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Behind a Round Table Pizza Sauce Recipe Flavor Profile (What We Know vs.). What We Can Recreate)
Round Table Pizza Sauce Recipe
The personality of red sauce at Round Table is highly specific: there is a bright tomato up front, a sweetness without being overwhelming, savory herbs in the middle, a hint of fennel/anise and a peppery end that becomes so popular at Round table that it is called house red sauce. So many of the classics–King Arthur Supreme(r), Montague All Meat Marvel(r), Guinevere Garden Delight(r), etc.–built on zesty red sauce, Round Table talks of itself and its own menu pages so many times. That is what you will read in the ordering pages and listed menu.
The entire formulation is proprietary, although the brand has indicated publicly that its red sauce is made in store using its proprietary blend of six herbs and garlic. The exact term came out when Round Table introduced its hot sauce, Reign of Fire: the press release used the term red sauce that the company was using and their six herb plus garlic strategy. This informs us of two things: (1) a large portion of the flavor comes through the use of herbs; (2) the mixing occurs in-store and not in some distant central kitchen.
Governmental allergen and nutrition reports indicate that Zesty Red Sauce is a regular sauce, and it is listed along with Creamy Garlic, Polynesian, and BBQ. There will be neither an ingredient list nor percentages published, but the sauce can be found all over the Round Table nutrition and allergen PDFs and calculators. That comes in handy when you have to add DIY modifications to dietary requirements or menu planning.
We do that out of there, what pizzerias normally do and what old employees and long time customers have noticed. A long held tradition of the pizza making community indicates that Round Table red sauce is prepared using a combination of tomato paste, water, and a dry spice pack- a technique similar to many American pizzerias to ensure consistency and shelf-life. The identical discussion points out that the house smell is sweet tomato at the front, a hint of fennel in the middle, and peppery heat at the end–which most certainly is what your palate detects on a slice of Round Table. That is all informed pattern matching, none of this is corporate gospel.
With those signposts–and based on tested pizza sauce technique with revered recipe writers–you can make a faithful, homemade, Round Table-style sauce that hits the nail on the head, the texture, and that inimitable zesty elevation. We shall then give you, not only cook and not cook, but also when to have and when not to have, And how to pile it on pies the way Round Table doth (to the very edge, so gloriously).
Developed: The Core Formula (Measured, Home Cookable, and Consistent).
What the flavor profile will be like:
Tomato undercarriage with pure acidity and sweet gentleness.
Oregano Herb in the lead.
Fennel/anise low slow in the background.
Walnut sauce (black pepper and red pepper flakes)
Garlic that is not aggressive but is always there; this is normally in dry form to make it consistent.
These arguments are consistent with the credible copycat efforts posted by experienced home pizzaioli and food bloggers. A large number of imitators all gather around tomato paste as the foundation with which they can obtain that rich, concentrated taste and the thickness of pizzera. Some had round table inspired recipes, using tomato paste and water with a spice mix, anchored with oregano, fennel seed, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes the same constellation of flavors that Round Table fans said.
Is paste the only route? No. Recipes of the New York style of sauce usually begin with crushed or whole peeled tomatoes, cooked or not. However, when what you want is the zesty Round Table pizzeria feel, paste mixed with water (or passata diluted into paste such as thickness) allows you to take greater control over body and salinity, which is important when you are being served to the edges with a heavy loading of topping. The article of the Serious Eats on the subject of NY style sauces can aid you in understanding how to strike the right balance between sweetness, acidity and herb heat- information that can be readily extrapolated to our style of copying.
Lastly, consider texture as being more of a lever rather than an aesthetic decision. A paste propelled sauce will remain in its place, it will not fill up your dough or leave the crust soaked. That is important to edge to edge topping styles and pan or sheeter doughs. To have more of a flow in making a hand tossed pie, use a little more water, and whisk until glossy. (Spelling out the number of grams will be done below.)
Ingredients: Round Table-Style Red Zesty Sauce (No Cook + Overnight Cure)
Stepwise: Round Table-Style Red Zesty Sauce (No Cook + Overnight Cure)
It is the quick repeatable type that smells distressingly similar to the original following an overnight cold. It resembles what pizzeria employees and forums users claim that many stores do: hydrate paste + add a dry herb/spice pack and allow to rest.
Yield: 4-6 medium pies, depending on the sauciness of your preference (or enough to fill 21/2 cups)
Active time: 10 minutes Rest: 12-24 hours(cold cure)
Ingredients
1 can (170 g / 6 oz) tomato paste
240-300 g (1-11/4 cups) cold water, to desired consistency.
