Yield: 4

ATK

Soft supermarket French bread stands in as a hearty, crusty alternative for pizza dough in this speedy pizza recipe. (Baguettes can be substituted but will result in a slightly tougher crust.) We upped the flavor ante by giving the loaf a garlic-bread treatment before topping it, brushing the cut side with a spicy garlic butter and the crusty side with olive oil and then baking it until toasty brown and crispy. A stir-together mix of crushed tomatoes, olive oil, Italian seasoning, and sugar made a bold and bright pizza sauce. Using both mozzarella and Parmesan gave us the perfect balance of melty creaminess and nutty depth. We loaded these pizzas up with all our favorite supreme pizza toppings: Italian sausage, pepperoni, red onion, green bell pepper, and black olives.
Prep: Cook: 60

• 1(24 by 4-inch) loaf soft French bread
• 1TBS extra-virgin olive oil
• 8TBS unsalted butter, melted
• 2tsp granulated garlic
• ½tsp table salt
• ¼tsp red pepper flakes
• 12oz mozzarella cheese, shredded (3 cups)
• 1oz Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup)
• 2½oz sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, meat pinched into ½-inch pieces
• 1½oz thinly sliced pepperoni
• ½cup thinly sliced red onion
• ½cup thinly sliced green bell pepper, cut into 2-inch lengths
• ½cup sliced black olives

Sauce:

• 1½cups canned crushed tomatoes
• 1TBS extra-virgin olive oil
• 1½tsp Italian seasoning
• ½tsp sugar
• ½tsp table salt
• ½tsp pepper

A 24 by 4-inch loaf of supermarket French bread, which has a soft, thin crust and fine crumb, works best here. If you can’t find soft French bread, you can substitute one and a half 18-inch baguettes, though the crust will be slightly tougher. Cut the baguettes into six equal pieces and distribute the toppings evenly.

For the pizza:

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450°F. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut bread in half crosswise, then halve each piece horizontally to create 4 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 bowl. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

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