Description
Quick french bread pizza combines crispy bread with melted cheese and savory toppings. Simple ingredients create a delightful meal you can customize with your favorite pizza-style fillings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 lbs (907 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 6 deli rolls or French bread, sliced lengthwise
- ½ lb sausage (Italian preferred)
- ½ cup (120 ml) marinara sauce or pesto
- 2 tbsps (30 ml) butter
- Pepperoni slices
- Canadian bacon slices
- Goat cheese
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- Pineapple chunks
- Sliced Roma tomatoes
- Sliced black olives
- Sliced bell peppers
- Pepperoncini
- Jalapeño slices
- Sliced red onion
- Grated Parmesan cheese (optional, for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Preparation: Position oven rack in lower third and preheat to 425°F, ensuring optimal cooking environment for french bread pizza.
- Bread Foundation: Slice deli rolls or french bread horizontally, creating flat surfaces perfect for layering toppings and maximizing crispy potential.
- Sauce Layer: Apply marinara or pesto across bread halves, covering entire surface to guarantee balanced flavor in every bite.
- Cheese Base: Uniformly distribute shredded mozzarella, creating a molten foundation that will bind all subsequent ingredients.
- Flavor Development: Caramelize onions in butter over medium heat until golden and translucent, approximately 8-10 minutes, then set aside. In same skillet, brown sausage until completely cooked, breaking into small crumbles.
- Topping Arrangement: Strategically place caramelized onions and cooked sausage across cheese-covered bread, considering even distribution for consistent taste profile.
- Optional Enhancement: Integrate additional ingredients like peppers, mushrooms, or herbs to elevate overall flavor complexity and visual appeal.
- Baking Process: Transfer prepared pizzas to baking sheet, initially cooking on lower rack for 8-10 minutes, then shifting to top rack for final 2-3 minutes until cheese bubbles and turns golden-brown.
- Serving: Remove from oven, allow brief cooling, slice diagonally, and serve immediately while maintaining maximum crispness and temperature.
Notes
- Bread Selection Matters: Choose fresh, sturdy French bread or deli rolls with a crisp exterior and soft interior for the best pizza base texture.
- Sauce Spreading Technique: Use the back of a spoon to create an even, thin layer of marinara or pesto, preventing soggy bread and ensuring consistent flavor.
- Cheese Coverage Strategy: Shred mozzarella fresh for superior melting and more even distribution compared to pre-shredded varieties.
- Temperature Layering Trick: Starting on the lower oven rack and finishing on the top rack ensures a perfectly crisp bottom and golden-brown cheese top.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 600
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1200 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg