This Pepperoni French Bread Pizza creates pizza that is wonderfully crispy, flavored with garlic butter, and topped with an easy pizza sauce, two kinds of cheese and pepperoni slices. So much tastier than frozen!
The key to creating extra crispy and flavorful French Bread Pizza is coating the bread with garlic butter and baking it to crisp it up some before the toppings are put on. Once the sauce, cheese, and toppings are put on, it is returned to the oven during which time it gets even crispier. It has such a great crunch.
Pre-toasting the bread prevents it from getting soggy and bakes tons of flavor into the bread.
The pizza sauce is so simple and doesn’t even need to be cooked. It’s a simple mixture of crushed tomatoes, olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and just a pinch of sugar.
This recipe is really easy to customize with your own toppings.
Pepperoni French Bread Pizza Recipe Tips
- Jarred pizza sauce can be used instead of the homemade sauce.
- To prevent soggy pizza, don’t overdo the sauce. Just add a thin layer. You can dip the pizza in extra sauce as you eat it if you love lots of sauce.
- Be sure to use the right type of bread. Don’t use the skinny baguettes. They are too crispy and chewy. You want the softer French bread that is wider across. It should be about 4 inches across.
- Two cloves of minced garlic can be used instead of the garlic powder.
- Either Parmesan cheese in the green can or fresh Parmesan cheese can be used for this recipe.
- Leftovers will keep well for up to 2 days and can be reheated in a toaster oven or air fryer.
More Amazing Pizza Recipes
- Chicken Alfredo Pizza
- Garlic Bread Pizza
- Sloppy Joe French Bread Pizza
- Slow Cooker Deep Dish Pizza
- Cheeseburger Pizza
- Muffaletta Pizza
Pepperoni French Bread Pizza
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Pizza
- 1 loaf soft French bread
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 tablespoons salted butter,, melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 ounces pepperoni slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- In a bowl, stir together all sauce ingredients.
- Cut bread in half crosswise and then cut each piece horizontelly. Brush crust sides with oil.
- Place bread pieces crust side down on prepared baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, garlic powder, and salt. Brush mixture on the cut sides of the bread.
- Place in oven for 5 minutes, or until browned around the edges.
- Spread sauce on bread pieces. Top with mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and pepperoni slices.
- Bake for another 12 to 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love this recipe very much. Thanks for posting
Have you ever tried making and freezing these pizzas? If so I would love any tips on doing that. I think they look delicious and always love homemade vs. store bought. I thought maybe these would be great to make ahead freeze and pull out for kids lunches as wanted.