1 tsp dried oregano (Mediterranean style, should you be able)
1 tsp fennel seed, whole, but slightly crushed (mortar/pestle).
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or granulated garlic)
1/2 tsp paprika (sweet or smoked; smoked gives more flavor)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed slight (add more or less according to taste)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper..
1/2 tsp fine sea salt (or to taste)
Pinch sugar ( 1/8 -1/4 tsp), but only because your tomatoes seem too sharp.
Why this set? It captures the essence of the flavours that long time RT enthusiasts identify (sweet tomato, fennel hint, peppery finish), which are consistent with various more plausible copycats enumerating close equivalents of the blends.
Method
1) Hydrate the base. Whisk tomato paste with 240g (1 cup) cold water in a bowl until it becomes smooth and glossy. Gradually add more water (a tablespoon at a time) until you have a thick and spreadable sauce (imagine soft yogurt).
2) Blend in the dry spices. Add oregano, crused fennel, garlic powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, black pepper and salt. Whisk thoroughly.
3) Taste and tweak. In case it is too sharp, put in a pinch of sugar. In case it is flat, sprinkle it with a little bit more salt.
4) Cold cure. Move into airtight container and refrigerate 12-24hrs. This step of resting softens the garlic and allows the herbs to be full hydrated- exactly why pizzerias prepare sauce in advance. [8] (The posts on forums that talk about in store mixing and resting) are in harmony with this step.
How to use:
Scatter 1/4 cup on to 12 inch pizza (to taste). Close to the edge, to achieve a Round Table feel. The thickness of the sauce holds it in place when it is moist with heavy toppings such as mushrooms and olives.
Why no cook works here: On this side of the ocean no cook works: to be bright and quick many American stores (and antique Neapolitan) cook nothing; to be quick NY style cooks. We are borrowing the no cook style of Round Table to the bracing clarity with its zesty flavor and curing to the overnight to the harmony.
Variation Cooked Round Table-Style Deeply-Riching Simmersed Sauce.
Do this cooked version, should you love a slightly rounder, more bound together, less acidic sauce with the tiniest hint of cooked sweetness. Serious Eats has demonstrated how mild cooking builds the body of a New York-style sauce and manages the acidity. We will convert that science to a Round Table taste scheme–fennel and pepper heat are to remain.
Yield: ~3 cups
Active time 10 minutes Simmers 15-25 minutes optional rest 8-24 hours.
Ingredients
1 container (28 oz / 794 g) of crushed tomatoes or 680-700 g passata.
85 g (3 oz) tomato paste (to make it intense)
2 Tbsp olive oil (you can use 1 tsp of unsalted butter instead of 2 to smooth out edges as Kenji recommends in cooked sauces).
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp fennel seed, crushed very lightly.
1/2 tsp powder cayenne pepper (or 3 fresh cloves, chopped–less strong when cooked)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, roughly crushed.
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3/4 tsp fine sea salt, and to taste
by adding extra.
1 tsp sugar or honey just in case it is necessary to make it balanced.
Method
1) Warm the fat. Olive oil must be heated in mediocre low in a saucepan. In case you are using butter, add it now to neutralize acidity (a trick of Serious Eats to make cooked sauce silky). [9].
2) Bloom spices (briefly). Add garlic powder (or sliced garlic), oregano, paprika, red pepper, black pepper, and crushed fennel and cook 30-45 seconds–smelling good, not burnt.
3) Build body. Add tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add passata/ crushed tomatoes and salt.
4) Warm slightly, but not too long, about 15-25 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until it becomes somewhat thick and the uncooked margin is erased. Salt; add a pinch of sugar, only in case your tomatoes are very tart.
5) Relax and (optional) sleep: 8-24 hours to achieve maximum harmony.
When to cook: Cooked can be magic when you are making pan pizza or a crust that is thicker (where a thinner crust sauce will match the first cab at the bottom) and in this case, cooked can be enchanted. When you are copying the edge to edge of Round Table with a lot of toppings the slightly firmer body of cooked sauce can lend some structure. (Richer sauces are also good with the pan pizza structures at Kenji.)
The Sauce Usage: Round Table Style Traditional Combinations, Pies, and Pairings.
You will find zesty red sauce on Round Table classics:
Supreme(r) (pepperoni, Italian sausage, salami, linguica, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, black olives) of King Arthur on zesty red.
All Meat Marvel(r) of Montague (Italian sausage, pepperoni, salami, linguica) on spicy red.
Garden Delight of Guinevere(r) (tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, black olives) on spicy red.
And home your playbook of topping with those combinations.
