Oh, French Bread Pizza, where did you go? A child of the 80’s, I remember looking forward to this treat. A fluffy loaf of bread with crusty edges slathered with tomato sauce, cheese and other toppings.
Bagel pizzas were a close second, but French bread were the winners. Although this recipe also works on bagels should you want one.
French Bread Pizza
They are still around, but mostly in the form of a Lean Cuisine or other frozen food. With all the fad diets cutting carbs, it seems that cauliflower crusts and flour alternatives have taken over the pizza market.
But me, I like the crunch, the crustiness of bread. Which is odd because I actually prefer thin crust pizza unless it is French bread.
I like to start with a basic pie and then move my way up to fun topping combinations and the most basic in my eyes is a Pepperoni Pizza. Not so boring as just cheese, but also not too gourmet that my kids still think it is actually, in fact, a pizza.
Why You’ll Love This French Bread Pizza
A crispy crust loaded with gooey cheese, tomato sauce and spicy pepperoni- what’s not to love!
- Easy meal – Whether making for pizza night, an after-school snack or even busy weeknights, this cheesy french bread pizza is super easy to whip up.
- Easily customized – Using your favorite pizza toppings, you can take this easy dinner to a whole new level and turn it into your own french bread pizza.
- Simple ingredients – This recipe calls for only seven, yes seven, ingredients! All easily found at your local grocery store!
Ingredients
From melty mozzarella cheese to your favorite pizza sauce, these ingredients couldn’t be more simple.
- French bread loaf – As is indicated by the name, you need a loaf of French bread to make this homemade french bread pizza recipe. You should be able to easily find crusty french bread at your local grocery store.
- Unsalted butter – When melted butter is mixed with garlic powder, you get the most delicious garlic butter to spread on the hearty french bread for an excellent base for your delicious pizza.
- Garlic powder – I always have garlic powder in my spice cabinet, but feel free to take things up a notch by adding some freshly minced garlic instead.
- Marinara sauce – I find that jarred marinara sauce has more flavor than homemade pizza sauce, but you need to find a thick one. If it is too runny, it will make your pizza soggy. You can also add a sprinkle of Italian seasoning to a plain pizza sauce.
- Mozzarella cheese – Fresh mozzarella cheese is best here. The pre-shredded version has an additive to prevent sticking; but it also doesn’t allow it to melt as well.
- Parmesan cheese – Same here; although it takes a couple of extra steps, shredding your own cheese is preferable here.
- Pepperoni – This is, of course, optional. But the pepperonis are one of my favorite things about pizza!
How to Make the Best French Bread Pizza
You are going to love how simple this recipe is- almost as easy as making frozen french bread pizzas!
- Prepare oven and baking sheet. Preheat oven to high broil and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up.
- Cut bread. Using a serrated knife, cut bread in half vertically in the center and then both pieces horizontally so you have 4 long slices of bread.
- Make garlic butter. Melt butter in the microwave. When melted, whisk in garlic powder. Baste onto cut sides of bread.
- Toasted bread. Broil until bread is toasted. This varies greatly depending on your oven.
- Add toppings. Spread marinara sauce evenly onto each piece of bread. Follow with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Top with pepperoni slices.
- Bake. Return to oven and bake until cheese has melted. Remove and allow to rest before serving. Pizza will be hot!
How to Serve
You can serve this easy french bread pizza with anything you’d regularly serve with a classic pepperoni pizza. A simple green salad or other leafy green will turn this fresh pizza into a full meal.
And don’t forget a good dipping sauce! My garlic butter sauce is a total game changer and not to be missed.
French Bread Pizza Toppings
Toppings for pizza go way beyond pepperoni and sausage these days. And while these tried and true meats still do the trick, feel free to experiment with other fun varieties.
The beauty of a French bread pizza is that the crust is thick and sturdy enough to hold a great deal of toppings so you don’t have to worry about weight and sagging crust.
Some favorite toppings include:
- Red pepper flakes
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Italian sausage
- Caramelized onions
- Fresh basil
- Any melty cheeses
Variations
The next time you make this super easy recipe, take a couple extra steps to change it up a bit!
- Hawaiian– ham, pineapple and jalapeno (for a fiery Hawaiian)
- Meatlovers– pepperoni, sausage, crushed meatballs
- Fig & Brie– mild Italian sauce, dried figs and brie cheese (no marinara)
- BBQ Chicken– substitute barbecue sauce for marinara, shredded chicken, cheddar and pickled red onions
- Buffalo Chicken– substitute buffalo wing sauce for marinara, shredded chicken and blue cheese crumbles
- Veggie– an assortment of your favorites chopped veggies like green pepper, red peppers or red onion.
- White– substitute marinara for alfredo sauce, top with spinach and dollops of ricotta and feta
Storage and Freezing
Storage: The easiest way to store any leftovers is in an airtight container. Place parchment paper between slices to prevent them from sticking together. You can reheat either in the oven or air fryer.
Freezing: You can also easily freeze this delicious recipe. For best results, place in ziplock freezer bags to prevent freezer burn.
More Pizza Recipes
French Bread Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup thick marinara sauce*
- 1 cup low moisture mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese , shredded
- 24-28 slices pepperoni
Instructions
- Preheat oven to high broil and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up.
- Using a serrated knife, cut bread in half vertically in the center and then both pieces horizontally so you have 4 long slices of bread.
- Melt butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds (this will depend on the wattage of your microwave). When melted, whisk in garlic powder.
- Baste onto cut sides of bread.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until bread is toasted. This varies greatly depending on your oven.
- Remove and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Spread marinara sauce evenly onto each piece of bread. Follow with mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Top with pepperoni slices.
- Return to oven for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
- Remove and allow to rest for 1-2 minutes before serving. Pizza will be hot!
- If you've tried this recipe come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings.
What a great idea! I have all the ingredients for this french bread pizza on hand, so I’m going to try it tonight, looks amazingly good!
This was such a fun easy dinner for my family! I let my kids pick out their own toppings for their pizzas and it was a hit!
This was everything a gourmet pizza should be, and then some! Easy, hearty and delicious; my whole family loved it!
This recipe tasted great! Plus it was quick and easy to make.
Easy way to make a pizza everyone will love! Love french bread recipes!
This looks absolutely delicious! My family and I are going to love this recipe! I can’t wait to give this a try!
My kids love pizza! I am going to pick up a loaf of French bread and make this tonight! Yum!
I love French bread pizzas but never thought of jazzing up the crust. This recipe is a winner – and the crust, to die for! YUM!
Such a fast easy dinner. I hadn’t made one in so long and when I saw your recipe I ran out and grabbed a loaf of bread! Mad a small side salad and we were all happy as clams! Thanks for the reminder!