Review: Gozney Tread Pizza Oven

Billed as the “world’s most portable pizza oven,” the Gozney Tread is an adventure-ready, ruggedized gas-powered beauty. It is the smallest of the hugely impressive Gozney range, and the second most affordable behind the original Roccbox. It joins an ever-evolving selection of home pizza ovens that have transformed our ability to cook proper pizza—we're talking everything from Neapolitan, Chicago-style, New York and Sicilian—from the comfort of the backyard.

With the Tread, Gozney wants us to take our sourdough calzone on tour. Measuring 16.5" x 19.1" x 12.6", it is undeniably compact for a fully featured pizza oven, and the two large handles make it easier (and cleaner) to move than most. The gas-only design can hit 932 degrees Fahrenheit (500 degrees Celsius) and has space for a 12-inch pie.

Can it compete with the best pizza ovens available, and at 29.7 pounds, is it really portable enough to take with you? I spent a few weeks both carb- and trunk-loading to find out.

Portable? Really?

For all the gorgeous marketing images of the Tread in the desert, on mountains and in remote locations, it's worth noting that my review unit arrived on a full-sized wooden pallet. Admittedly Gozney did supply me with every conceivable extra, but it was still quite an eye-opening amount of gear for something billed as not just portable, but the "world’s most portable pizza oven.”

29.7 pounds is roughly the same weight as an SUV tire or a typical three-year-old. While not back-breakingly heavy, nobody wants to spend all that long carrying something so awkward.

The pizza oven is an impressively compact unit, and ideal if you're a tailgater whose idea of wilderness is the parking lot, but once you factor in the gas canister (they recommend a 5-11-kilogram tank), tripod stand, pizza peel, and all the other accoutrements needed to make pizza away from home, the real-world logistics start to mount.

Looking at the competition, the Ooni Koda 12 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is quite a bit lighter than the Tread at 20.4 pounds, but also larger, at 24.4 x 15.5 x 11.7 inches. That light weight is a consideration when you realize that reviews editor Adrienne So has strapped pizza ovens as big as the Ooni Karu 16 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) to paddleboards to take them out to islands in the middle lakes.

Ooni’s carry covers are also much cheaper than the Tread’s Venture Bag ($99) and the ovens come with legs, so you don’t need to take a stand. If you're heading anywhere with uneven ground, however, the Gozney stand is much more versatile (more on that later).

In sum, the Tread is portable, but like Ooni's ovens, it's portable in a take-it-to-a-friend’s house way, not strap-it-to-your-back kind of way. The weight and necessary accessories are a real consideration. It's the pizza oven with the smallest dimensions, and it does have handles, but it's not the lightest by a long shot and the hyperbole is laughable.

It's a pity Gozney has leaned so heavily on this adventurous marketing angle, because back in the real world, the Tread is a close-to-perfect backyard pizza oven.

Tons of Accessories

Mounted on its stand, the Tread reminds me of the Star Wars Probe Droid (in a good way). This pizza oven is seriously stylish, beautifully finished with a high quality, durable feel. You just know it's a premium offering.

With a fixed pizza stone and very little in the way of setup required, it is also wonderfully easy to use. It's simply a case of finding a level surface, plugging in the gas hose, igniting and setting the temperature. Getting my pizza dough to rise on a particularly cold February morning was infinitely harder.

As part of the review kit, I was also sent the Roof Rack chopping board ($100) and serving tray, and Mantel shelf ($89), which gives you a bit more work space on the oven itself and slotted easily into position.

The mantel proved extremely useful as it gave more space to turn the pizza mid-cook. The Roof Rack rather spoils the aesthetics of the oven, but is also very practical, turning the top of the oven into usable counter space. Making pizza is an expansive affair, however, and I still needed a side table for other bits and pieces. Would I rather spend $188 on these instead of a good camping table? Probably not.

At $249, the Venture Stand is unquestionably expensive, but seriously impressive. Made from die-cast aluminum, this quad-leg telescopic design clips securely to the base (you screw in a base plate) and does a great job. It's tall enough to minimize stooping while cooking. The base design also means it can rotate easily, handy if the wind changes direction. It's an excellent accessory and means you can position your pizza oven securely anywhere vaguely level.

My only criticism of the tripod system is that to safely remove the oven, you need two people; one to hold the unit, and one to pull the release lever. I tried it solo and very nearly dropped it.

Into the Fire

On the first fire, I was instructed to build heat slowly to cure the oven. It was a cold day and took 35 minutes, but subsequent uses have been much quicker, although the advertised 15-minute still feels optimistic. Even in the cold, it made it to 850 degrees Fahrenheit without issue.

The thick single layer of insulation helps maintain internal temperature, although not as well as the Gozney Arc ($700), which has two layers. Don't kid yourself, though, the exterior gets hot. It does however cool down quickly once you've turned off the gas.

The side-mounted burner creates a beautiful rolling gas flame over the roof of the oven, and the dial controller was responsive. The internal space 12.2 x 15 x 5.9 inches doesn't leave much wiggle room, but there's just enough space to cook and spin a 12-inch pizza.

There's no door option for the Tread, which limits slow cooking and baking possibilities, but I'm not overly bothered as pizza is the star here, and even my amateurish efforts came out looking (and tasting) great.

As you would expect with an oven hitting almost 900 degrees Fahrenheit, pizzas take just a couple of minutes to cook, with a quick spin halfway through. It is gloriously satisfying to watch the cheese bubble and crust crisp. It does take practice, however, and expect to burn (literally) through a batch of dough getting it right.

If you are short on backyard space and really love pizza, the Gozney Tread is an indulgently worthwhile investment. To get the best from it, you'll need to lay out for the accessories too, but they are thoughtfully designed and well-made. The gorgeous, compact design heats quickly with minimal fuss. While the 12-inch capacity is meager compared to the excellent Ooni Karu 16 (9/10, WIRED Recommends), it's hot and capable enough to cook a party's worth of pie in just a few minutes.