French Bread Pizza

On March 3, 2020

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Brush bread with oil, lightly toast: Brush both sides with olive oil. Turn upright and bake in preheat oven 4 minutes.
  4. Add toppings: Spread pizza sauce over each piece, sprinkle evenly with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, then finish with desired toppings.
  5. 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!