Dunc's Pizza Sauce Recipe

After putting hundreds of pizza through my pizza oven and many tweaks of my pizza sauce I reckon I have nailed it.

New York style pizza sauce is famous for its slightly sweet, garlic-and-herb-forward tomato sauce. 

Standard canned tomatoes in NZ are usually quite acidic on their own, so turning your 600g cans into a legit NY-style sauce is all about blooming the herbs in fat and balancing the acidity.

Here is the exact ratio and method to turn 2 x 600g cans (1.2kg total) into NY pizza sauce.

Ingredients (For 2 x 600g Cans)

 2 cans (600g each) crushed tomatoes or passata (If using whole peeled tomatoes, crush or blend them briefly first)

 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or 2 tbsp oil + 1 tbsp butter for richness)

 3–4 cloves garlic, finely minced (or 1½ tsp garlic powder)

 2 tsp dried oregano

 1 tsp dried basil

 1½–2 tbsp white sugar (Sal's specifically advertises a "sweet tomato sauce" — don't skip this!)

 1 tsp fine sea salt (adjust to taste)

 ½ tsp onion powder (optional, but adds depth)

 ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes or black pepper (for a subtle warm background)

 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional, if your canned tomatoes are runny)

The Method

1. Bloom the Garlic & Herbs: Place a saucepan over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Add the minced garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. Sauté gently for 60 to 90 seconds until fragrant. Do not let the garlic brown, or it will turn bitter!

2. Add Tomatoes & Seasoning: Pour in both cans of tomatoes. Add the sugar, salt, onion powder, and tomato paste (if using). Stir well.

3. Gentle Simmer: Bring the sauce to a bare simmer, then turn the heat to low. Let it bubble gently uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to evaporate off excess water so it thickens and spreads cleanly over your dough without soaking the crust.

4. Taste & Adjust: Taste the sauce once reduced. If it still tastes sharp, add another ½ teaspoon of sugar. If it tastes flat, add a tiny pinch more salt or garlic powder.

5. Cool Down: Let the sauce cool completely before spreading it on raw pizza dough. Cold/room-temp sauce prevents the dough from getting gummy during baking 

Happy pizza making yah filthy animal!