Playing with a Pizza sauce

Thanks guys.  The pepperoni is old world pep from ezzo.  The sauce.  For me pretty simple.  I use Alta cucina  whole plum tomatoes.  See photo.

I hand mash plum tomatoes with a potato masher.  I remove the peels.  I add red pepper flakes, sugar, scissor cut fresh basil, oregano, sea salt, minced garlic, red onion, pecorino romano cheese hand grated and a drizzle of olive oil

Olive oil, garlic, and fine diced onions into sauce pan on very low heat.  Braise.

Add lightly mashed plum tomatoes, simmer.  Then add sugar, not much.  It becomes very sweat as it cooks.  Tbl spoon.  Add basil cuts and 1/3 amount of oregano as you think.   Add red pepper flakes sea salt and pepper.  Let simmer then add  pecorino romano cheese  hand shredded.  Allow to thicken.  Low heat as to not change color of tomatoes. Stir often.

Let cool.  I screen strain out all the juice into a bowl.  I use a rubber spatula to press the most thru the screen or strainer as i can.  I then use a serving spoon with holes to lift out a majority of the tomatoe chunks.  Mostly pepper flakes, spices and tomato tid bits left.

I add the removed tomatoes to the strained sauce in the bowl.  I hand mash the bowl again and mix.  I emulsify the stuff in the strainer to a puree.  

If the puree is overly red pepper flaked to taste I can fix it here. Same with If it needs salt etc. The puree is my "add to the sauce" sweet or heat ingredient at this point.

I add small amount of puree to the sauce bowl until I get the flavor I like.  Especially if I went a little to heavy on the pepper flakes.  Add some more fresh pecorino romano cheese  to the sauce bowl which will help thicken. I add some more fresh cut basil cuts.  Funnel sauce into squeeze bottles.  Refrigerate till use.  What ever puree left gets pitched.  Usually a tablespoon or two.

For me.  pecorino romano cheese adds a unique taste.  Can be a sweet or spicy sauce depending on your taste and the puree add.  My favorite anyway.

Hope it helps someone.

Ref the dough. Straight regular salt 00 flour, water, yeast, and honey.

Photo.  Mine are not peeled.

"You don’t really get that in the Neapolitan style pies cooked in the WFOs at 900F because they cook so fast"

I disagree.  Having a dedicated oven.  I've leaned alot.  900 degrees is great sounding but not practical.  You either burn the top or under cook the bottom.  My son was a pappa John's manager.  He schooled me a lot on the tools.  Dough dockers or rollers with spikes.  Pointed tips vs square tips.  Bottom line if your dough isn't thin crust with light to little toppings like Neapolitan pizza 900 is too hot.  I found 700 to 750 to be prime.  Still less than 2 minutes on average maybe 3.  But it's slide it in.  Wait.  Rotate.  Rotate again.  Rotate again.  Lift into the dome.  Remove and inspect.  Fancy woods like cherry etc.  Pie isn't in long enuff to matter.

On the egg.  I've learned.  No eggsetter, I have stobe closer to the flames In height.  Warm pizza stone up with egg.  Egg has to be 500 or 550.  Stone has to have been warmed at least 30 min.  Keep dough thinner than thick.  Minimum topping thickness on pizza itself for better cook.  No matter what rotate 1/4 turn constantly after it starts to rise during the cook.

Where are you?   So alot of self learned tips.  If I may share my experiences to help you?  What oven did you get?.

#1 ABSOLUTELY Do NOT use any sap woods.  Pine, etc.  As the wood heats the sap runs.  Makes burnt spots on the bottom floor.  Doesn't come off easy.  Creates a burn smell in the crust.

#2.  Do not use fire starters that are sap.  I use big green egg fire starters and a jjgerorge.com torch head screws onto small green propane torches.  One can nearly all summer.  Use it to light the egg as well.

#3.  Depending on the oven you bought.  If it's cement floor with fire bricks onto that you have to lay into place.  Inspect the cement floor for major cracks before putting bricks in.  If it has issues figure it out first.  If they are minor like mine was.  Doesn't matter.  Put the fire bricks in and go.

#4.  Build mini small low temp fires at first.  Small 200 degree in the front.  Let it cool.  Small mini on the left let it cool.  Back right etc.  Then next day a 400 degree mini fire and cool etc.  Dries everything out and preps it for high heat..  you will thank me later.

Hope this helps somehow ref holder

I was simply stating that Cooking at 900 degrees and above isnt pratical amd Generally not the case. Sorry if it seemed confusing

That's the learning part I am at in my life.  I'm not familiar with the hydration levels.  So I'm attempting to learn it as best I can.  Please share.

Now it makes sense.  I still believe NY pizza flavor in the crust is simply new York water.  Thanks ref the books.