Remember when the Food Network used to actually air cooking shows, instead of all of these cooking competitions that they have today? I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with those cooking competitions shows, if you enjoy them then that’s great for you. However, I truly miss shows about cooking, you know the ones where they actually taught you how to cook things. It’s a novel concept.
I loved all of the classics such as Boy Meets Grill, Good Eats, and of course the granddaddy of them all Emeril Live. Yet what you might find surprising is that one of my favorite cooking shows from back in the day was actually Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee.
If you’ve never heard of it before it was all about making recipes that included both homemade, and store-bought ingredients in them.
“Wait, Mr. Jensen, isn’t that cheating?”
Well not in my book, because the reality is that most home cooks often have neither the energy nor the free time to whip up 100% homemade meals every day of their lives. I’m telling you that It’s ok to make semi-homemade meals every once in a while, and if anyone tries to give you flack for it then forget them, they don’t have to eat it.
This is why I thought today would be a great day to share one of my all-time favorite semi-homemade dishes, the french bread pizza.
Now, if you’ve never made your own french bread pizza before then get excited because I can guarantee this is going to become a standard of your cooking repertoire. Why? Well, for starters it’s incredibly easy to make. Basically, you need to be able to perform three skills in order to make this recipe. 1 Can you turn on an oven 2 Can you slice bread, and 3 Can you place things on top of sliced bread.
Now my dad would say that statements like that make me a smart a**, but hey I’m just telling the truth, anyone with two arms and a brain can make this.
The other reason why you should know how to make a french bread pizza is that just like a regular pizza, it is incredibly simple to customize according to people’s tastes, and or dietary needs. For example, if you like pineapples on your pizza (no one’s judging), then put a bunch of pineapples on it. If you have a friend who’s vegan, then leave out the cheese and double down on the veggies. Or if someone is craving something more traditional, then make a margarita style french bread pizza with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. The possibilities are truly endless.
So If all of this is sounding good to you then keep reading on to learn all about the french bread pizza.
Tips & Suggestions
- You don’t necessarily need a traditional baguette to make this, any type of long skinny bread will work.
- Find the best quality jarred pizza sauce you can find. A pizza is minimal in its ingredients, thus you will taste anything that is of low quality. If you want to go the homemade route then you can make our easy no-cook pizza sauce.
French Bread Pizza Recipe
Prep time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 3 to 4 people per baguette
Ingredients
1 Baguette
1 jar of pizza sauce
8 oz. of shredded mozzarella
Suggested toppings:
For margarita
Cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
Fresh basil (ripped)
For my style
Sopressata (sliced)
Onion (sliced)
Kalamata olives (sliced)
For veggie delight
Onion (sliced)
Bell pepper (sliced)
Kalamata olives (sliced)
Mushroom (sliced)
Basil (ripped into pieces)
Oregano, dry
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cut the baguette: Cut the baguette into 6 to 8 inch sized pieces, and then take all of the pieces and cut them in half lengthwise. I find the easiest way to do this is to stand them up and then take a bread knife to slice down the middle. Set these aside.
- Prep the toppings: Decide which topping you want to use and make sure that they are all cleaned, sliced, and ready to go.
- Assemble the pizzas: Once the oven has reached 425 degrees it is time to start building the pizzas
For the margarita – First place down a good layer of the mozzarella cheese. Then simply follow this up with some sliced cherry tomatoes and some fresh basil.
For my style – Take a spoon and spread out a nice even layer of the pizza sauce on the french bread. follow this up with the mozzarella cheese, and then the suggested toppings.
For the veggie delight – Take a spoon and spread out a nice even layer of the pizza sauce on the french bread. follow this up with the mozzarella cheese, and then the suggested toppings.
- Bake the Pizzas: Carefully place the french bread pizzas into your hot oven. I recommend placing them on top of either a pizza stone, or a baking sheet, as some toppings can slide off of the bread while cooking. Let the french bread pizzas bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how well done you prefer.
- Serve & enjoy
French Bread Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Baguette
- 1 jar of pizza sauce
- 8 oz. of shredded mozzarella
Suggested toppings:
For margarita
- Cherry tomatoes cut in half
- Fresh basil ripped
For my style
- Sopressata sliced
- Onion sliced
- Kalamata olives sliced
For veggie delight
- Onion sliced
- Bell pepper sliced
- Kalamata olives sliced
- Mushroom sliced
- Basil ripped into pieces
- Oregano dry
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
- Cut the baguette: Cut the baguette into 6 to 8 inch sized pieces, and then take all of the pieces and cut them in half lengthwise. I find the easiest way to do this is to stand them up and then take a bread knife to slice down the middle. Set these aside.
- Prep the toppings: Decide which topping you want to use and make sure that they are all cleaned, sliced, and ready to go.
- Assemble the pizzas: Once the oven has reached 425 degrees it is time to start building the pizzas
- For the margarita – First place down a good layer of the mozzarella cheese. Then simply follow this up with some sliced cherry tomatoes and some fresh basil.
- For my style – Take a spoon and spread out a nice even layer of the pizza sauce on the french bread, follow this up with the mozzarella cheese, and then the suggested toppings.
- For the veggie delight – Take a spoon and spread out a nice even layer of the pizza sauce on the french bread, follow this up with the mozzarella cheese, and then the suggested toppings.
- Bake the Pizzas: Carefully place the french bread pizzas into your hot oven. I recommend placing them on top of either a pizza stone, or a baking sheet, as some toppings can slide off of the bread while cooking. Let the french bread pizzas bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how well done you prefer.
Inspiration from other blogs
How to Make Pizza – By Favorite Family Recipes
Quick Pizza Recipe – By Cooking for Two
