French Bread Pizza

this recipe and these directions from Melskitchencafe make it so you don’t end up with the traditionally soggy French bread pizza.   Make your own sauce with recipe at the end , or just use a jar- up to you.

INGREDIENTS

•  1 loaf (about 12-inches) french bread, storebought or homemade
•  1 tablespoon olive oil 
•  Garlic powder, for sprinkling 
•  1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, more or less 
•  1-2 cups pizza sauce (I use this super simple homemade recipe) 
•  Pizza toppings of choice 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Slice the french bread in half the long way, forming two long halves (like a hot dog bun but don't keep them attached). Lightly press on the bread with the palms of your hands or with the bottom of a flat baking sheet until the bread is compressed to about half of what it was (generally about 1/2-inch or so thick, but like I mentioned in my post, homemade french bread doesn't flatten quite as well in my experience).
3. Drizzle the olive oil on both halves, about 1/2 tablespoon for each half, and brush lightly into the dough. Sprinkle with just a touch of garlic powder.
4. Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese across each loaf. Place the loaves of bread on an aluminum-foil lined baking sheet and bake for 3-5 minutes, until the Parmesan cheese is just barely starting to turn golden and has hardened a bit to the touch. Take care not to burn the Parmesan!
5. Spread pizza sauce on top of the Parmesan-crusted loaves and top with pizza toppings of your choice. I usually go with about 1 cup of mozzarella cheese for each half and throw on some pepperoni and olives but the sky is definitely the limit here!
6. Bake the pizzas for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and the edges of the bread are starting to crisp up and turn golden.
7. Using a serrated knife, cut into pieces and serve immediately.

NOTES

If you use the following fabulous Pizza sauce recipe , you'll have some leftover which is perfect for dipping pizza slices if you or someone you know likes things a bit more saucy. Otherwise, a full batch of the sauce is perfect for a doubled recipe (2 loaves of french bread yielding 4 loaves of pizza). 

Also, I use freshly grated Parmesan cheese - shredded on the small holes of my box grater and not the stuff in a can. 

I was quite vague on the pizza toppings - that's up to you! This recipe is more about the method and besides, the options for toppings are endless.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

INGREDIENTS

•  1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained 
•  1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste 
•  1 teaspoon sugar 
•  1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 
•  1/4 teaspoon garlic salt 
•  1/2 teaspoon dried basil 
•  Pinch of crushed red pepper 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until desired consistency. I leave mine slightly chunky. You can adjust the seasonings to taste. This recipe is open to interpretation. Use what you like, taste it along the way and it is sure to be delicious!

NOTES

This recipe is very adaptable so feel free to play around with the different seasonings and amounts. I usually forego all measuring utensils and just sprinkle in until it feels right.