French Bread Pizza
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French Bread Pizza – the easiest way to make pizza at home, and it’s ready in no time! Made with soft yet hearty French bread, robust, garlicky and herby pizza sauce, two types of rich cheese and all your favorite toppings!
Easy French Bread Pizza Recipe
All be honest, going into this with recipe testing I was thinking it would more so be a recipe the kids would love – but it turns out that equally as well adults will absolutely love this French bread pizza too!
But of course that only makes sense because it’s layered with so much goodness and it’s extra cheesy!
It has incredible flavor, perfect texture (crisp exterior, soft interior) and it’s so easy to customize (see below for ideas, or just think of your favorite creative pizza and make that here!).
Not only is it a great after school snack, but it is definitely something I would proudly serve to guests on the weekend (just pair it with a simple salad topped with Spaghetti Factory copycat creamy pesto dressing).
It’s just so tasty! Especially if you go the easy homemade pizza sauce route.
Who doesn’t love a recipe that’s this simple, that can taste this good??
And I should mention it makes great leftovers too (and I’m a leftover snob). That is if you’re lucky enough to have any left for lunch the following day.
Homemade French Bread Pizza Ingredients
- French bread: Use soft crusted french bread from the store that’s wrapped in plastic wrap, not paper. Not only is it easier to cut but if you bake dry crust again it will become cardboard-like. I like to use one that is a day old so it’s a little sturdier and it doesn’t end up soggy.
- Pizza sauce: I highly recommend my homemade pizza sauce for this. It will only add a few more minutes prep, worth it!
- Mozzarella: I use aged part skim mozzarella, but fresh mozzarella slices would be amazing too.
- Parmesan cheese: Honestly you could even use shelf stable Parmesan here since it’s only 1/4 cup.
- Olive oil: standard refined or extra virgin will work great. Another option is melted butter.
How to Make French Bread Pizza
- Prepare oven, and baking sheet: Move oven rack up one level and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up if desired.
- Cut bread: Cut french bread in half evenly through the length, to create two long portions. Cut each portion in half and place on baking sheet.
- Brush bread with oil, lightly toast: Brush both sides with olive oil. Turn upright and bake in preheat oven 4 minutes.
- Add toppings: Spread pizza sauce over each piece, sprinkle evenly with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, then finish with desired toppings.
- Bake again: Bake in preheated oven until cheese is fully melted, about 10- 13 minutes. If you’d like it more browned then broil during the last 1 minute or so (keep a close eye on it!).
Variations
Just like traditional pizza there are endless possibilities to how you can switch these up. Here are a few ideas:
Sauces:
- pizza sauce
- pesto
- marinara sauce
- alfredo sauce (I would recommend adding an an 2 Tbsp flour for a thicker sauce)
- BBQ sauce
- ranch
- buffalo sauce
Toppings:
- cheeses: mozzarella (fresh or aged), provolone, asiago, cheddar, romano, parmesan, havarti, goat cheese, feta
- cooked meats: pepperoni, chicken, sausage, bacon, ham, Canadian bacon, prosciutto, chorizo, roast beef, steak
- produce: tomatoes, peppers (bell, banana, etc), mushrooms, zucchini, olives, spinach, onions, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, pineapple, peaches, herbs
How to Store
These actually make great leftovers! To properly store:
- Let cool.
- Wrap in plastic wrap or foil and transfer to refrigerator.
- Store there up to 2 days.
How to Reheat
- My favorite method for reheating is to use a countertop oven. To do so place cut slices on foil (if it’s safe according to manufacturer, otherwise use a toast oven tray) and toast for a few minutes.
- Alternately you can reheat at 375 degrees on a baking sheet in the oven until heated through.
Time Saving Tips
- If needed use a good quality store-bought pizza sauce instead of homemade.
- Drizzle bread evenly with oil in a hurry, rather than brushing.
- Use pre-shredded cheeses. Fresh cut tastes best but we all have busy nights sometimes.
- In a rush just melt the cheese using the broil feature of the oven, keep a close eye on it!
More Tempting Pizza Recipes to Try
- Caramelized Onion Bacon and Spinach Pizza
- Chicken Alfredo Pizza
- Grilled Pizzas
- Homemade Pizza Dough
- Margarita Pizza
- Spinach Artichoke Pizza (a personal favorite!)
Follow Easy Cooking Zone
French Bread Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 (14 oz) loaf French bread (about 17-inches long, 4-inches wide*)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup (scant) pizza sauce, preferably homemade, or store-bought
- 1 3/4 cups (7 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
- Desired toppings (see notes for ideas)
Instructions
- Move oven rack up one level and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed 18 by 13-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up if desired.
- Cut french bread in half evenly through the length, to create two long portions. Cut each portion in half (creating four pieces total) and place them on baking sheet.
- Brush both sides with olive oil. Turn upright and bake in preheated oven 4 minutes.
- Spread pizza sauce over each piece, sprinkle evenly with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, then finish with desired toppings.
- Bake in preheated oven until cheese is fully melted, about 10- 13 minutes. If you'd like it more browned then broil during the last 1 minute or so (keep a close eye on it!).
- Serve warm.
Notes
*French Bread Notes
- My favorite French bread to use here is that from Walmart's bakery, it's soft, has a good flavor and it's just the right size for this use.
- Don't use French bread that already has a dry crust, the crust should be soft. It should come in a plastic bag and not a paper bag or it will end up too dry and crisp after baking.
- I like to use sturdier day old bread.
- If it's not the same dimension as what is listed just adjust the amount of sauce and cheese added as needed. Add enough to cover.
**Sauce Note
- I highly recommend the homemade sauce but if time doesn't allow store-bought will be fine. Consider adding 1 minced garlic clove if it's mild in flavor and some Italian seasoning.
Variations
Just like traditional pizza there are endless possibilities to how you can switch these up. Here are a few ideas: Switch up the sauce, try:- pizza sauce
- pesto
- marinara sauce
- alfredo sauce (I would recommend adding an an 2 Tbsp flour for a thicker sauce)
- BBQ sauce
- ranch dressing
- buffalo sauce
- cheeses: mozzarella (fresh or aged), provolone, asiago, cheddar, romano, parmesan, havarti, goat cheese, feta
- cooked meats: pepperoni, chicken, sausage, bacon, ham, Canadian bacon, prosciutto, chorizo, roast beef, steak
- produce: tomatoes, peppers (bell, banana, etc), mushrooms, zucchini, olives, spinach, onions, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, pineapple, peaches, herbs