Email to Cat      

Pepperoni French Bread Pizza

Source of Recipe

From "One-Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"The thought of French bread pizza may take you back to adolescent afternoons in front of the TV with a slab of pizza on your lap (on a plate, if your mom was around). Re-create that happy feeling with this better homemade version that doesn't take any more time than preheating the oven and baking those frozen slabs. Toasting the French bread before adding toppings discourages its porous interior from absorbing too much sauce. And since you're doing an initial bake, definitely gild the lily and give the bread a garlic-bread treatment by slathering on plenty of garlicky butter. A simple mix of canned crushed tomatoes, olive oil, Italian seasoning, and a touch of sugar makes a bold sauce. Now comes the fun part: toppings. The hearty bread can withstand a mountain of 'em. Get the party started with classic shredded mozzarella and a sprinkle of Parm. Add pepperoni, or ratchet up the volume with the variation. Go to town with whatever you like best. You can substitute one and a half 18-inch baguettes for the soft French bread, though the crust will be chewier. Cut the baguettes into six equal pieces."

List of Ingredients

Pizza:
◦ 1 (24 by 4-inch) loaf soft French bread
◦ 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
◦ 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
◦ 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
◦ � teaspoon table salt
◦ � teaspoon red pepper flakes
◦ 12 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded (3 cups)
◦ 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (� cup)
◦ 2 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni

Sauce:
◦ 1 � cups canned crushed tomatoes
◦ 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
◦ 1 � teaspoons Italian seasoning
◦ � teaspoon sugar
◦ � teaspoon table salt
◦ � teaspoon pepper



Recipe

For the pizza:
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut bread in half crosswise, then halve each piece horizontally to create four equal pieces. Arrange pieces cut side down on prepared sheet. Brush crust with oil.

Combine melted butter, granulated garlic, salt, and pepper flakes in bowl. Flip bread cut side up and brush cut side evenly with melted butter mixture. Bake, cut side up, until browned around edges, about 5 minutes.

For the sauce:
Meanwhile, combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Spread sauce evenly over toasted bread, then top with mozzarella, followed by Parmesan and pepperoni (in that order). Bake until cheese is melted and spotty brown, about 15 minutes. Let pizza cool for 5 minutes. Serve.

Serves 4




❧ Variation�Supreme French Bread Pizza:
Decrease pepperoni to 1 � ounces. Add 2 � ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, meat pinched into �-inch pieces; � cup thinly sliced red onion; � cup thinly sliced green bell pepper, cut into 2-inch lengths; and � cup sliced black olives with pepperoni.