Get my Cookbooks! French Bread Pizza Recipe
This oven-baked French Bread Pizza recipe is easy to make with your favorite toppings! It has a secret buttery garlic herb spread and stays perfectly crispy and crunchy.
(BEST!) French Bread Pizza
French Bread Pizza seems simple enough without necessarily needing a recipe, but this technique makes such a difference in the final outcome. The flavor is nice and cohesive, and there’s no soggy bread! It’s almost like a combination of garlic bread and pizza.
The key is to heat up a little butter, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and a hint of salt in a small skillet, and brush it right onto the bread, sprinkle it with a little Parmesan cheese, and toast it in the oven. This creates a barrier between the bread and the sauce which ensures that every bite is crispy and super flavorful.
Don’t miss my pro tips below, and be sure to grab a big ol’ loaf for your next pizza night at home!
How to Make It
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Heat butter, olive oil, garlic, oregano, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Brush over sliced French Bread and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 6-7 minutes. Remove and top with pizza sauce.
Add shredded mozzarella and pepperoni or toppings of choice. Bake again for 10-13 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sides are brown. Slice and serve!
Pro Tips
- Bread: Choose a large, light and airy loaf that’s nice and round vs. a crusty loaf. (See visual above.)
- Mozzarella: Use low moisture, whole milk mozzarella for this recipe. (Don’t use fresh.) Shred it from a block vs. using packaged shredded cheese so that it melts well. I use Galbani or Dragone.
- Pepperoni: I keep packaged/sliced pepperoni in my freezer so that it stays good for a long time and I always have it on hand! You can take the slices out of the freezer when you start preparing your pizza.
- Sauce: You can’t go wrong with Rao’s Pizza Sauce, however Ragu is much cheaper and honestly, I love it.
Storage
- Let leftovers cool completely and wrap in foil or an airtight freezer bag. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- To reheat, bake on a baking sheet at 350° for 5-8 minutes, until the cheese is warm and melty again.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links*)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Large, light-colored baking sheet– This is the one I have.
- Garlic Twister– Fresh garlic makes a big difference here vs. the jarred stuff. This tool makes it easy to mince and the twister is easy to clean. (I love mine!)
- Box Cheese Grater– Shred your own mozzarella from a block so that it melts well!
- Pizza Slicer– For nice clean slices!
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Try These Next
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- Beefaroni
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- Meatball Pasta
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- Stromboli
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- Buffalo Chicken Pizza
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- Chicken Spinach Pasta
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French Bread Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French Bread, about 1lb, 20-21 inches long
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 ½ cups pizza sauce
- 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, see notes
- 25 pepperoni slices, or toppings of choice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425° F.
- Cut the loaf of bread in half lengthwise, then cut each slice in half. Place on top of a large, light-colored baking sheet.
- Add the olive oil to a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter, garlic, oregano, and salt and heat through for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Decrease heat slightly if needed. Remove from heat.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the top of each slice with the olive oil/butter mixture (be sure to get the edges), and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 6-7 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and top with sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni or topping(s) of choice. Return to the oven and bake for 10-13 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the edges are brown and crisp. If desired, broil at 450° F for 1 minute or so to brown the top a little more, watch it closely during this time.
- Slice and serve warm!
Notes
- Bread: Choose a large, light and airy loaf that's nice and round vs. a crusty loaf. (See visual above.)
- Mozzarella: Use low moisture, whole milk mozzarella for this recipe. (Don't use fresh.) Shred it from a block vs. using packaged shredded cheese so that it melts well. I use Galbani or Dragone.
- Pepperoni: I keep packaged/sliced pepperoni in my freezer so that it stays good for a long time and I always have it on hand! You can take the slices out of the freezer when you start preparing your pizza.
- Sauce: You can't go wrong with Rao's Pizza Sauce, however Ragu is much cheaper and honestly, I love it.
Storage
- Let leftovers cool completely and wrap in foil or an airtight freezer bag. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- To reheat, bake on a baking sheet at 350° for 5-8 minutes, until the cheese is warm and melty again.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per pizza. This recipe makes 4 pizzas (each pizza is quite large, about 10-inches long).
