Why this formula works
The hazelnut spread and strawberries remain out of the oven: the spread stays creamy rather than split, and 200 g fruit stays bright instead of flooding the base. Mascarpone is seasoned separately and dotted across the pizza, while roasted hazelnuts supply the visible crunch in the image.
Honest timing
| Active preparation | 20 min |
| Hydration / proof / preheat | 45 min |
| Cooking / baking | 9 min |
| Elapsed total | 1 h 14 min |
Ingredients
- mature room-temperature pizza dough ball240 g (8.5 oz)
- unsalted butter, melted10 g (0.35 oz)
- Nutella or another hazelnut-cocoa spread120 g (4.2 oz)
- ripe firm strawberries, hulled and weighed200 g (7.1 oz)
- cold mascarpone100 g (3.5 oz)
- roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped40 g (1.41 oz)
- vanilla extract2 g (0.07 oz)
- powdered sugar8 g (0.28 oz)
- fine sea salt1 g
- small fresh mint leaves5 g (0.18 oz)
Equipment
- digital scale
- clean towels
- small bowl and spoon
- pizza peel
- baking steel or heavy inverted sheet
- cooling rack
- sharp pizza wheel
Exact method
- 1. Preheat the selected surface according to the cold-finish dessert table. Wash strawberries, dry completely, hull and halve them shortly before assembly.
- 2. Stir mascarpone, vanilla, powdered sugar and salt only until smooth; refrigerate.
- 3. Open dough to 28–30 cm, transfer to the peel and check sliding. Brush lightly with melted butter.
- 4. Bake the bare base with the matching setup until the underside is brown and center crisp. Rotate once, then rack-rest 4 minutes.
- 5. Warm the measured hazelnut spread gently in warm water until fluid enough to spread, never hot. Cover the base to within 1 cm of the rim.
- 6. Arrange all strawberry halves cut-side up. Add mascarpone in 10–12 small spoonfuls so chocolate remains visible.
- 7. Scatter roasted hazelnuts and mint evenly. Do not cover or refrigerate before serving, which traps steam.
- 8. Cut immediately into six rich portions with a clean wheel.
How to know it is ready
- Bare base is crisp before topping.
- Spread stays glossy and creamy.
- Strawberry cut surfaces are dry, not leaking.
- Mascarpone holds distinct white spoonfuls and nuts remain crisp.
Troubleshooting
- Torn base: cold thick spread was forced across it.
- Watery chocolate: strawberries were wet or macerated with sugar.
- Flat white topping: mascarpone was warm or overmixed.
- Lost crunch: nuts were added long before service.
How to adapt the base recipe
- For 35 cm, use 300 g dough, 160 g spread, 260 g strawberries and 130 g mascarpone.
- For darker flavor, replace 20 g spread with 20 g melted dark chocolate, then verify allergens.
- For a branded-spread alternative, preserve the same total weight and check milk, soy and nut labeling.
Storage and food safety
Serve immediately. Refrigerate within 2 hours and use within 1 day. Store components separately whenever possible; do not reheat assembled fresh strawberries and mascarpone.
Allergens
Gluten (wheat), Milk, Soy, Tree nuts
Always verify every label and cross-contact risk; brand formulations can change.