When it comes to pizza sauce, most home cooks probably think more about what goes in it rather than how you put it on the dough. (Hot tip: Add a little miso for a unique twist.) But it turns out that saucing your dough isn’t just a matter of slathering it round — there are right and wrong methods to it.
The big one is using an appropriate amount of sauce — don’t just dump sauce on there as it’ll result in sticky, damp dough. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to see the dough through the sauce (if you really like a saucy pizza, consider dipping it in more once the pizza is cooked.) The exact amount varies depending on the size of the pizza and who you ask, but a rough volume might be around 4 ounces (½ cup) for a 12-inch pizza.
Then there’s the question of how to apply the sauce. You should spoon the sauce in the center of your dough and in a spiral motion moving outwards, spreading it out with the underside of the spoon. Be careful not to press too firmly down on the dough so it spreads evenly. If you end up with too much in one spot, just do that spiral motion again to spread it out.
Some other pointers to know
For serious pizzaiolos, there are a couple more minute pointers you can consider when saucing. Firstly, a flat-based spoon or ladle works best for spreading the sauce around. Secondly, it’s recommended to hold the spoon pretty near the bowl — you pinch it between two fingers and then use the remaining three fingers (further up the stem) to tilt the spoon back and forth as you make the spiral motion to spread the sauce out. When you’re spreading the sauce, you’ll want to stop around a finger’s width from the edge — if the sauce gets right to the edge, those edge parts tend to burn onto the crust.
Finally, take note that this technique is for “standard” Italian-style pizza, and some American pizza styles, where the sauce goes directly onto the dough. There are other varieties like Detroit-style, where the sauce goes on top of the toppings, in which case you may just have to try to spoon it evenly around, as the spiral technique would rearrange the toppings. Chicago-style deep dish (not to be confused with another lesser-known, ultra-thin style of Chicago pizza) also puts the sauce on top, but it uses a heftier amount of sauce, so you’ll probably just ladle or pour it on there.
