As an aside, If there's more video with Roberto it's probably worth it for that reason alone. He also makes mozzarella in house using a pretty clever method...

@Hedonovore; Well, the application for the tomato sauce would dictate the use of sugar, no? In Neapolitan style pizzas and traditional italian tomato sauces I will not use sugar. However, for some NY style sauces or other styles of pizza sauce I do consider it and have used it.

@Mr. Nick; Interesting on the baking soda trick. I'll try it if I get overly acidic tomatoes at some point.

@CandiRisk; we should be careful when correcting for acidity in tomato sauces. While a sour taste or sensation is one that indicates acidity, sugar does not actually "correct" acidity. It may mask it, to some degree, but the acidity still remains. The only way to change the acidity would to employ the technique Mr. Nick has mentioned. Flavor and pH level are not the same thing.

In response to pizzablogger's scenario;

The sweetness from good tomatoes may not, necessarily, be the same sweetness one gets from sugar. The sugar in tomatoes comes from fructose and glucose, while sugar is sucrose. I think the idea that one can magically replicate a good tomato by putting in some sugar in the sauce is one that should be challenged a bit more. When I taste a tomato, I'm not looking only for sweetness. Also, can we be sure sugar doesn't affect anything else in the tomato?

I'm firmly in the camp of letting the ingredients stand on their own. Different crops of tomatoes will have subtle differences in flavor, and I think that's a beautiful thing. Personally, it reminds me I'm eating something "real."

But, if worst did come to worst and a batch of tomatoes was so off I didn't want to use it, I'd consider another supplier of tomatoes.

But different strokes for different folks. There's no right or wrong answer, just different approaches.

Not a fan.

Kenji,

Did this make any difference in terms of flavor or texture on pizza, if you've tried it?

I studied at Rutgers, and one place has stood the test of time; Filippo's Famous Pizza.

They make their own sausage (fennel) that pools delicious fat on the pie. When I went back, I saw a cart of all trumps flour and grande cheese. This is your go to place for NY pizza if you go to NJ's university!

who doesn't like to splurge once in a while? It might not hold up on the wrong crust, but on a stiffer NY style crust...who cares once in a while!

Don't discount the Grana Padano....

Can I just get a PizzaForge or a kit for it or some plans so I can do it myself :(

Keni, I don't know if you're still responding to this article but what temperature would one look for in the pan (using an IR thermometer I have from making pizza,) and should the temperature be reduced when adding the butter or should the pan be removed from the heat at all?

And I can't imagine the burnt flour on the bottom of that pie tasting good, either. There's a difference between char and burnt flour, and you can clearly see the burnt flour on the bottom of that pie.

I should also add,

Pizzablogger, please re-upload your square method/recipe so others can enjoy! And I heard your limoncello recipe was mighty tasty...