Pizza questions

Tractor

I'm makin my 1st pizza on the ole egg. A couple of questions...[p]1. Can I shortcut making a homemade sauce by using a store bought pasta sauce? Do I need to thicken it with tomato paste?[p]2. I'm using Cat's dough recipe. I'd prefer a thin crust. What adjustments should I make to accomplish that?[p]THANKS!

The Naked Whiz

Tractor,
I think store bought pasta sauce is about the right consistency for pizza. I'm sure they must also sell pizza sauce at the grocery, too. I guess it depends on your own personal preference as to the thickness of your sauce.[p]TNW

Tractor

THANKS! Anybody know what to do to achieve thin, crisp crust?

KevinH

Tractor,[p]Achieving a thin, crisp crust is no trouble. Just roll the dough out thin and put it on a hot pizza stone (425 degrees or so). There's nothing else to it. It doesn't really matter what dough recipe you use. Just make sure your stone has plenty of ceramic mass below it -- you don't want the crust blackened.

Banker John

Tractor,
FOr the sauce, I personally use store bought sauce (Ragu Roasted Garlic & Tomato in Olive Oil). I open the jar 24 hours in advance and add 2 tbsp of dried Basil and 1 tsp of dried Oregeno and let it sit in the fridge until ready to sauce the pizza's. Sometimes, I will put a pinch of sugar in the sauce with the herbs.[p]Enjoy your pizza's![p]Banker John

Tractor

THANKS for that reply. That's a good idea you have for making a store bought sauce your own...[p]I tried one off the shelf from Francis Coppola. It's the Arrabbiata sauce. It was awesome on pizza!![p]My crust turned out incredibly! Thanks for the tips everybody.