Giada Breakfast Pizza

Giada De Laurentiis’ breakfast pizza layers a creamy mascarpone-lemon spread and fresh mixed berries over a cinnamon-sugar crust made from store-bought pizza dough. It comes together in about 35 minutes of active time.

She featured this recipe on Everyday Italian during the Breakfast in Bed episode, and the full version lives on her Food Network page. This is a sweet pizza, not the savory kind with eggs and sausage. Think dessert for breakfast: warm cinnamon dough, cool lemony cream, bright fruit.

The crust has to cool completely on a wire rack before you spread the mascarpone. Warm dough melts the cheese into a thin, runny layer that slides right off when you slice. A cooled crust gives you a firm base so the topping holds its shape and each piece picks up cleanly.

Giada Breakfast Pizza

Recipe by medshi8Course: Breakfast, BrunchCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4-6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

505

kcal

Total time

35

minutes

A sweet cinnamon-sugar pizza crust topped with whipped mascarpone brightened by lemon, then finished with handfuls of fresh berries. Simple enough for a weekend morning, pretty enough to serve at brunch for guests.

Ingredients

• Cinnamon-Sugar:

• 1 vanilla bean

• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• Pizza Crust:

• 1 store-bought pizza dough

• 2 tablespoons (28g) butter, melted

• Mascarpone Topping:

• 2 cups (454g) mascarpone cheese

• 1 tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream

• 1 tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest, from 1 lemon

• Fruit Topping:

• 2 cups (about 280g) mixed berries

Directions

• Make the cinnamon-sugar. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a small bowl using the back of a knife. Add the sugar and cinnamon, then stir until evenly combined.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch (6mm) thickness, then transfer it to the lined baking sheet.
• Season the crust. Brush the surface with the melted butter and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cinnamon-sugar evenly over the top.
• Bake the crust until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Cool completely. Transfer the crust to a wire rack and let it cool for about 30 minutes before topping.
• Mix the mascarpone topping. In a medium bowl, stir together the mascarpone, heavy cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth.
• Assemble the pizza. Spread the mascarpone mixture over the cooled crust, scatter the mixed berries on top, and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cinnamon-sugar.
• Slice and serve like a traditional pizza.

FAQs

Why does Giada use mascarpone instead of cream cheese here?

Mascarpone has a higher fat content and a milder, buttery flavor compared to cream cheese, so it spreads smoothly without that tangy sharpness. The lemon juice and zest in the mixture add all the brightness this topping needs, and the two flavors balance without competing.

Cream cheese would work in a pinch, but you need to soften it first and beat it smooth or it clumps against the crust. Mascarpone gives you a light, almost whipped consistency right out of the container, which makes assembly faster.

Why make the cinnamon-sugar from scratch with a vanilla bean?

The vanilla bean seeds add a floral depth that plain cinnamon and sugar cannot match on their own. You can see the tiny black specks throughout the mixture, and they look great scattered over the white mascarpone and bright berries.

If vanilla beans are hard to find or too pricey, substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste instead. Regular vanilla extract will not work here because the liquid makes the dry sugar mixture clump rather than sprinkle evenly.

Can you use homemade pizza dough instead of store-bought?

Homemade dough works fine as long as you roll it to the same 1/4 inch thickness Giada calls for. Thicker dough takes longer to bake through and can stay soft and doughy in the center, which means a soggy base under the mascarpone.

Stick with a basic flour, water, yeast, and salt dough because heavily seasoned or garlic-flavored versions clash with the sweet toppings. A plain dough lets the cinnamon-sugar and mascarpone do all the work without competing flavors.

What types of berries work best on this breakfast pizza?

Giada calls for mixed berries, so any combination of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries works well. Slice larger strawberries into halves or quarters so they sit flat and hold in place when you cut a slice. Smaller berries like blueberries go on whole.

Avoid frozen berries because they release liquid as they thaw and turn the mascarpone layer watery within minutes. Fresh, in-season berries give you the best color, flavor, and texture on the finished pizza.

How should you store leftover breakfast pizza?

This pizza is best eaten the same day because the berries start to release juice within a few hours and soften the crust underneath. If you have leftovers, cover the slices tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to one day.

The crust loses its crispness once chilled, so this is not a strong make-ahead recipe. For weekend brunch prep, bake the crust and make the cinnamon-sugar the night before, then spread the mascarpone and add fresh berries right before serving.