Easy French Bread Pizza Recipe

If you need a dinner that’s fast, family-approved, and basically impossible to mess up, this Easy French Bread Pizza is your weeknight hero. Crispy on the bottom, perfectly cheesy on top, and endlessly customizable, this recipe turns simple grocery store French bread into a bubbly, golden, homemade pizza in under 20 minutes.

I’ve tested this method over and over to get that ideal balance crisp edges, melty cheese, and sauce that doesn’t make the bread soggy so you can skip delivery and still get that crave-worthy pizza night magic at home.

At Ajpal, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.

How to Make French Bread Pizza

A favorite easy-dinner classic – this simple, delicious French Bread Pizza is quick to prepare, customizable, and loaded with flavor the whole family loves! We’ve been making this recipe at home since I was a little kid – it is my favorite simple dinner and packed with family-friendly flavor!

French Bread Pizza Ingredients

To make these easy and delicious pizzas, we’re going to gather the following ingredients:

• French bread – we’re going to use one large loaf of French bread for these pizzas, cut in half, lengthwise. Pick a french bread that is soft and fluffy – not stale – and is wide, not thin like a baguette. If you want to make your own homemade bread, you can try our no knead breadrecipe, shape it more into an oval than a circle, and bake in an oblong dutch oven.
• Cream cheese – cream cheese is our secret ingredient in this pizza – it helps to provide extra tangy, cheesy, delicious flavor, additional fat content, and helps garlic powder stick to the bread. Use softened cream cheese so it is easy to spread against a fluffy, soft bread. You can also use Neufchatel Cheese.
• Garlic powder – garlic powder brings a rustic, earthy, and pungent flavor to baked bread pizza that helps to cut through the acidic pizza sauce and creamy cheese flavors.
• Pizza or pasta sauce – use any sauce you love – tomato sauce, pizza sauce, or even spaghetti sauce – my kids prefer pizza sauce since it is slightly sweet and generally a bit less acidic, but I prefer spicier spaghetti sauce for the additional flavor!
• Mozzarella cheese – mozzarella cheese gives the classic perfect pizza flavor and salty taste! You can buy block mozzarella cheese and shred it, use sliced mozzarella, or pre-shredded mozzarella – whatever is easiest.
• Toppings – you can eat french bread pizza with just cheese, add sliced bell peppers, pepperonis, olives, cooked sausage crumbles – whatever you love on pizza!

Steps to Make Baguette Pizza

After you’ve gathered your ingredients, use the following method:

Assemble Ingredients

Assemble the ingredients.

Cut and Scoop Out

Using a serrated knife, cut French bread in half, lengthwise. French bread has a lot of bread inside, which will make your pizza a bit bland. I find pizza is the most flavorful – and easier to eat – when removing a bit of bread from the middle. Simply scoop out a bit of bread with your hands. My kids love to eat the bread from the middle!

Add Cheese and Garlic

Spread softened cream cheese, sprinkle garlic powder over each side of bread.

Add Sauce and Mozzarella

Layer sauce over cream cheese that has been seasoned with garlic powder, then top with mozzarella.

Toppings

Take pizza to the next level with your favorite toppings! Add whatever you like and load it up!

Bake

Bake pizza until cheese is bubbly, hot, and lightly browned.

Tips and Tricks for Making French Bread Pizza

Use soft bread. Soft, pillowy bread is easier to eat instead of a stale, crusty bread like you’d use for a bruschetta – so opt for breads that have a bit of give when you squeeze them.

Scoop out some bread from the middle. The top secret to delicious french bread pizza is scooping some of the bread out of the middle – so that your pizzas aren’t too bread-y. This allows for more intense sauce and cheese flavors that aren’t bland and boring – and prevents your pizzas from just being soggy bready mush.

Bake to lightly brown. Bake pizza until the cheese is hot, bubbly, and browned on top and the sides are crispy and crunchy – it will be easier to eat, and the browning adds tons of delicious, irresistible flavor!

Try different sauces. If you’re feeling adventurous, try an alfredo or a pesto sauce – they are delicious on French bread pizza!

What to Serve with French Bread Pizza

French bread pizza goes with almost anything – it’s a simple family favorite that is delicious and easy!

We love to serve it alongside a simple creamy cucumber salad, classic garlicky texas toast, simple and easy garlic knots, or a simple and delicious Crunchy Lemon Parmesan Salad!

You can find more of our favorite recent easy side dish recipes here:

Creamy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Air Fried Broccoli

Pan-Fried Zucchini

The Best Air Fryer French Fries

Butter Poached Potatoes

BBQ Baked Beans with Ground Beef and Bacon

Grilled Potatoes

Charro Beans

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French Bread Pizza in Oven FAQs

French bread pizzas bake best at high heat, so the sides can crisp up and cheese can melt, as well as brown and get bubbly. Bake pizzas at 400 degrees.

Any type of loaf bread will work for this recipe – it should be long, but not thin like a baguette, so it can hold cheese, sauce, and toppings.

To keep your french bread pizza from becoming too soggy, I’ve found the following hacks work best:

Choose a crusty bread. Use a sturdy loaf of French bread with a firm crust to provide a solid base for the toppings.

Pre-bake. Slice the French bread in half lengthwise and place it on a baking sheet. Pre-bake the bread in a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) for about 5-7 minutes to dry out the surface and create a crispy base.

Use a Light Sauce Layer: Apply a thin layer of pizza sauce to prevent the bread from becoming too moist. Too much sauce can lead to sogginess.
Brush with oil: Consider brushing the bread with olive oil or melted butter before adding the sauce to create a barrier against moisture.