Easy Homemade French Bread Pizza Recipe

French bread pizza is fantastically simple and is a very tasty family dinner. Forget ordering out and save that money. You can make a much better-tasting pizza hot out of the oven at home.

French bread pizza with pepperoni and italian sausage on a dark wooden cutting board.

Why This Recipe Works

Perfect for weekend or weekday dinners or busting out a bunch of these for the next game day or party.

You will certainly never buy frozen french bread pizzas again after trying this.

First, and most importantly, it’s going to taste great. The crispness of the french bread and the homemade pizza sauce’s sweetness are fantastic together.

Load up your favorite toppings, such as pepperoni, or Italian sausage, with some melty mozzarella cheese, and you’ll have a great time.

French bread pizzas with pepperoni and italian sausage on a wooden cutting board.

But also, it’s very affordable to make this tasty treat. The french bread from the local grocery store is very inexpensive, and the toppings won’t break the bank either.

Even the pizza sauce is homemade (and so easy to put together), cheaper than buying one, and tastes amazing.

So you end up with a hot, cheesy, crispy, delicious pizza at the fraction of delivery … and it tastes better.

Did I mention that this is assembled and cooked in less than 30 minutes as well?

Tips And Variations

  • Brush the french bread lightly with olive oil and bake for 5 minutes at 450 degrees F. until lightly toasted.

    This will make the crust of the pizza nice and crispy. Nobody likes soggy crusts.
  • Alternatively, you could brush it with garlic butter for the same effect. Just melt some butter and add a teaspoon of garlic powder to the melted butter and mix to combine.
  • Use fresh mozzarella or a block of mozzarella. Don’t use the pre-shredded mozzarella, as it has a coating of cellulose powder. It keeps the cheese from sticking together and does not melt well.
  • Our recipe is using pepperoni and Italian sausage. By all means, use all your favorite pizza toppings in every imaginable way. Ground beef, caramelized onions, bacon, even pineapple, and jalapenos!
  • Italian bread works if you can’t get your hands on french bread. Baguettes are too crispy and hard and won’t work well.
  • Always thoroughly cook your meats. Also cook vegetables containing a lot of moisture (such as onions and mushrooms) before using them as toppings.
Ingredients for making french bread pizza.

How To Make French Bread Pizza

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add the pureed tomatoes, kosher salt, and oregano to a bowl and stir. That’s it. You’ve made one of the best pizza sauces out there, no lie.

It is clean, sweet, and delicious. Let it sit there for about 10 minutes to dissolve the salt.

You could use your favorite pizza sauce and skip this step. But I would urge you to try it. You will be surprised.

note

You could add a dash of red pepper flakes to the pizza sauce to add some heat. You could also add a sprinkle of Italian seasoning if you want a more herbaceous sauce. I’d taste it first before adding anything, though.

While the sauce sits, brown up the Italian sausage over medium-high heat in a skillet. Once done, remove the sausage, put it into a paper towel-lined bowl, and set it aside.

Cut the french bread in half, then in half again, so you end up with two tops and two bottoms of the loaf.

French bread for french bread pizza lightly toasted.

Lightly brush the french bread with olive oil on all sides. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for about 5 minutes until lightly toasted.

Remove them from the oven and set them aside.

Shred the mozzarella cheese and set it aside.

Spread the homemade pizza sauce across the surface of the four pieces of french bread. Each piece gets about 1/3 cup of sauce.

Top the bread with a generous layer of mozzarella cheese. Divide the parmesan cheese equally among the four pizzas.

French bread pizza about to go into the oven.

Next, top two of the pizza crusts with pepperoni slices, and for the other two, top with Italian sausage.

If you have any remaining cheese, just toss it on top.

Place the pizzas in the oven and bake for 11-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown on top.

If you like it more browned, turn the oven to broil for about a minute until it’s reached your level of satisfaction.

French bread pizza with italian sausage and pepperoni on a dark cutting board.

Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Top with some chopped parsley or fresh basil for a nice dash of color.

Serve and enjoy your crusty french bread pizza!

Pepperoni french bread pizza on a wooden cutting board.

Next time you face one of those busy weeknights or weekends, whip up this simple recipe. This cheesy french bread pizza will change pizza night for you.

French bread pizza on a cutting board.

The best part is that this is one of those easy recipes that makes an easy dinner, resulting in a fabulous dish. It’s a great recipe!

Are you on Pinterest? Click the button below to add this recipe to one of your boards!

FAQ

How do you keep French bread pizza from getting soggy?

Brush the bread with olive oil lightly on all sides and bake at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about 5 minutes until lightly toasted.

Can you reheat French bread pizza?

If you have leftover pizza, you can store it in an airtight container for 3-5 days. To reheat, place in the oven or toaster oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through and the cheese is bubbling.

Can you freeze French bread pizza?

Yes. Allow them to cool to room temperature, then place them into a freezer-safe container. They will keep for approximately three months.

Other Italian Recipes

French bread pizza with pepperoni and italian sausage on a dark wooden cutting board.

French Bread Pizza Recipe

Melty cheese on hearty french bread with all your favorite toppings. This homemade french bread pizza recipe beats delivery any day!
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Resting time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 576kcal

Ingredients
 

Pizza Sauce

  • 15 oz Pureed tomatoes
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp Dried oregano

Pizza Ingredients

  • 1 loaf French bread
  • 12 slices Pepperoni
  • 1/4 lb Italian sausage
  • 1 cup Mozzarella cheese grated
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes, kosher salt, and oregano to a bowl and stir.
    15 oz Pureed tomatoes, 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, 1/2 tsp Dried oregano
  • Brown the Italian sausage over medium-high heat in a skillet. Once done, remove the sausage, put it into a paper towel-lined bowl, and set it aside.
    1/4 lb Italian sausage
  • Cut the french bread in half, then in half again, so you end up with two tops and two bottoms of the loaf.
    1 loaf French bread
  • Lightly brush the french bread with olive oil on all sides. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for about 5 minutes until lightly toasted. Remove them from the oven and set them aside.
    2 tbsp Olive oil
  • Grate the mozzarella and parmesan cheese and set it aside.
    1 cup Mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • Spread the homemade pizza sauce across the surface of the four pieces of french bread.
  • Top the bread with a generous layer of mozzarella cheese. Divide the parmesan cheese eqally across the four pizzas.
    1 cup Mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • Next, top two of the pizza crusts with pepperoni slices, and for the other two, top with Italian sausage.
    1/4 lb Italian sausage, 12 slices Pepperoni
  • Place the pizzas in the oven and bake for 11-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown on top.
  • Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Top with some chopped parsley or fresh basil for a nice dash of color.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Nutrition

Calories: 576kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 1517mg | Potassium: 538mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 481IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 313mg | Iron: 6mg

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