) finely chopped basil
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• ½ teaspoon (2 ml) salt

To add special touches:

• 112 g (4 oz) fresh shredded mozzarella (divided into 2 parts)
• ¼ cup (60 ml) fresh basil leaves (divided into 2 parts)

Preparation

• The dough

The first thing you need to do is place the large wire rack in the center rail position in the oven. Next, put the oven into dough fermentation mode (dough test). This will automatically preheat the oven to 100^oF.

Using an electric stand mixer with a mixing paddle, mix the water, yeast, sugar and ½ cup (125 ml) flour. Then, let the dough rest for 10 minutes inside the oven.

After this time is up, remove the dough from the oven. Attach the dough hook on your stand mixer and gradually add the remaining flour, olive oil and salt until the mixture is homogenous. Turn the stand mixer to medium-high speed and knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes, tapping the dough every minute until it’s smooth. Cover the bowl where you keep the dough loosely with a plastic wrap, put it back on the large rack in the oven and let it stand for 45 minutes or until the dough at least doubles its size. Then, turn off the oven and let it cool down completely.

If you don’t have a stand mixer, do the procedure manually, and place the dough in the oven once is ready for 45 minutes to grow.

• The sauce

This is the easiest part of the recipe. Place the San Marzano tomatoes, basil, olive oil and salt in the blender at high speed until the mix seems soft. Then pour the contents of the blender into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 8 to 10 minutes over low heat or until the mixture thickens.

Finally, allow the sauce to cool down completely.

• Assemble the pizza, bake and voilà

At this point, and making sure the oven is cold, insert the heating element into the rear receptacle. Then place the baking stone on the support rack and slide it towards the bottom rails of the oven.

Select the Baking Stone mode in the oven and set the temperature to preheat at 500^oF. As the oven heats up, tap the dough, and divide it into two equal parts. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and extend it forming a 10-inch circle. Cover the dough with ¼ cup (60 ml) of tomato sauce, leaving a 1-inch edge and sprinkle fresh mozzarella (56 g) on top.

Once ready, use the Pizza Peel (pizza paddle) to carefully slide it over the baking stone. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and the dough golden brown.

Remove the pizza from the oven with the special pizza paddle, place it on a cutting board, sprinkle the pizza with fresh basil and then, repeat the procedure with the remaining dough. Don’t forget to send us a picture of your pizza at @lacuisine_intl or at least tell us how it turned out.