Homemade Pepperoni Pizza and Sauce

For the pizza crust:
Attach dough hook to stand mixer. In stand mixer bowl, add sugar, salt, yeast, shortening and water, in that order. Turn mixer on. Add flour. Let dough hook stir mixture until flour starts to come together.

Drizzle oil on sides of bowl and continue mixing until dough begins to form. Scrape remaining flour off sides of bowl and mix in with hands. Dough should not be sticky.

Cover bowl with kitchen towel and set in warm dry place to let rise, about 45 minutes.

For the sauce:
In separate saucepan, drizzle olive oil and sauté garlic on medium heat until garlic begins to turn golden. Combine remaining sauce ingredients and whisk together until fully dissolved and combined. Heat on medium heat for about 20 minutes until sauce thickens.

For the pizza:
Set oven to 475ºF. Remove risen dough from bowl and form ball. Shape crust evenly on greased pizza pan. Poke holes in dough with fork to prevent bubbles during baking.

Top with sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Bake for 15–20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Slice and serve hot.