The Best French Bread Pizza

The Best French Bread Pizza

the easiest way to make pizza

Recipe by
Reviewed by Arturs Arnicans
Prep Time: 25m
Cook Time: 10m
Total Time: 35m
Temp.: 425 °F
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
4.9 (14 Reviews)
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Ingredients

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Nutritional Information

779
calories
44g
fat
69g
carbohydrates
29g
protein
82mg
cholesterol
1664mg
sodium
The Best French Bread Pizza

Recipe Description

If you like deep-dish pizza, try making The Best French Bread Pizza at home. This recipe uses soft supermarket French bread and cooks up in half the time compared to any regular pizza. A stir-together mix of crushed tomatoes, olive oil, herbs, and garlic makes a bold and bright pizza sauce. I like to use both mozzarella and Parmesan cheese in this recipe to get the perfect balance of melty creaminess and nutty depth.

The pizza bread recipe starts with supermarket bread, which is often labeled as French bread and Italian bread. Cut the loaf in half crosswise and then cut those halves lengthwise. Flatten the bread halves and give them a butter-garlic-herb treatment. Then top with mozzarella and bake until the cheese is barely melted. Spread the tomato sauce over the cheese layer and bake until the cheese is melty and perfect. As soon as the bread comes out of the oven, top it with fresh basil or parsley, Parmesan cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil.

To make The Best French Bread Pizza, you will need the following ingredients:

Ingredients for The Best French Bread Pizza

Recipe Features

No specific features for this recipe

Steps to make

  1. 1

    Heat oven

    5 min

    Adjust the oven rack to the top position and preheat the oven to 425 °F.

  2. 2

    Melt butter and add aromatics

    2 min
    Step 2 - The Best French Bread Pizza

    In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat 4 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil until the butter is melted. Add 4 minced cloves garlic, a pinch of pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes or until the garlic is softened but not browned.

  3. 3

    Add parsley/basil and salt

    1 min
    Step 3 - The Best French Bread Pizza

    Stir in half of the minced parsley or basil and a big pinch of salt and remove from heat.

  4. 4

    Flatten bread

    2 min
    Step 4 - The Best French Bread Pizza

    Place the bread cut-side up on a clean working surface. Use a rimmed baking sheet to press down on bread evenly until flattened to about ⅔ of its original height.

  5. 5

    Brush with butter garlic mixture

    2 min
    Step 5 - The Best French Bread Pizza

    Place on the rimmed baking sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush half of the butter garlic mixture evenly over the bread. Make sure to add plenty of garlic and herbs and set aside.

  6. 6

    Prepare tomato sauce

    15 min
    Step 6 - The Best French Bread Pizza

    Add 1 can of crushed tomatoes to the remaining butter garlic mixture in the pan and stir to combine. Increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer. Once at a simmer, reduce heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes until reduced. Add salt to taste.

  7. 7

    Pe-bake

    3 min
    Step 7 - The Best French Bread Pizza

    While the sauce cooks, spread 2 ounces of mozzarella evenly over the bread and place in the preheated oven. Cook until the cheese is slightly melted, about 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside until the sauce is ready.

  8. 8

    Cover with sauce

    2 min
    Step 8 - The Best French Bread Pizza

    Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the bread, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.

  9. 9

    Bake

    7 min
    Step 9 - The Best French Bread Pizza

    Place in the oven and bake for about 5-7 minutes until the cheese is melted and just starts to brown.

  10. 10

    Sprinkle with Parmesan

    2 min
    Step 10 - The Best French Bread Pizza

    Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 2 ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, the remaining parsley or basil, and the remaining tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil.

  11. 11

    Serve

    Step 11 - The Best French Bread Pizza

    Let cool slightly and serve.

You can’t go wrong with The Best French Bread Pizza! Our recipe uses soft supermarket French bread, intensely flavored tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella, and nutty Parmesan. Give this recipe a go, and tag #cookmerecipes in your pizza posts to be featured on our page.

About the author

Lilly Mathuse

Lilly is an enthusiastic and cheerful young mom. She knows as well as any parent that children can be really picky when it comes to food. And she’s had plenty of experience trying to cook meals that are both tasty and nutritious, and able to satisfy the tastes of a fussy kid right away! To save you some precious time, Lilly's going to share with you all the tricks she learned the hard way, so you don’t have to! She has a wealth of recipes for quick and easy meals for kids and families on a budget.

Recipe Reviews

Have you made this recipe? Share your experience and help other cooks!

★★★★★
★★★★★
4.9 out of 5 (14 reviews)
Penny
December 4, 2024
Verified

Superb and simple! Perfect for busy evenings.

Joy
October 14, 2024
Verified

So easy, delicious!

Gina
October 14, 2024
Verified

This French Bread Pizza is simply great! It reminded me of cozy evenings with friends. The flavors were bold and so easy to whip up. A delightful recipe for anyone who loves pizza!

Benny
July 22, 2024
Verified

Superb, easy breezy! Kids loved it!

Teresa
June 13, 2024
Verified

¡Ay, qué delicia! Hice esta pizza con mi mejor amiga y fue un éxito total. La combinación de quesos es simplemente perfecta. Recuerdo que la última vez que intentamos hacer pizza, todo salió mal, pero esta vez fue fácil y rápido. ¡Gracias por la receta!

Quinn
May 13, 2024
Verified

Wow! Made this on a Friday night, just me and my cats. They totally loved it too! #BestPizzaEver

Diana Smith
November 10, 2023
Verified

I made this French Bread Pizza for my kids’ movie night, and it was a hit! So easy to prepare, and the flavors were amazing. My daughter was so excited to help spread the sauce and sprinkle the cheese. It feels great to share moments like these, simple yet so memorable.

Megan Smith
August 31, 2023
Verified

Super easy pizza! I whipped this up for movie night, and my kids devoured it in minutes. Totally a keeper, thanks for the awesome recipe!

Benny
April 4, 2023
Verified

Superb and easy! My kids loved it!

Quinn Anderson
March 2, 2023
Verified

I made this French bread pizza for a family movie night and it was a hit! The kids loved how cheesy it was. I added some pepperoni for an extra touch. It was easy to prepare and baked quickly, giving us more time to enjoy our movie. Thank you for this simple recipe!

Fred Thompson
January 6, 2023
Verified

Delicious! Made this for a quick dinner and it was a hit. Perfectly crispy and the cheese melty. It took me back to my childhood pizza nights. Highly recommended!

Quinn
September 6, 2022
Verified

I made this French Bread Pizza last weekend and it was a HUGE hit with my hubby! Super easy and so delicious—perfect for our movie night. Yum!

Diana Smith
May 10, 2022
Verified

Yummy! Made this for friends' night. Everyone loved it!

Athina
January 26, 2022
Verified

Awesome pizza bread!

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