This Is Giada De Laurentiis’s Secret Ingredient for Perfect Homemade Pizza Dough

Giada De Laurentiis is pretty much synonymous with Italian food at this point. Her recipes combine fresh ingredients in simple dishes whether it’s an appetizer like her Caprese dip or a dessert like her lemon ricotta cookies. And now, she’s taking that a step further by partnering with beer brand Peroni to incorporate even more Italian goodness into your life. It’s a match made in, well, Italia!

I had a chance to chat with Giada about her partnership, and it was a really fun conversation. “We’re going to create a bunch of recipes throughout the year,” she told me over the phone. “The first one I created with them is a pizza dough.”

What is Giada’s secret ingredient for pizza dough?

Surprise: It’s Peroni! Giada shared with me that her grandfather is from Naples, and so pizza has been a huge part of her life. Naturally, she takes it very seriously.

“This dough recipe has half a bottle of Peroni beer in it,” she said. “I make a lot of pizza dough, and sometimes, the recipes don’t work out as well as you want them to; they’re either too tacky or too wet,” she said. But that isn’t the case with this recipe, which she’s perfected to be flavorful and easy to work with. The result? “It’s divine—a light and crispy crust, perfectly paired with any topping or more Peroni,” she said.

If you’re hesitant to try, it actually makes sense to swap some of the water for beer in pizza dough. The yeast in the beer helps the dough to rise, and, like Giada said, it adds an extra depth of flavor. It’s a great recipe to try for a fun and interactive weeknight meal. Or, you could be like Giada and enjoy it during aperitivo hour with a Peroni. Either way, you’re in for a treat!