I def wouldn’t add any water. I know some people do to cut costs, but I’d rather spend the extra pennies to fulfill my quality standards. You could always your own special ingredients to call it your own like adding dried oregano and basil, maybe some salt or pepper, or even a tiny tiny bit of crushed red pepper/cayenne, maybe even a little ground fennel seed. Its all trial and error. Start with a little of what ever you choose and go from there. Just keep a notepad and pen handy when you’re adding so when you find something you like, you know exactly what you put in it. Just remember LESS IS MORE… Just b/c it tastes great now, doesn’t mean it wont be overpowering tomorrow.
We just add spice to the Stanislaus premade sauce. It’s actually cheaper per case than the Full Red, 7-11, etc. for us. Get a Stanislaus rep to stop by your store and talk to you. He’ll give you several gallons of sauce to play with and give you some tips on what others are doing.
Be sure you’re using the correct sauce that you’re intending to. When I first opened, I made the mistake of using the Full Red Pizza Sauce (as is). I tried the Full Red at Pizza Expo and thought it was great. Then I found out that the sauce I really wanted to use was Full Red “Fully Prepared” sauce. I didn’t know there was a difference. I learned the Full Red Pizza Sauce is a base, while the Full Red Fully Prepared Sauce is the one that is ready to use out of the can (if you choose). My distributor didn’t know there was a difference.