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French Bread Pizza

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on November 12, 2011

Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

French Bread Pizza

Ingredients

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 4 garlic cloves, minced4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 (24-inch) loaf French bread, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 8 even pieces½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 cup pizza sauce 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Microwave oil, garlic, 2 tablespoons basil, and pepper flakes on high power in small microwave-safe bowl until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.
  2. Brush half of oil mixture over crust and edges of bread and arrange cut-side up on foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle Parmesan evenly over bread and bake until cheese begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
  3. Whisk pizza sauce, remaining basil, and remaining oil mixture in bowl. Spread sauce evenly over bread, then top with mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve.
French Bread Pizza

French Bread Pizza

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By America's Test Kitchen
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Time

30 minutes

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (24-inch) loaf French bread, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 8 even pieces
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Ingredients

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (24-inch) loaf French bread, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 8 even pieces
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Ingredients

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (24-inch) loaf French bread, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 8 even pieces
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Why This Recipe Works

Skip the freezer aisle offerings—you can easily prepare our French Bread Pizza recipe at home using ingredients that you probably have on hand. Perfect for weekends or weeknights, our simple recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. For our French Bread Pizza’s crisp (but not tough) crust, we used soft supermarket French bread rather than a baguette. And for convenience, we used prepared pizza sauce to top our pizza.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Microwave oil, garlic, 2 tablespoons basil, and pepper flakes on high power in small microwave-safe bowl until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds.
  2. Brush half of oil mixture over crust and edges of bread and arrange cut-side up on foil-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle Parmesan evenly over bread and bake until cheese begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
  3. Whisk pizza sauce, remaining basil, and remaining oil mixture in bowl. Spread sauce evenly over bread, then top with mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Serve.

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