Round Table also allows you to select Polynesian or Creamy Garlic on any given pies, though the red sauce forms the foundation of those classic constructions, as well as “Double Play Pepperoni”-style constructions. Put it nearer to the rim than you would with other pizzerias when constructing; topping to the edge is the specialty of the chain, and the thickness of the basis formed by the paste will allow it to be done at home.
In case you just need some heat added to your sauce, drizzle the prepared pizza with Heat of Fire-style heat (Round Table habanero/roasted pepper) or your favorite chili oil. The press release of Round Table clearly places Reign of fire as an additional kick on any of their classic recipes. Back home, that is: maintain the bottom sauce in equilibrium and layer on the topping of heat.
Ingredient Science: Oregano, Fennel, and Tomatoes, as well as the Zesty Finish.
Tomato base (paste vs. crushed): Paste gives more flavor and forms a thicker and clingy base–a frequent store-mixing choice in pizzerias. It is because of this reason that many of copycats publishing attempts under the name Round Table-style, will reach to paste plus water. Crushed tomatoes will yield a beautiful cooked paste (NY style) but feel out of place on the tongue; paste is more in tune with the chain.
Fennel seed: This sweet anise flavor is related to the taste of American pizzeria (also typical of Italian sausage). Fennel in RT style sauces is remembered, not headlined–crushed lightly and used sparingly. Various imitators add fennel to make it authentic.
Herb backbone Oregano a horse. Dried oregano has some flavor following the ride in the oven and blends with the concentrated tang of paste. We get to know that the blend is more complex by the fact that the chain has a six herbs and garlic line, however oregano is likely to assume the lead. Add other supporting herbs basil, marjoram, thyme–micro added, should your palate desire it.
Spicy finish: The final tickle on the palate is black pepper + red pepper flakes. Use both. Black pepper will add aroma and a quick front palate prickle, red pepper flakes will add slower blooming heat. Warmth and color are provided by the high Scoville-free paprika. The zesty red sauce label used by Round Table to describe this sauce- and the obvious pep in the bite- warrant retention of this finish in both cooked and uncooked versions.
Storage, Food Safety and Make Ahead (Fridge, Freezer and Batch Prep).
Storage is important because you are probably combining no cook (or quick cooked) sauce and storing it in the refrigerator. Different sources in the general kitchen accept that the original or home-made pizza sauces have approximately 5-7 days in the fridge when kept in airtight containers at [?] 4degC/40degF. To store long-term, freeze (ice cubes trays or deli tubs) up to an estimated 3 months; defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Always look out of the odor, mold or strange separation over the normal liquid pooling.
The restaurant allergen sheets will not provide you with the proprietary spice list, but will enable you to know that the Zesty Red Sauce is a regular option and will assist those with sensitivities to determine their choice of sauce family (red vs. creamy garlic vs. Polynesian vs. BBQ). When you are preparing food to serve others, DIY puts you in ultimate control: you are free to make it gluten free and dairy free by default. General categories are described in the allergen PDFs of Round Table; in any form of doubt, DIY is the easiest way to go.
Pro tip: Plan ahead and make twice the amount of the no cook sauce on Thursday night. It gets at its most mellow by Friday pizza night. Freeze the remaining in half cup deli packages, label and you are two steps ahead to the following week pies. (In case your house is fond of twists of garlic or dipping, put aside a small amount of it to do so.)
Trouble Shooting: Too Acidic, Too Sweet, Too Thick, Too Thin.
Too sharp/bright: stir in a pinch of sugar (or a few drops of honey) and a small knob of butter (you need it only when you are simmering); butter smooths the coarseness of cooked sauces, an idea emphasized in NY style sauce work. With no cook, use sugar and a little more salt (unless it is necessary)–never use raw butter.
Too sweet: Add more salt, a pinch, and a little water to open flavors. Some additional broken black pepper will tie down the portrait.
Too thick: Add 1-2 Tbsp water at a time until it falls in a ribbon, yet remains stuck on a spoon.
Too thin: Add in 1-2 Tbsp tomato paste whisked or gently simming the cooked version. Do not reduce too much, a gluey sauce will not spread.
Missing zest: Add some additional flakes of red pepper (finely crushed) and two or three brisk turns of black pepper; allow to rest 15 minutes before retasting to allow flakes to be moistened.
The fact is, the balance of the sauce is not a matter of exact chemistry but it is a matter of fine-tuning. It is desired to a sauce that will be a shade sharper cold than you desire it to be hot; baking will moderately sweeten and increase salt.
