Gömsle – the new wood-fired baking and pizza oven that only gets better with age

Swedish lifestyle company Hikki has launched a new wood-fired baking and pizza oven named Gömsle - designed by Hikki's founder and artist, Per Enoksson.

“The oven is made of corten steel – also known as weathered steel – and ages with dignity. It only gets more beautiful as the years go by”, he says.

Hikki is based in Tärnaby in the mountains of Sweden’s Västerbotten region, and designs and manufactures products inspired by raw nature as well as vibrant urban life. Hikki produces, among other things, refined yet robust wood-fired outdoor bathtubs, fireplaces, table grills and baking ovens. Now a new wood-fired baking and pizza oven is being added to the line-up that utilizes direct fire, just like the ovens you’ll find in an old-fashioned bakery.
 
“The oven can get really hot – up to 450 degree Celsius – which makes it perfect for baking pizzas or soft flatbreads”, says Per Enoksson.

The oven has been named Gömsle (which means hiding place in English), and is a reminder to Per Enoksson of one of the reasons why he founded Hikki back in 2010.

“We all need a glade in our life, somewhere we can be just ourselves and forget the world around us for a while. I want every Hikki product to somehow transport you there. It's about the art of disappearing - finding that space where you can really relax”.

The fire is built in a space in the back of the oven, while at the front the oven door allows easy access to your food. Inside the oven is an eight millimeter-thick steel plate that absorbs the heat from the fire and creates a perfectly crispy base for your pizza.

“When I developed the ovens we manufacture and sell I always had my aunt Greta in mind. She was an important person to me when I was growing up, and she baked the tastiest Sami flatbread known as gaahkoeh (or gahkku). It was wholesome and lasted a long time, which made it the ideal food for eating in the mountains”, says Per Enoksson, who is himself Sami, and started at a young age to learn how to make Sami utensils from various natural materials.

He constantly strives to design products from materials that will last a lifetime or even longer – and ones that will age with dignity.

“They must be solid products, especially if they are exposed to open fire. They must also withstand the stresses of the weather. The Gömsle oven will evolve into a work of art – a sculpture that adorns your garden year after year. You not only get a fantastic design object to enjoy, but it’s also something you can cook and bake in, regardless of the season”, says Per Enoksson.

The Gömsle oven weighs approximately 65 kilos and contains no screws whatsoever – only individual pieces of three millimeter-thick corten steel and wedges to keep them in place. It is also possible to buy a stand for the oven to be placed on, which can be filled with firewood ready for your next meal. The stand is also made of corten steel – an extremely corrosion-resistant material that develops a wonderful patina over time.

“All the products we produce are carefully designed to fit effortlessly into your own glade. Somewhere you can go to experience peace, to disappear into your own thoughts, avoid stress and chaos, recharge and recover and enjoy life. Either alone or in the company of others”, says Per Enoksson.

Just like the rest of the Hikki product range, the Gömsle oven is now available to order at hikkisweden.com and from retailers in Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Japan and the United Kingdom.

See the movie about Gömsle here.