Villasman; Here's how I make my sauce and it works every time. I use fresh tomatoes if there are any good-ripe ones in the store (a rare thing indeed). If not, I use tomatoe paste and sauce, first putting in the tomato paste and adding the sauce until I get it to the right consistancy, thick enough to coat a spoon, but easy to stir. I then heat it until its simmering lightly. While it is heating, I place two tbs EVOO into a stainless skillet and add two cloves of chrushed and minced garlic. When the garlic is lightly browned, I add it and the oil to the sauce. Next, I add about a half tsp. of dried oregano. I let that cook for about five minutes, so that the essential oils can be leached from the herb into the sauce. I taste it. It should be a bit heavy with spice flavor as it has to hold up to other flavorfull ingredients. I then add a sprinkle of dried sweet basil, a half sprinkle of tarragon, and about a tbs. of sugar to reduce the tartness of the tomato. I let it cook for another 5 minutes, and taste again. Finally, I correct the seasonings and let the sauce cool.
The dough is pre-made and rising while the sauce is being made. Once it has risen to double its original bulk, I roll it out on a lightly floured surface (my butcher-block table), until it is cracker thin. If the dough circle is too big for the pan, I just lay it into the pan and cut with a sharp knife to make it fit. For thick crust, I don't roll it as thin, and let it rise in the pan before adding the sauce and toppings. For thin crust, I add the toppings imediately and place in a 500 degree oven.
I use very little oil in the pan, just enough to make the cast iron shiny.
If you want a little smoky flavor, before spreading the sauce on the dough, rub some mequite flavored liquid smoke evenly over its surface. this is especially good if you enjoy pineapple on your pizza. The tang of smoke perfectly compliments the pineapple. Think ham and pineapple.
For a layerd crust, rather than using a yeast dough, use double-acting baking powder as your leavening agent. The roll the dough very thin,slightly four it, fold it upon itself, and roll again. Rpeat the process until you have three or four layers of crust. This is similar to making philo or puff pastry dough. For that matter, you could use raw philo dough for your crust. It's available at most supermarkets, and is much easier to use than making your own multi-layerd dough.
Also, think of how flaky biscuits can be. This is because they are not kneaded and are crumbly in texture before being rolled, much like a pie dough, but with a leavening agent and more moisture. This will give you a flaky crust as well.
You have the talent to figure this one out, and the knowledge base. You only need a push in the right direction and to put your thinking cap on. I'm rooting for you.
Oh, and for your wife; Goodweed comes from the fact that I was a tiny little guy as a child. I would often come home disheartened by bullies and kids my age who were twice my size. My Dad would stand me up in my doorway and say "See, you've grown a quater inch since the last time I measured you. Why I know a guy who was small like you. Then, when he turned about 16, he shot up like a bad weed. You will too, son."
I never shot up like a bad weed. I'm still only 5' 6" tall. So if I'm not the bad weed, I must be the Goodweed. I live in and love the North. And there you have the origins of my cyberspace name. Also, I love to see peoples reactions to the name. It's truly amusing. It's my own personal joke kind of thing. Tell your wife this story. Unlike my story about almost going over Niagra Falls, this one is true. The other one was an improvised tall tale, made up during the telling. My wife, who wasn't my wife yet, slugged me in the arm when I got to the end of the story, where I swam to the end of a log, pulled out my pocket knife, whittled the end into a propeller, and stood on the log, rolling it with my feet until it carried me to shore. That one was som much fun. She believed it hook, line, and sinker until the log part.
Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
