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    🏠Home » Recipes » Pizza Recipes

    Quick French Bread Pizza

    Feb 12, 2021 · Modified: Apr 14, 2021 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 11 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.70 from 52 votes

    Delicious quick and easy French bread pizza is perfect for that quick evening meal or a party. And at only 20 minutes, it's faster than a speeding pizza dude. 

    French bread pizza on a gray plate.

    Jump To:
    • 🥖Bread
    • 🥣Sauce
    • 👨‍🍳Toppings
    • ⏰How Long To Bake?
    • 📖Pizza Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe

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    Introduction

    We all need a fast and easy dinner at times, but there is no law against it tasting great. You have seen French bread pizza but never really thought about doing it yourself. So let's see how simple it really is to do.

    Many home cooks worry about pizza dough. They will use premade; they will buy dough at the store or pizza joint. Just use French bread. So easy.

    This is perfect for the family that can't agree on toppings or for parties, cut up as finger food.

    My Rating

    My rating system. Great 5 out of 5

    I do love pizza, but this was just excellent and very little work. Wifo was a solid five also.

    🥖Bread

    You need nice french bread. This will be half the taste, and bland white bread just won't do. You need to know your baker.

    Don't buy the cheap stuff. You want something that tastes outstanding, which comes from some nice gluten development.

    Some French bread will have a harder crust. I would opt for a bit softer crust for this recipe, which will usually be sold in plastic instead of paper bags. Definitely, do not buy the baguettes that are sold uncovered.

    🥣Sauce

    For my "cooking for two" meal, I used about ½ cup of pre-made pizza sauce for the two 9-inch pizzas. If you're doing a large amount for a party, it may be worth making your own.

    My homemade sauce recipe: One 6 oz can of tomato paste and 6 oz water. 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 clove garlic, and ½ teaspoon oregano. This will make about 1 ½ cups of sauce, which is three times what I use here for two 9 inch pizzas, so you can judge from there. It will freeze well.

    Be careful about the amount of sauce. The bread will act like a sponge and absorb it. You want some taste, not a sloppy mess. A little too little is better than too much here.

    👨‍🍳Toppings

    I'm traditional, so Italian sausage and pepperoni for me. Please note in the pictures that even my normal size pepperoni is cut in half.

    Remember, your space is limited, and toppings tended to get out of control, so only one or two will do. Also, don't use anything that will release a lot of fluid, like pineapple.

    ⏰How Long To Bake?

    About 10 minutes at 375° convection or 400° conventional oven. The browning of the cheese will tell you when done. A larger pizza will take slightly longer.

    📖Pizza Recipes

    Crock Pot Pizza Casserole

    Quick and Easy Biscuit Pizza

    Basic Homemade Pizza Dough

    Basic Homemade Pizza Dough

    Quick French Bread Pizza

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    101's Best Recipes, Easy Dinner Recipes, Italian Recipes, Pizza Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    French bread with toppings for pizza

    Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional. While preheating, you should have time to do the preparation of the pizza.

    Graphic Cutting French bread in half on a white boardfor Pinterest of French Bread Pizza

    Slice a loaf of French bread horizontally. I used a 9-inch baguette, but any length should be fine. A sub bun would work, also. But the quality of the bread will determine the taste.

    browning sausage in a skillet

    Prep toppings. I browned ½ pound of Italian sausage and drained well. Plus, I cut some pepperoni in half.

    spreading sauce on French bread halves

    Top with sauce. It took about ½ cup for the two halves.

    French bread pizzas topped and ready to bake

    Add toppings.

    French bread pizzas coming out of oven

    Bake on the middle rack until nicely browned. About 10 minutes.

    cut up French bread pizza on black board
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    📝Recipe

    Quick French Bread Pizza from 101 Cooking for Two

    Quick French Bread Pizza

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Delicious quick and easy French bread pizza is perfect for that quick evening meal or a party. And at only 20 minutes, it's faster than a speeding pizza dude. 
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.70 from 52 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 2

