Quick French Bread Pizza

Great tasting French bread pizza perfect for that quick evening meal or a party. And at only 20 minutes, it's faster than a speeding pizza dude.
Publisher Note: Originally Published November 15, 2015. The photos have been re-edited. The discussion has been rewritten and expanded.

We all need a fast meal 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.

This recipe also works great as cut up finger food for parties.

My Rating:

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

Pro Tips: Recipe Notes about French Bread Pizza

The Bread:

You need a 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 come from some nice gluten development.

Some French bread has a harder crust. I would opt for a bit softer crust for this recipe.

The Sauce:

For my "cooking for two" meal, I used about 1/2 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, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 clove garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon oregano. This will make about 1 1/2 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.

The 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 French Bread Pizza?

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

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

Prep toppings. I browned 1/2 pound of Italian sausage and drained well. Plus I cut some pepperoni in half.

Top with sauce. It took about 1/2 cup.

Add toppings.

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

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4.66 from 44 votes

Quick French Bread Pizza

Great tasting pizza perfect for that quick evening meal or a party. And at 20 minutes it's faster than a speeding pizza dude.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time20 mins

Author: Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

Servings/Adjust Amount: 2

Ingredients

• 1 loaf French bread - 9 inch for two servings
• Prepared pizza sauce
• Toppings of choice.
• mozzarella cheese

US Customary - Convert to Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 convection or 400 conventional.
• 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 your taste.
• Prep toppings. I browned 1/2 pound of Italian sausage and cut some pepperoni in half.
• Top with sauce. It took about 1/2 cup. Add toppings. Add mozzarella cheese.
• Bake on middle rack until nicely browned. About 10 minutes.

Recipe Notes

Pro Tips:

1. 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, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 clove garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon oregano. This will make about 1 1/2 cups of sauce which is three times what I use here for two 9 inch pizzas so you can judge from there.
2. Top as you wish.
3. Great for a pizza party for teens. They can prepare as they wish.
4. The results are very dependent on the quality of bread.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

 

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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

Calories: 589 kcal | Carbohydrates: 61 g | Protein: 31 g | Fat: 25 g | Saturated Fat: 12 g | Cholesterol: 65 mg | Sodium: 1611 mg | Fiber: 3 g | Sugar: 6 g | Vitamin A: 550 IU | Vitamin C: 1.7 mg | Calcium: 840 mg | Iron: 4 mg

 

Nutrition is generally for one serving. Number of servings is stated above and is my estimate of normal serving size for this recipe.

 

All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

Originally Published November 15, 2015