Make My Day Camp: Starch Madness: French Bread Pizza

Thursday, March 2, 2023

Starch Madness: French Bread Pizza

I saw a recipe for 'The Best French Bread Pizza' at seriouseats.com (coincidentally the home of 'starch madness') and was intrigued by the preparation; as I had a loaf on hand (I bought to make sandwiches but didn't end up using) I figured what the heck let's try it. French bread pizza has never been a favorite of mine, I prefer thin crust and don't usually like how thick French bread is - but I have to say, this turned out great and Dave and I both loved it.

I changed the recipe from the original one but followed the technique of squishing the bread down and pre-baking it - pre-baking really helped to keep the bread crunchier once topped with sauce. Normally I'd just use jarred pizza sauce but in the original recipe he used a can of doctored crushed tomatoes, I went with tomato sauce instead because my store didn't have small cans of crushed (and I have tomato sauce in the pantry). The original recipe calls for making garlic butter to brush on the bread, I went easier and spread some butter/olive oil/sea salt combination (Land O'Lakes) then sprinkled with garlic powder.

The first half of the listed ingredients below don't have amounts because I just used however much it needed to spread butter on the bread and then sprinkled with thee spices, and salt to taste. Same thing with making the sauce - I just added a little olive oil, Italian seasoning and salt until it tasted good.

One last thing - the original is just cheese, I added diced ham and canned mushrooms to boost it a bit for dinner.

See the original recipe for more notes and how it was 'meant' to be made!

butter, softened (or the above butter combination mixed with olive oil and salt)
garlic powder
red pepper flakes
dried oregano
Italian seasoning blend
salt
1 loaf French or Italian bread, about 18" long and 4" wide
1 can tomato sauce
8 oz. shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley leaves

1. Adjust the oven rack to the upper part and preheat oven to 425'.

2. Slice the loaf lengthwise and then in half, for a total of 4 pieces. Place cut-side up on a clean work surface, lay a rimmed baking sheet across all 4 pieces and press down evenly until the bread is compressed to about 2/3rds of its original height. Place the squished bread on the baking sheet and spread the cut-sides with butter. Sprinkle with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and salt to taste.

3. Top the bread with 1/4 of the shredded cheese evenly over the surface, bake until the cheese is barely melted, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

4. Put the tomato sauce in a small bowl and drizzle with a little olive oil and some Italian seasoning, stir well to combine. Add salt to taste.

5. Spread sauce evenly over bread, then spread remaining cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is melted and just starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with parmesan, drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle chopped parsley on top.

Makes 3-4 servings