Easy Pepperoni Pizza with Premade Crust – French Bread
Pizza is one of those things that I think the ENTIRE WORLD loves! I mean, what’s not to like? There is melty cheese, sweet marinara, and a thousand options for toppings. The crust is the only thing that makes pizza intimidating at home. But that’s why I’m bringing you my Easy Pepperoni Pizza with Premade Crust – French Bread.
This recipe takes the anxiety out of pizza making with a crust that will come through for you repeatedly and give you an amazing homemade pizza every single time!
French bread is split in two and then smothered in olive oil, Italian seasoning, and parmesan. After baking it to a crisp, tomato sauce (marinara or pizza sauce) is slathered on each piece followed by a combination of fresh mozzarella and shredded mozzarella layered on top and then pepperoni. And finally, it’s popped back into a hot oven to melt the cheese and give the pepperonis a little char for even more flavor. (Feel free to add as many of your favorite toppings/veggies as you would like. I prefer a ton of veggies, but this is for my son, and he only wanted pepperoni.)
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Speaking of my son, let me tell you a little bit about him. (Especially since he is the reason that I’m bringing you this recipe.) Luke LOVES pizza, basketball, and villains. (HA)
First, let’s talk about his love for pizza. I’m pretty sure that Luke could eat pizza for every meal and be completely happy about it. He loves it that much.
(And because of his deep affinity for pizza, we have at least 1 pizza night a week in our house. Now, that might look like a frozen pizza, a pick-up order from our local pizza house, or a quick and delicious homemade pizza like this recipe. And it’s usually on Friday nights.)
Specifically, he loves pepperoni pizza. As far as toppings go, he doesn’t want anything green on his pizza and he would be devastated to have sausage or hamburger on there too. He just likes it simple.
Now even though he loves pizza, pleasing him with my homemade pizza has been a little bit challenging. The crust seems to always be an issue. I’ve experimented in the kitchen with lots of crusts and there aren’t many that he’s okay with. There was homemade pizza dough with yeast and sourdough and that failed to impress him. I’ve ventured into the land of premade pizza crust like cauliflower crusts and tortillas, and it was still a miss. Even canned pre-made pizza dough, frozen dough, and crescent rolls were rejected.
But French Bread came along… and we had a BREAKTHROUGH!
After I made this recipe for “homemade” pizza, he turned to me and said, “This is the BEST homemade pizza you’ve ever made!” And I would have to agree with him. It is a delicious pizza. My other two kiddos made the same remark and my husband said that it reminded him of Pizza Hut’s Deep Dish pizza.
WOW! What a compliment! (Especially considering that it didn’t take much time to make!)
Have you ever heard of Pizza Hut?
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Second, let’s talk about Luke’s love of basketball. (And it’s not just him, our entire family loves basketball!) He has been playing basketball since he was 5 years old. We have a large concrete area at our house with a goal on each end. (It’s like a mini basketball court.) This is where he plays against his brother and sister as well as completes his shots and training weekly.
He also goes to a trainer in a nearby city who has been working with him for quite a while to hone his natural abilities.
Point guard is his position for his school team, but his true position is shooting guard. He has a beautiful shot. And the amazing thing is that even though he’s relatively small (3rd grade), he can sink threes and has mastered jump shots beautifully.
This past season was his 2nd Championship to win in Peewee League basketball. He plays on the 5th and 6th grade team. We are extremely proud of his passion, discipline, competitiveness, and talents. It’s such a joy to watch him excel at something he’s good at and that he loves and enjoys.
Lastly, I would like to tell you about Luke is that he likes villains. Now, I know that sounds weird, but it’s something that we noticed when he was much younger. Whenever Luke would watch a superhero movie, he seemed to like the “bad guy” more than the hero.
For example: He likes the Joker, Venom, Darth Vader, etc… it’s not that he doesn’t want the good guy to win, it’s just that he prefers the darker characters.
I’m not sure if I should be worried or not. (HA)
He tries to come off as strong, tough, and cool but at home, he’s a sweetheart and loves snuggles. (He would die if he knew that I said that.) He’s hilarious and keeps us on our toes and laughing.
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Why do I love this recipe so much?
- First, it’s because it is one of the easiest pizza recipes I’ve ever made.
- Second, It doesn’t take a lot of prep work and it tastes delicious!
- Third, I also love the fact that it’s completely customizable. You can use popular toppings like cheese, veggies, and different herbs, or you can do something completely adventurous and make your own “gourmet pizza” like a seafood pizza or a sushi pizza.
It’s completely up to you because the possibilities are endless with this recipe.
I’m also a fan because it’s kid-friendly and that’s important to me. It’s hard enough getting my kids to eat. I like to prepare things that they truly enjoy. And for the moms and dads out there who hate doing the dishes, you can eat this dinner on a paper towel! No forks, spoons, or knives are needed. Just grab a slice and enjoy.