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 1 loaf French bread - 9 inch for two servings
    • Prepared pizza sauce
    • Toppings of choice.
    • mozzarella cheese
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    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 375° convection or 400° conventional.
      French bread with toppings for pizza
    • Slice a loaf of French bread horizontally. I used a 9-inch baguette, but any length should be fine. A sub bun would work ok also. But the quality of the bread will determine the final taste.
      Graphic Cutting French bread in half on a white boardfor Pinterest of French Bread Pizza
    • Prep toppings. I browned ½ pound of Italian sausage and cut some pepperoni in half.
      browning sausage in a skillet
    • Top with sauce. It took about ½ cup for two halves. Add toppings. Add mozzarella cheese.
      spreading sauce on French bread halves
    • Bake on middle rack until nicely browned. About 10 minutes.
      French bread pizzas coming out of oven
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips:

    1. I suggest using a softer crust French bread. Those will probably be sold in plastic bags, not in paper or unwrapped.
    2. If doing a larger amount, it is worth time doing your own sauce. My homemade sauce recipe: One 6 oz can of tomato paste and 6 oz water. 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 clove garlic, and ½ teaspoon oregano. This will make about 1 ½ cups of sauce which is three times what I use here for two 9 inch pizzas so you can judge from there.
    3. Do not overdo the sauce, the bread can act like a sponge and absorb too much.
    4. Top as you wish.
    5. Great for a pizza party for teens. They can prepare as they wish.
    6. The results are very dependent on the quality of bread.
    7. I generally only cook what we will eat but store and reheat like leftover pizza.
    8. I do prepare toppings ahead frequently.
    9. Nutrition is calculated on one half of a 9 inch baguette.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Nutrition Facts
    Quick French Bread Pizza
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 589 Calories from Fat 225
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 25g38%
    Saturated Fat 12g60%
    Cholesterol 65mg22%
    Sodium 1611mg67%
    Carbohydrates 61g20%
    Fiber 3g12%
    Sugar 6g7%
    Protein 31g62%
    Vitamin A 550IU11%
    Vitamin C 1.7mg2%
    Calcium 840mg84%
    Iron 4mg22%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Main Course
    Cuisine : Italian

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Publisher Note: Originally Published November 15, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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    More Pizza Recipes

    • Easy Biscuit Pizza in 30 Minutes
    • How to Make Pizza Dough and Cook Homemade Pizza
    • Crock Pot Pizza Casserole
    • White Pizza

    Reader Interactions

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    1. Sam

      September 25, 2021 at 11:47 am

      5 stars
      So easy! Loved it!

      Reply
    2. Greg

      March 16, 2021 at 3:19 pm

      Hi DrDan,

      Can your French Bread Pizza also be cooked on a gas grill (2008 Weber Genesis) using the indirect method? If so, at what surface temperature and would you also suggest around 10 minutes as the oven recipe calls for (as well as observing the browning)?

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        March 16, 2021 at 4:38 pm

        Hi Greg,

        Welcome to the blog.

        I have not done this but cooking indirectly on a large grill will be very much like an oven. I would try 350-400 degrees on the indirect side. 450 degrees max. The endpoint is the browning.

        Dan

    3. Ellen horak

      September 13, 2018 at 5:56 pm

      Delicious!!!! Everyone flipped over it!! I am from Louisiana so a loaf of French bread made this perfection! Light, crispy and chocked full of taste! Yet another winner, Dr. Dan!! Going back to try another recipe of yours! Thank you!

      Reply
    4. Miss Kinsey

      November 18, 2017 at 6:55 pm

      Very good. Easy quick... And yes basic common sense on certain things.. But thanks for pointing them out for the Lazy ones. .. Ha ha. Lol

      Reply
    5. Jon Eric

      January 30, 2016 at 10:47 pm

      Yep - another great one. Super to easy to make in a pinch and very delicious! Thanks, Dr. Dan.

      Reply
    6. Leslie

      November 20, 2015 at 11:40 pm

      Meant to say quick and yummy

      Reply
      • DrDan

        November 20, 2015 at 11:53 pm

        You know I just switched to a Mac and the spell check is just killing me... it decided to mis-spell my name.
        Thanks for the note.
        Dan

    7. Leslie

      November 20, 2015 at 11:40 pm

      Made this tonight,Buick and yummy!(give it 5 stars)

      Reply
    8. Charles

      November 15, 2015 at 10:51 pm

      Nope, still a basically empty page.

      Reply
      • DrDan

        November 15, 2015 at 10:53 pm

        WordPress Error ... fixed

        Dan

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