French Bread Pizza

Why I Love This French Bread Pizza Recipe

• Quick and EASY. As easy as my no-knead pizza dough is to make, sometimes there just aren’t enough hours on a weeknight to make a homemade pizza from scratch. Fluffy, crusty French bread makes the perfect stand-in for a pizza dough base in this recipe. All you do is pile on the toppings. Plus, it’s faster than ordering in!
• Any occasion. Serve this French bread pizza in larger or smaller slices depending on the size of the crowd. It’s great as a fun family dinner during the week or as an appetizer at parties and on game days.
• Make it your own. The best thing about a homemade French bread pizza is that you can build it any way you’d like! We’re big pepperoni pizza fans in our house, but it’s easy to customize a French bread pizza with any of your favorite pizza toppings.

What You’ll Need

This French bread pizza recipe is a riff on garlic bread or cheesy garlic bread, and just as easy to make, with a few bonus ingredients to turn it into a homemade pizza. I’ve included some notes on what you’ll need. Scroll down to the printable recipe card below the post for a full list and recipe details.

• French Bread – This can be a loaf of French bread or Italian bread, like ciabatta. I always pick up a crusty loaf from our local bakery, but if you have a homemade recipe (like the dough for these French bread dinner rolls), you can absolutely take the time to make your own.
• Butter – Softened to room temperature so that it spreads easily.
• Seasonings – I top the butter with garlic powder and Italian seasoning to make a quick “garlic butter” that adds flavor to the bread base.
• Pizza Sauce –Use your favorite store-bought or homemade pizza sauce or marinara.
• Mozzarella – The traditional choice for pizza. If you don’t have mozzarella, it’s fine to use regular shredded cheddar cheese or a mix of cheeses. Whichever kind you choose, I definitely recommend shredding the cheese straight from the block so that it melts smoothly.
  Pepperoni – I used mini pepperoni because I had a package left over in the fridge. Regular pepperoni also works great.

How to Make French Bread Pizza

Follow the steps here to make a fresh-from-the-oven homemade pizza with soft French bread. The trick is to bake twice: Once to crisp up the top of the bread, and a second time once the toppings are added. Let’s get this pizza party started:

Use the Air Fryer! 

To make this French bread pizza in the air fryer, you’ll need to cut the bread loaf in half, and in half again (to make 4 pieces). This way they’ll fit inside the basket. Afterward, prepare the garlic bread as directed and follow the directions for cooking garlic bread in the air fryer. Add your cheese and toppings, and return the pizza slices to the fryer to cook for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.

Recipe Tips

• Don’t skip the garlic butter topping. Baking the bread with garlic butter makes it extra crispy, and it also keeps the bread from becoming soggy under the sauce. If you aren’t using butter, you can brush the bread with olive oil instead.
• To save time, you can use pre-shredded cheese. It won’t have the same flavor and perfectly melty texture, but we’ve all been in a rush on one night or another!
• Use the broiler. If you’re in a hurry, or if you’re looking to get the cheese and pepperoni extra browned, switch the oven to broil after you add the cheese and toppings. Keep a close eye on the pizzas while they’re under the broiler, though, as they’ll burn easily!

Pizza Variations

I’ve included some easy homemade pizza variations below. Remember to pre-cook meats (like bacon and chicken) and veggies (like mushrooms) before adding them to your French bread pizza, to remove excess moisture. These are just a few ideas:

• Protein. Swap pepperoni for sausage, sliced ham, chorizo, bacon, or ground meat. Use ground beef to make a French bread cheeseburger pizza, or top your loaves with leftover chicken to make a Buffalo chicken pizza. Or, borrow the toppings from this chicken bacon ranch pizza. 
• Veggies. Add sliced bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and greens like spinach. You can also try a French bread version of this roasted veggie pizza.
• Hawaiian. For the pineapple on pizza lovers, you can’t go wrong with a French bread Hawaiian pizza topped with salty ham and sweet pineapple. If you use canned pineapple, remember to drain it well first.
• Greek. Top your pizza with olives, red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and crumbled feta. I also like to drizzle the finished slices with pesto!
• Mexican. Use a Mexican cheese blend, and add leftover taco meat, diced tomatoes, green chilies, and more taco pizza toppings.
• Breakfast. Make a French bread breakfast pizza topped with white gravy, eggs, and breakfast sausage (or bacon).

Serving Suggestions

A hot and cheesy pepperoni French bread pizza goes great with a Caesar salad, tomato cucumber salad, or grinder salad on the side. And no pizza night is complete at our house without a bowl of fluffy breadsticks or copycat Little Caesar’s Crazy Bread. Make the meal kid-friendly with veggies dipped in ranch dressing and a plate of fudgy banana brownies for dessert.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

• Refrigerate. Nothing beats a slice of cold pizza the next day! Store any leftover pizza slices airtight in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Reheat. If you prefer to reheat your leftovers, pop the pizza slices into the oven at 350ºF until they’re heated through and the cheese is melty again. You can also use the microwave.
• Freeze. To freeze French bread pizza, wait until the slices are cool and then wrap them in a double layer of plastic wrap. Freeze the pizza for up to 2 months and thaw it in the fridge before reheating.

More Homemade Pizza Recipes

• Air Fryer Pizza Rolls
• Pizza Bread
• Pizza Sliders
• Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese
• Pizza Quesadilla