Tips for Easy Pepperoni Pizza with Premade Crust – French Bread:
- Use the herbed olive oil that the fresh mozzarella is packaged in to spread on the French bread. (I didn’t think to do this on my video, but that’s a great way to use the entire product. Instead of having to use a whole cup of olive oil, use that. It’s already seasoned and is perfect for this recipe!
- For best results, don’t skip the step of toasting the bread with the cheese and olive oil blend. This step not only adds flavor, but it will keep the marinara sauce from making the pizza soggy and prevents the French bread from being dry.
Make this Easy Pepperoni Pizza with Premade Crust – French Bread on YouTube with me!
Easy Pepperoni Pizza with Premade Crust – French Bread Ingredients:
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 loaves of fresh French Bread
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
- Pepperoni
- 12 oz. fresh Marinated Mozzarella cheese balls
- 16 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (I like to use the one with a little bit of cream cheese)
- 24 oz. Marinara sauce
- (Your favorite pizza toppings: olives, red onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and fresh herbs)
- (Your favorite meats: sausage, hamburger, bacon, etc…)
Easy Pepperoni Pizza with Premade Crust – French Bread Instructions:
- First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Second, take the two loaves of French bread and using a serrated knife, cut them in half.
- Third, place the French Bread on a baking sheet or a pizza stone.
- In a small bowl add the parmesan cheese, olive oil, and Italian seasoning and mix well.
- Next, spoon the olive oil mixture on each half of the French bread and spread evenly.
- Then, place the French bread into the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
- After the French bread has become toasted and crispy, take it out of the oven and begin to layer your pizza ingredients. (Also, change the oven temperature to 450 degrees for the final bake.)
- First, spoon the marinara sauce evenly on all halves of the French bread. (I didn’t use the entire 24 oz. jar of marinara. I only used 3/4 of the jar.)
- Second, layer the marinated mozzarella balls evenly on top of all the French bread.
- Third, sprinkle the entire 16 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese over the French bread.
- Then, top with as many pepperoni’s as you would like.
- Next, place the French bread pizzas back into the 450-degree oven for 10 minutes. I like to broil the pizza for the last 5 minutes to get the pepperoni a little golden brown and for a little color on the cheese.
- Take the French bread pizzas and place them on a cutting board to slice with a pizza cutter or bench scraper. I used the latter and it worked great.
- Finally, enjoy this amazing pizza with a salad, red pepper flakes, and a Coke!
Variations for Easy Pepperoni Pizza with Premade Crust – French Bread: (types of pizza)
- BBQ Chicken Pizza – Layered with BBQ sauce, meaty chicken, red onions, and mozzarella, this pizza is yummy and cooked on a grill to get that smoky flavor.
- White Pizza – This is the style of pizza for people who want to forego the marinara sauce. The crust is simply seasoned with olive oil and garlic and topped with cheese and fresh herbs like basil. (Sometimes Alfredo sauce is used instead of tomato sauce on this type of pizza as well.)
Storage for Easy Pepperoni Pizza with Premade Crust – French Bread:
- Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Store in the freezer in an airtight container or Ziploc bag for up to 3 months.
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Easy Pepperoni Pizza with Store bought Crust – French Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 loaves of fresh French Bread
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning
- Pepperoni
- 12 oz. fresh Marinated Mozzarella cheese balls
- 16 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese I like to use the one with a little bit of cream cheese
- 24 oz. Marinara sauce
- Your favorite pizza toppings: olives, red onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and fresh herbs
- Your favorite meats: sausage, hamburger, bacon, etc…
Instructions
- First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Second, take the two loaves of French bread and using a serrated knife, cut them in half.
- Third, place the French Bread on a baking sheet or a pizza stone.
- In a small bowl add the parmesan cheese, olive oil, and Italian seasoning and mix well.
- Next, spoon the olive oil mixture on each half of the French bread and spread evenly.
- Then, place the French bread into the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
- After the French bread has become toasted and crispy, take it out of the oven and begin to layer your pizza ingredients. (Also, change the oven temperature to 450 degrees for the final bake.)
- First, spoon the marinara sauce or “pizza sauce” evenly on all halves of the French bread. (I didn’t use the entire 24 oz. jar of marinara. I only used 3/4 of the jar.)
- Second, layer the marinated mozzarella balls evenly on top of all the French bread.
- Third, sprinkle the entire 16 oz. of shredded mozzarella cheese over the French bread.
- Then, top with as many pepperonis as you would like.
- Next, place the French bread pizzas back into the 450-degree oven for 10 minutes. I like to broil the pizza for the last 5 minutes to get the pepperoni a little golden brown and for a little color on the cheese.
- Take the French bread pizzas and place them on a cutting board to slice with a pizza cutter or bench scraper. I actually used the latter and it worked great.
- Finally, enjoy this amazing pizza with a salad, red pepper flakes, and a Coke!
Video