Party and Pizza Night Scale (Bowls, Squeeze Bottles and Station Setups)
Sauce is the only thing you can prepare days before, to a crowd. Quick, lump free paste hydration Quick hydration of paste requires a deep mixing bowl and a whisk attachment on a hand mixer. Allow to cure overnight and transfer to wide mouth squeeze bottles (label cooked vs. no cook). Store bottles on a tray of ice in case you are allowing guests to barbecue their own pies as time passes.
To set up a Round Table-type bar, you need:
Red Zesty Sauce, and a little bottle of spicy drizzle (Reign of Fire style or chili oil) to make it hot chasers; the brand specifically sells Reign of Fire as a general add heat choice in all pizza, wings, and dips.
Garlic creamy (they want the white pies that the chain gives them energy) and Polynesian (sweet tangy) in case you are giving options; they are both a typical RT sauce.
Edge to edge topping mind set. The above thickness of the sauce is adjusted to that.
In addition to Pizza: Dips, Pastas, Sandwich Spreads with Zesty Vibes.
Round Table actually uses a little tub of red sauce as a dipping sauce in which twists can be eaten; forum talk even indicates that you can occasionally steal that sauce with bread sticks. To serve at home parties, heat some of the cooked version, place it in a cup, and serve with either garlic knots or mozzarella sticks.
Sauces that are paste driven are also great quick pasta tosses (thin with a splash of pasta water and olive oil), meatball subs, or Italian sausage sandwiches (that small touch of fennel in the sauce reminds me of the sausage, as well). By adding a sprinkling of vinegar and a heap of red pepper as a batch spicemix, you have essentially created a spicy pizza parlor giardiniera amiable sandwich spread. The origanum fennel pepper triad in the text should be left whole in order to spell pizzeria.
Quick Brand Reality Check What Round Table Publications (and Does not) Publish.
The public facing materials of Round Table informs us as to the pizzas containing zesty red sauce and validate their in store handcrafted methodology with a proprietary mix of six herbs and garlic- they do not inform us of the quantities or the specific list of herbs. Menus and ordering interface repeat the word zesty red sauce, and the press release of Reign of Fire name drops the six herb plus garlic line. To diet, Zesty Red, as a sauce, is confirmed as an option in nutrition/allergen PDFs, along with the complete ingredient deck. That is the reason any type of Round Table Pizza Sauce Recipe you find on the internet is a parody–and the reason why our strategy focuses on flavor goals versus purported corporate status.
On line (pizza forums, Reddit) discussions frequently cite tomato paste + water + spice pack mixed in store to make red sauce. That story aligns with the self-promulgated brand slogan of being hand crafted and clarifies the uniformity in the depth of the places. And nothing of that substitutes official recipes, but it does present us with plausible working suggestions to be imitated at home.
Why So many copycats use tomato paste (and what that has to do with texture)
There are two superpowers with tomato paste here:
1) Concentration & control. It is literally tomatoes without the majority of the water and therefore you regulate the thickness by adding water back. That is perfect where you desire a sauce to remain in place particularly in any edge to edge assembly and heavy toppings. (The pies of Round Table are famous both.)
2) Consistent “pizzeria” taste. The smacking tomato flavor of paste is what several chains count on. Many copycats of the Round Table grab for paste initially; many include almost the same list of spices (oregano, fennel, paprika, garlic powder, black/red pepper), which creates that red sauce snap around which RT enthusiasts salivate.
However, cooked crushed tomato sauces are also amazing, especially when you are in the mood of NY style or pan pizza. The sauce exploration by the NY style of Serious Eats is crafted like a masterpiece of adding sweetness, acidity and herb warmth during the simmering. Want Round Table mimicry, paste, want (still delicious) lane, crushed tomatoes.
No Cook vs. Cooked Pizza Sauces (Advantages, Disadvantages and Style Compare and Contrast)
No Cook (our RT style zesty): Fast, bright, works best when left overnight, magnificent with heavy toppings since it is thick, stable, etc. Neapolitan and most shop sauces are no cook (though the spice pack is often omitted by the Neapolitan purists). To achieve an edge to edge experience in Round Table, none of the cooks win on production speed and punchiness. [13][14].
Cooked: Less acidic, a little sweeter, more integrated- great in pan pizza or when you just feel like having a more of a sauce forward flavor. The advice that the Serious Eats website offers about cooked NY style sauce (even butter has its role) is an eye opener.
If you can’t decide, make both. Put the no cook on pepperoni/meat combos (to maintain flavors bright) and the cooked on pan pizzas and the veggie heavy pies (to maintain everything binding).
Straddling Sweetness, Acidity, and Heat the Round Table Way.
The sauce of Round Table does not taste sweeter like dessert, nor is it austerate. The zesty character indicates a little bit of sugar (or a natural sweetness of paste) to offset the acidity. In the meantime, the signature zip is formed by black pepper + red pepper flakes. We appropriate a page off NY style sauce R&D: establish a base, taste cold, add pinches (not spoonfuls) and then bear in mind that baking intensifies salt and softens acid. To cook the sauce, once cooked, a small amount of butter will be a proven route towards the glossing of rough edges (a Kenji trick).
The Fennel Factor: Why That Subtle Note of Anise is So Pizzeria Authentic.
Ask three RT fans what makes their sauce special, and at least one will tell you that there is a slight fennel/anise back note. Fennel is frequently used in American pizzerias, both in the sausage and in the tomato, or both. Lightly crushing fennel seed (not to dust) is not going to turn the sauce into licorice but it will release the fragrance. Fennel is an ingredient of most of the Round Table lookalikes that fans rave about–and probably, is also a member of the six herbs proprietary blend family. Add 1 tsp per 2-3 cups sauce, but this should not be too noticeable until you reach your stopping point and begin to think.
Tomato Science 101: The Reason Cooked Tomato Sauces Can be healthier.
In case you favor the cooked one, here is a bonus: cooking may enhance the bioavailability of lycopene, the tomato antioxidant associated with the possible health benefits. A randomized crossover study indicated that cis isomer rich, heat processed tomato sauce compared to an all trans rich sauce exhibited a greater post meal absorption of lycopene. Cornell scientists also found that tomatoes heated are more active in antioxidants and more lycopene forms that the body can utilize (but the amount of vitamin C drops slightly). So that mild simmers is not only good to eat–it can potentially help some tomato nutrients be more available.
The Consistency of the Right amount of different dough styles (Sheeted, Pan, Hand Tossed)
Sheeted/ Edge to Edge (Round Table vibe): The no cook sauce must be rich; this must ribbon off a spoon and remain in place.
Hand tossed / NY: Thin enough that it can be spread but not weep into dough; 1/4 cup per 12 inch pie is generally a good place to start (a generalized recommendation across pizza books).
Pan pizza: The richness of the cooked sauce is a good match with the fried crust on the bottom and additional cheese. (The pan pizza technique of Kenji is delightful should you decided to take that path.).
You should always pre salt watery toppings (such as mushrooms) or saute a bit to prevent your sauce being diluted in the oven.
Gluten Free and Allergen Pointers When You DIY.
The red sauce can be made in a gluten free (dairy free) form naturally when you only use tomatoes, spices and salt/pepper. The published allergen sheets published by Round Table report Zesty Red Sauce as one of a number of standard sauces; the sheets do not reveal recipes, but they have the advantage of scanning other items on the menu and cross contact information. Home mixing means that you are sure about each jar.
When you need to cook dinner for many people, have a plain base batch (tomatoes, salt, oregano), and a house blend one (with fennel/paprika/pepper flakes). Label and cross contact and cross flavoring: always use separate spoons.
Replacement of Pantry in Case of unavailability of certain herbs or pastes.
No fennel seed? Add a pinch of anise–very little.
No paprika? Substitute with sweet smoked paprika or Aleppo pepper (less heat + fruitiness).
No tomato paste? Blend passata or crushed tomatoes until thick or use high quality double concentrate paste, when available (tube).
Garlic powder vs. fresh: Gives more consistent no cook balance with the powder, use fresh with cooked version.
In case you get tempted to add onion powder or Italian seasoning, keep them micro level, the idea is herb transparency, not cloudiness. Guides in NY style sauce tend to emphasize the proper use of herbs, and this is no exception.
FAQs:
Sugar or Honey? Fresh Garlic or Powder? How Long Should It Cure?
Sugar vs. honey? A pinch of sugar is to be used; it will dissolve immediately, and be altered in small steps. Honey is pleasant in cooking sauce (it will dissolve when you boil) but may change aroma a bit in no cook.
Fresh garlic vs. powder? Powder/granulated is predictable to no cook, and softens during the cure. Freshly sliced garlic becomes soft and tender in cooked sauce–go on.
Cure time? 12-24 hours in the fridge significantly enhances no cook sauce harmony, which coincides with the actions of pizzerias when mixing in store and holding. Overnight rest is also available to cooked sauces.
How much sauce do I use? Approximately 3/4 cup to 12 inch pizza (quantity depends on taste of person)–a general starting point in home pizza booklets. Thick “zesty” sauce is music to the ear so when you say less it is more.
How long does it keep? Reference material on most home cooking websites recommends 5-7 days in the refrigerator, airtight; freeze up to a maximum of ~3 months. Always look in to evidence of spoilage.
