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.
What's In This Article
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.
The Bread
French bread pizza can be made on any type of loaf bread and when you think about it, an Italian loaf would ethnically make more sense. But French bread is a thicker and wider piece of bread giving you more surface space for delicious toppings.
You can also cut them into slices instead of lengthwise for easier munching.
Prep the Bread
This is really what makes our French bread pizza stand out from the others and it is prepping the bread. Instead of just starting with cut bread or even toasted bread, we make it into garlic bread.
Just a basic butter and garlic mix on toasty bread before adding pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni makes all the difference.
Cheese
Cheese for pizza is always a little tricky. People often wonder why their ends up watery and pooled.
I always use a low moisture, part skim mozzarella cheese. Less moisture means less to escape and cause pooling. Combine that with a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan and you’ll have a winning cheesy combo.
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.
Here are our favorites:
- 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 BBQ 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
- White– substitute marinara for alfredo sauce, top with spinach and dollops of ricotta and feta
More pizzas you might like:
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.
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!