How Long To Cook A French Bread Pizza

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This French Bread Pizza recipe is great for pizza night or weekends. It's so easy to make; takes less than 30 minutes! Plus it costs just $8.50 to feed 6 people, that breaks down to $1.42 per serving!

Close up picture of the finished French Bread Pizza.

Friday night pizza night! Is that a thing for anyone else? It is for us. Pizza is such a great option for families with picky eaters. We have our share of those in our homes (insert smack my head emoji) so this French bread pizza recipe is definitely one of our favorites. You can put out a variety of toppings and let everyone put what they want on their pizza. DIY French Bread Pizza..Super easy!

Pizza every single week made the same way can get old though. It's fun to add some variety into classic recipes. Enter this homemade french bread pizza. It is the perfect solution. The crusty outer layer of the french bread is delicious and a nice change from traditional pizza dough.

You can pick up a loaf of french bread for $1 at Walmart and use some leftover items in your fridge from the prior week such as, green peppers, pineapple, ham, feta, shredded chicken, and/or spinach. Look at that, an easy meal for pennies that is tastier and better for you than the frozen kind!

Our 1-Hour French Bread recipe works great with this recipe!

Close up picture of French bread pizza.

French Bread Pizza Questions Answered:

Where did French bread pizza originate?

Serious Eats shares the history of how french bread pizza, also nicknamed as the poor man's pizza (LOL), was created by Bob Petrillose. Bob created it in the 1960s when pizza delivery was not a thing yet. He owned a food truck outside of a college campus and wanted to make fresh pizza available to starving students. French bread pizza was his solution and oh boy have we benefited from his creation!

How long do you put french bread in the oven?

Initially, place the french bread pizza in a 475-degree oven for 6 minutes. Remove it from the oven and then place the desired toppings on top and place it back in the oven for another 10 minutes and now you've turned plain french bread into delicious french bread pizza!

How to Make French Bread Pizza Recipe:

To make this french bread pizza recipe first, melt the butter and add garlic powder and parsley.
Next, slice the french bread lengthwise and brush garlic butter mixture onto the bread.
Then place it in the oven for 6 minutes. Top your french bread with your desired toppings.
Bake it for another 10 minutes.
Let it cool for about 5 minutes (if you can wait that long) and boom! You've got french bread pizza ready to be devoured.

We're strong believers at Easy Budget Recipes that if you get your kids involved in making food, then they will be more likely to try the food that is served to them. This will eventually lead to them learning to like new foods! Plus, getting them involved affords some pretty awesome quality time together while helping them learn essential life skills.

How to get the kids involved with this recipe:

Ages 2-3: Let them pick out which toppings they want and have them place them on their section of the french bread.
Ages 4-5: Have them get out the toppings from the fridge and pick out which toppings they want and place them on their section of the french bread. Also, have them brush the French bread with butter mixture.
Ages 6-8: Have them prepare any toppings, grate the cheese as well as make their own french bread pizza. You could also have them spoon the sauce onto each pizza and spread it out with the back of a spoon.
Ages 9-11: Supervise them while they prepare the entire recipe. Remember to have them read it twice before beginning the recipe.
Ages 12+: Let them prepare the entire recipe, unsupervised, while you do the happy dance in the corner!

Discover why we love getting the kids involved in the kitchen and more tips in our How to Get Kids Involved In Cooking article.

The flavor and Recipe Variations:

There are so many flavor variations for french bread pizza. Some of our favorites include feta, tomatoes, olives, mushrooms, ham and pineapple, sausage, pepperoni, bell peppers, pesto sauce, and the list could go on and on. One other family favorite pizza topping when we make french bread pizza is BBQ. Throw on some BBQ sauce, chicken, and some red onions, yum! What are your favorite pizza toppings?
PRO TIP: Have each family member top a section of the French bread with their desired toppings. This way everyone gets what they want. BONUS: This helps with meal prep, too!

Pepperoni French Bread Pizza fresh out of the oven.

What to Serve with French Bread Pizza:

If you are looking for something quick and simple serve some fruit, such as watermelon, along with a caesar salad. Simple!

More Pizza Recipes:

Pizza Rolls
1 Hour Pepperoni Pizza
Easy Taco Pizza

More $10 recipes:

Easy Chana Masala
Easy Navajo Tacos
Grilled Cheese Sloppy Joes
Ground Beef and Broccoli Teriyaki
Homemade Sloppy Joes
Inside Out Chicken Pot Pie
Italian Zucchini Boats
Jenna's Chicken Pillows
Meatball Subs

How long is this good for:

Serve: I do not recommend keeping the pizza out at room temperature for longer than 1 hour before wrapping leftovers in plastic wrap or foil and store in the refrigerator.
Store: Leftovers can be kept, wrapped in plastic wrap or foil, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and place the leftovers on a baking sheet. Heat for about 10 minutes or until the pizza is heated through and the cheese is nice and melty.
Freeze: Whole, cooked pizzas should be cooled to room temperature and then wrapped in plastic wrap followed by foil. When prepared this way, they will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- TO REHEAT: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and place the pizza on a baking sheet. Heat for about 15-20 minutes or until the pizza is heated through and the cheese is melty.

How much will this French Bread Pizza cost:

RECIPE COST: $8.50

PRICE PER SERVING: $1.42

To find out more on how we price our recipes, check out Budget Recipes Explained.

NOTE: You can save yourself 7 cents by making our 1-Hour French Bread instead of using store-bought bread. I personally think our French Bread tastes awesome in this recipe!

1 ½ large loaves French bread, cut in half lengthwise – $1.50
8 Tablespoons salted butter, cut into 16 pieces – $0.80
2 teaspoons garlic powder – $0.60
1 teaspoon dried oregano – $0.50
14 oz jar pizza sauce – $1.58
½ cup sliced pepperoni – $1.14
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese – $2.38

Picture collage of the pizza for Pinterest.

Cook's Tools:

baking sheet
small microwave-safe bowl
pastry brush
wire rack
bread knife

Slices on pizza on a white plate.

Pepperoni French Bread Pizza Recipe

Recipe Cost 8.50

Serving Cost 1.42

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

This French Bread Pizza recipe is great for pizza night or weekends. It's so easy to make; takes less than 30 minutes! Plus it costs just $1.42 per serving!

Servings: 6 people

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 6 mins

Cook Time 16 mins

Total Time 27 mins

baking sheet
small microwave-safe bowl
pastry brush
wire rack
bread knife

1 ½ large loaves French bread cut in half lengthwise
8 Tablespoons salted butter cut into 16 pieces
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
14 oz jar pizza sauce
½ cup sliced pepperoni
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Move the oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat the oven to 475 degrees Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.
Place the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl and heat until melted. Stir in the garlic powder and oregano.
Place the bread on the prepared baking sheet, cut side up, and brush the butter mixture over bread. Bake for 6 minutes, or until the bread has dried out some and the edges have begun to brown.
Remove the bread from the oven and distribute the pepperoni evenly over the bread, reserving a few for the top of the bread.
Divide the pizza sauce evenly among the bread and use the back of a spoon to spread the sauce into an even layer.
Sprinkle the cheese over the bread and top with the reserved pepperoni. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Move the pan to a wire rack and let the pizzas cool for 5 minutes before slicing and eating!

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