Description
This oven-baked French Bread Pizza recipe is simple and delicious, featuring a buttery garlic herb spread, topped with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and your favorite toppings. The bread stays perfectly crispy and crunchy, making for a satisfying homemade pizza experience in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
French Bread
- 1 loaf French Bread, about 1 lb, 20-21 inches long
Garlic Herb Spread
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Toppings
- 1 1/2 cups pizza sauce
- 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (low moisture, whole milk)
- 25 pepperoni slices, or toppings of choice
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 425° F to prepare for baking the French bread pizzas.
- Prepare Bread: Cut the loaf of French bread in half lengthwise, then cut each half into smaller slices. Lay the slices cut side up on a large, light-colored baking sheet for even cooking.
- Make Garlic Herb Spread: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine olive oil, butter, minced garlic, dried oregano, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring continuously until fragrant and combined. Reduce heat if necessary to avoid burning. Remove from heat.
- Brush and Sprinkle Bread: Using a pastry brush, evenly coat the top and edges of each bread slice with the garlic herb mixture. Then sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese evenly over each slice.
- Bake Bread Base: Place the bread slices in the preheated oven and bake for 6-7 minutes until lightly toasted and the edges begin to crisp.
- Add Toppings: Remove the toasted bread from the oven and spread pizza sauce evenly over each slice. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and arrange pepperoni slices or your preferred toppings.
- Bake with Toppings: Return the bread pizzas to the oven and bake for 10-13 minutes, until the cheese melts completely and edges are brown and crispy.
- Optional Broil: For extra browning on top, broil the pizzas at 450° F for 1 minute, watching closely to avoid burning.
- Serve: Slice the pizzas and serve warm for a delicious, crispy French bread pizza experience.
Notes
- Use a large, light, and airy French bread loaf that is nicely rounded to achieve the best texture.
- Use low moisture, whole milk mozzarella shredded from a block for optimal melting results. Avoid fresh mozzarella.
- Keep packaged pepperoni slices frozen until use to maintain freshness and easy access.
- Rao's Pizza Sauce offers great flavor, but Ragu is a tasty and economical alternative.
- Store leftovers wrapped in foil or in an airtight freezer bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- To reheat, bake on a baking sheet at 350° F for 5-8 minutes until cheese is melted and warm.
- Try variations like Cast Iron Skillet Pizza, Buffalo Chicken Pizza, Hawaiian Pizza, or Pizza Dip for more pizza options.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pizza
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 750 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
