Easy French Bread Pizza
Crispy French bread topped with pizza sauce, mozzarella, and your favorite toppings for a fast homemade pizza night.
- Measurements grams + cups
- Cuisine American
Why You'll Like This Recipe
- Everyone tops their own half, which settles most arguments about pizza.
- Twenty-two minutes, and no dough to make or wait for.
- Uses a supermarket loaf that is past its best — this is a good way to spend one.
Recipe
Easy French Bread Pizza
Pizza night in 22 minutes using a French bread loaf.
Ingredients
Ingredients scaled. The method below still refers to the original quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1. Heat the oven to 220 C / 425 F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Step 2. Slice the French bread in half lengthwise, then cut each half into two pieces to make 4 portions.
- Step 3. Place the bread cut-side up on the pan. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder.
- Step 4. Bake for 4 minutes to lightly toast the surface.
- Step 5. Spread pizza sauce over each piece, leaving a small border.
- Step 6. Top with mozzarella, Parmesan, oregano, and any additional toppings.
- Step 7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the edges are crisp.
- Step 8. Cool for 2 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Pre-toasting the bread helps keep it crisp after the sauce is added.
- The four-minute pre-toast is the step that decides whether this works. Skip it and the sauce goes straight into untoasted bread.
- Put wet toppings on top of the cheese rather than under it, so their moisture evaporates instead of soaking downward.
- Cool two minutes before cutting. Molten cheese slides off the bread if you cut it immediately.
Easy French Bread Pizza — Simple Table Recipes · https://simpletablerecipes.com/recipes/easy-french-bread-pizza/
Ingredient Notes
- French bread
- A day-old loaf is better than a fresh one. Slightly stale bread has less moisture, so it crisps rather than steams under the sauce.
- Pizza sauce
- Spread thinly and leave a border. A thick layer soaks into the bread and the base turns soft no matter how well you toasted it.
- Mozzarella
- Low-moisture block mozzarella, grated yourself. Fresh mozzarella in water releases liquid onto the bread.
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Parchment paper
Substitutions
- French bread
- Ciabatta, focaccia or a baguette all work. Bagels make good small versions for children.
- Pepperoni
- Cooked sausage, mushrooms, peppers, olives or nothing at all. Pre-cook anything raw and wet.
- Pizza sauce
- Passata with a pinch of oregano and garlic powder works. So does pesto, for something different.
Storage & Freezing
Storing: Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat in a hot oven or air fryer — a microwave makes the bread limp.
Freezing: Freeze assembled and unbaked, wrapped individually, for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, adding about 5 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you keep French bread pizza from getting soggy?
Toast the cut bread for a few minutes before the sauce goes on, spread the sauce thinly, and leave a border at the edge. Wet toppings go on top of the cheese rather than underneath it.
What bread is best for French bread pizza?
A soft-crusted French loaf or ciabatta. Slightly stale bread is better than fresh, since it has less moisture to release. Very crusty artisan loaves are hard to bite through once toasted.
Can I make French bread pizza in an air fryer?
Yes, and it crisps particularly well. Cut the bread to fit, and cook at 180 C / 350 F for 6 to 8 minutes, checking early since air fryers run hot.
Can I make these ahead of time?
Assemble them, wrap individually and freeze. Baking from frozen takes about 5 minutes longer and works better than refrigerating, which softens the bread.
What temperature should I bake French bread pizza at?
220 C / 425 F. Hot enough to melt the cheese and crisp the edges quickly, before the base has time to absorb moisture.
Did you make this?
Let other people know how it went. One tap, nothing to fill in.
Thanks — that helps.
