The Ultimate Cheesy Garlic French Bread Pizza

Make dinnertime exciting with The Best French Bread Pizza, where crisp, flavour-rich bread meets classic pizza toppings for an unforgettable meal.

The Best French Bread Pizza Recipe

Experience the crunch of perfectly toasted French bread, combined with a rich blend of garlic butter, melty cheese, and your chosen toppings. This recipe, loved by both kids and adults, ensures a crispy base and flavorful toppings for a satisfying meal. A great way to enjoy homemade pizza without the fuss, and a fun cooking project to involve the kids in.

Ingredients

Garlic Butter

• 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
• ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon dried parsley
• ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning blend

Pizza

• 1 loaf of French bread, not a baguette
  1 cup pizza sauce more or less, to taste
  2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese more or less, to taste
  ⅔ cup sliced pepperoni more or less, to taste
  ¼ cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese more or less, to taste
  sprinkle of pizza seasoning optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Set aside.
• Garlic Butter and First Bake
• Melt butter, in the microwave or on the stovetop, and combine melted butter with garlic powder, parsley, and Italian seasoning.
• Slice French bread in half crosswise, then slice those halves in half again lengthwise. You’ll end up with 4 pieces of bread, somewhere around 7-8 inches long, and 3-4 inches wide.
• Brush the garlic butter mixture over the cut sides of the bread, then bake for 6-8 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with a bit of the mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Finish the Pizzas

• While pizzas are in the oven, for a crispier pepperoni, add pepperoni in a single layer on a plate and microwave for about 40 seconds. If you don't like crispy pepperoni, you can omit this step.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven, then top the pizzas with pizza sauce, remaining mozzarella cheese, partially cooked pepperoni, Parmesan cheese, and pizza seasoning.
• Return to oven and bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and starting to brown.
• If desired, drizzle with any leftover garlic butter and serve hot.

Serving Suggestions

• Caesar or Garden Salad
• Garlic Green Beans
• Cole Slaw
• Sweet Potato Fries
• Antipasti Platter

Tips and Tricks

• As the recipe suggests, baking the garlic butter brushed bread before adding toppings keeps the bread crispy and not soggy.
• To get a beautifully melted and slightly browned cheese topping, consider using the broil setting for a minute or two at the end of baking.
• Apart from pepperoni, feel free to use toppings like mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, or even some unconventional toppings like pineapple or feta cheese.