Thelife- Giorgia Caporuscio is a master pizzaiola born in Italy and currently living in New York.
- She shared a list of the most common mistakes she's seen people make with at-home pizzas.
Giorgia Caporuscio, who was born and raised in Terracina, Italy, has been at the helm of Neapolitan
The pizzaiola, 31, told Insider that her favorite part about running the New York restaurant is any opportunity she gets to teach people her craft. She said that before the COVID-19 pandemic, she used to host classes for both adults and children, and it's something she hopes to get back to in the future.
For now, Caporuscio is helping from afar by sharing some advice with Insider. She said there are generally five mistakes she sees most often with home cooks who are attempting pizza making, and she offered some fixes for
1. You can mess up the dough by adding ingredients at the wrong times
Caporuscio says that the order in which you combine ingredients makes a big difference in how your pizza dough will turn out.
Always start with flour and yeast, in that order, she said. "Then, slowly add water," Caporuscio continued. "After the water, add salt."
"Never add salt and yeast together," the pizza pro said, warning that "the salt 'kills' the yeast activation," which means it won't rise.
2. Don't try to speed up proofing by using the refrigerator
Let the entire process happen at room temperature, she said.
"You need patience," Caporuscio told Insider. "Wait for the dough to rest — it needs to rise and proof."
Allowing the dough to rest for around 24 hours (depending on the amount of yeast you use) will yield a better texture and more digestibility, she added.
3. Stop using regular flour to stretch the dough and use semolina flour instead
"If you use regular flour, the dough will absorb it, giving you a different texture," Caporuscio said.
She said that would essentially undo all the effort you put into waiting for the dough to properly proof.
"It will lose elasticity," she added. "If you don't find semolina flour, cornflour is also good, but it will add a little bit of extra flavor."
4. Allow your oven to heat for at least 45 minutes at maximum temperature
According to Caporuscio, preheating your oven to the highest temperature allowed is important and should be done 45 to 50 minutes before you begin cooking.
"Your pizza dough needs 'the kick' from the high temperature to start rising," she said.
If the temperature is too low, your dough may not achieve that fluffy outer crust that's important when it comes to Neapolitan-style pizza.
5. Use a cooking surface that will conduct heat
"If you can, get a pizza stone," Caporuscio told Insider. She says it's a great way to ensure the bottom of the pizza cooks through and has the familiar semi-sturdy, semi-delicate texture.
But if you don't have a stone, that's OK. Caporuscio says you can use an upside-down baking sheet. The metal will heat up and cook the bottom of the pie similarly to how the stone would.