If there’s one food a kid can’t resist, it’s pizza. of course, ordering pizza for two kids with different tastes can cost a small fortune, so making your own is much more budget friendly. (I think these cost me a total of 6 dollars.)
On a normal day I would have simply made a batch of pizza dough, some marinara sauce and topped the pizza as desired. Unfortunately I haven’t had the chance to restock after the move and while I have flour, I have no yeast, nor did I have have the time to buy it and then make the dough. Luckily, my local bakery sells sweet French loaves for 97 cents each, and just one loaf is more than enough dinner for two growing boys.
The trick to this recipe isn’t so much what you use, but how you cook the “pizzas”. Timing is critical if you want the bread to be crisp on the outside, soft and warm in the center and not soggy from the sauce. With just a little preparation and a touch of patience (difficult with two boys screaming “I’m Hungry! in your ear every ten seconds), you can have a wonderful meal in just a few minutes that will please kids of all ages.
French Bread Pizza
Ingredients:
- 1 loaf french bread
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Pizza sauce
- Any cheese blend you prefer
- Whatever other toppings make you happy
Method:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Meanwhile, slice french bread in half lengthwise and cut into desired portion sizes. Arrange bread on a baking sheet cut side up, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 5 minutes.
Remove bread from heat. Spread on pizza sauce, sprinkle liberally with cheese and top as desired. Return to oven and bake for approximately 8 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from heat, allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve.
Share and Enjoy!
What I would have done Differently had I thought of it at the time:
One thing to note about making French bread pizza rather than regular pizza is that the temperature must be set lower so that the bread does not burn. Toppings should be selected that are best eaten raw or just heated through unless you’re willing to par-cook them or place already cooked toppings on the pizza. Other than that, have fun with it!
Links to other recipes like this:
- Margherita French Bread Pizza with Garlic Oil, from Flavor a Deux
- Portabello and Sausage French Bread Pizza, from Cooking with Amy
- Ham and Gruyere French Bread Pizza, from Sweetnicks
- French Bread Pizza, from The Singing Chef
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
ooo I’m jealous! Those look WONDERFUL! Lucky kids. :)
You’ve reminded me of yet another great meal we used to make all the time when all my boys were younger. It could come in seriously handy these days, so thanks for the suggestion. It will definitely make the nights I don’t feel like cooking (um…most nights now, unfortunately ; /) much more tasty.
First recipe I have seen for this, definitely going to have to give it a try!
I’ve given this a try in the past but felt like the inside was mushy and the outside was burnt. Thanks for the tip about drizzling with oil and baking prior to putting on the toppings… and I’ll be sure to turn the oven down!