Learn how to make perfect French Bread Pizza! This method creates cheesy pizzas with a crispy crust. It’s homemade pizza that’s fast enough for a quick lunch or casual dinner.
How To Make French Bread Pizza
If you love homemade pizza or Pepperoni Pizza Rolls but don’t have the time or energy to make then from scratch, French Bread Pizzas are the answer! More economical than delivery and so much tastier.
For years, I loved the idea of French Bread Pizza. All my favorite cheese pizza toppings on a loaf of crusty fresh bread? Yes, please.
The thing is too many french bread pizza recipes turn into a soggy mess. Then I learned the secret to French Bread Pizza with a crispy crust: more cheese.
Isn’t it nice when the answer to a problem is “more cheese?”
How To Prevent Soggy French Bread Pizza
You’re going to use cheese to create a barrier between the bread and the sauce. Not only is there the added benefit of additional cheesiness, but this sandwiches the sauce in between the cheese layers effectively preventing any soggy bread from happening.
The French Bread stays sturdy enough to hold all the toppings and benefits from the extra cheese flavor! It’s a win-win.
How To Make Pizza Bread
For this recipe, I kept the toppings simple: cheese, sauce and seasonings.
You could add pepperoni or other toppings if desired, but be careful not to overload the french bread. Too many toppings will weigh down the pizza bread so it’s harder to eat without everything falling off.
I love this with full-sized french bread. Any kind of crusty Italian or French bread will work. Just note that thicker bread slices will need to be pressed down a bit to create the “crust” for the pizzas.
Parsley adds a lovely freshness to the baked pizza bread, but feel free to leave it off if you prefer. I like a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top too!
This French Bread Pizza recipe is an amazing way to use up day-old Italian bread but we typically keep a store-bought loaf on hand in the freezer to make these.
If you would like to do the same, just wrap it tightly and thaw it on the counter in the morning on the day you want to make your pizza.
This is a go-to for an easy lunch that all the kids like. Just serve with some cut up veggies on the side and you have a balanced meal in no time.
French Bread Pizza Recipe
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice the bread in half lengthwise and then cut each half into 3 pieces, as pictured. If the bread is thicker than about 1-inch, press down on each piece until it’s closer to that thickness.
- Place the pieces on a large baking sheet. Combine the olive oil, Italian seasonings, and salt in a small bowl. Brush the sliced portion of each piece with the olive oil mixture.
- Top the bread with half of the cheese and place in the oven. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the cheese melts.
- While the cheese is melting, warm the sauce in the microwave or on the stovetop. Remove the bread from the oven and spread the sauce evenly over the bread.
- Top with the remaining cheese and return to the oven until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 5-6 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley before serving.
- Serve immediately while the cheese is still warm!
Easy Dinner Recipes
Pasta and sausage in a rich tomato pasta sauce is topped with an abundance of cheese to create this Cheesy Sausage Pasta.
Classic Taco Soup is a hearty chili-style soup made with beef, tomatoes, beans, and corn. It’s full of Mexican flavors and is the perfect thing to make for busy nights.
Pizza Sliders are made with buttered garlic and parmesan Hawaiian rolls, marinara, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese. No one can resist these.
And if you can’t get enough of the pizza flavors, this Cheesy Pizza Dip needs to be on your list too. BBQ Chicken French Bread Pizza is a pizza lover’s dream come true!
How To Make French Bread Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French or Italian bread
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12-16 ounces mozzarella cheese
- 1 1/2 cups Homemade Pasta Sauce or your favorite brand
- OPTIONAL: ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
- OPTIONAL: 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped small
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice the bread in half lengthwise and then cut each half into 3 pieces, as pictured. If the bread is thicker than about 1-inch, press down on each piece until it’s closer to that thickness.
- Place the pieces on a large baking sheet. Combine the olive oil, Italian seasonings, and salt in a small bowl. Brush the sliced portion of each piece with the olive oil mixture.
- Top the bread with half of the cheese and place in the oven. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the cheese melts.
- While the cheese is melting, warm the sauce in the microwave or on the stovetop. Remove the bread from the oven and spread the sauce evenly over the bread.
- Top with the remaining cheese and return to the oven until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with Parmesan and parsley before serving.
Nutrition
Kristanne says
okay, I honestly didn’t think this would be all that amazing, but it was worth a shot, right? HOW HAVE I NEVER TRIED THIS BEFORE?! While it doesn’t taste exactly like “pizza” it’s truly close and we LOVED IT! The bread is chewy like a pizza crust, the flavors are all there, and it took me like 5 minutes effort. This is going to be a regular dinner over here. I have lots of ideas for different toppings now too!
Mary says
I’m so glad you like it, Kristanne!