Weeknight Pizza Toast

There’s something about pizza that makes it the favorite meal of just about everyone in our family. Even our toddler appears to be born with an inherent adoration for pizza. Every time he sees me shaping dough in the kitchen he declares with hopeful anticipation “pizza! pizza!” 

The greatest thing about this recipe is how quick and easy it is.  On any given night with short notice we can quickly have pizza for dinner: we just grab a loaf of bread from the cupboard, some pizza sauce in storage, and finally some cheese and toppings from the fridge.  It's so easy to make these and even faster than a pizza delivery!  It takes just a few minutes longer than frozen pizza, but it's far more wholesome and delicious.

A loaf of Father Time Wonderful Wheat Bread makes about 12 individual slices of pizza toast.  Another thing that we love is the ability to customize each piece to the liking of each person in the family. I like mine with plenty of sauce, but our youngest daughter prefers very little sauce. With these, you can make each piece unique and tailored for pure pizza enjoyment.

 

Ingredients

• 1 loaf of Father Time Wonderful Wheat bread, sliced into 12 moderately-thick slices

• Pizza Sauce (either prepared or homemade)

• Cheese (we use mozzarella and parmesan)

• Toppings (we like pepperoni, peppers, and onions)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place the oven rack toward the top of the oven.  Take a full loaf of Father Time Wonderful Wheat bread and a bread knife.
   
   

2. Slice the loaf into about 12 moderately thick slices.
   
   

3. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper and lay the bread slices directly on the parchment paper. 
   
   
   
   

4. Spread sauce on each of the bread slices with the desired sauce thickness.  You can use a prepared pizza sauce (we recommend Muir Glen Organic) or make a simple homemade sauce.  Our homemade sauce is simple, inexpensive, and utterly delicious.  You simply sauté minced garlic with basil, oregano, pepper, and salt and then add a puree mixture of canned tomatoes and tomato paste.  Simmer for about an hour on medium to thicken.  This sauce freezes wonderfully well and is easy to use on pizza, pasta, or a terrific dipping sauce for bread.
   
   

5. Sprinkle grated cheese with the amount you prefer.  We usually prefer a combination of parmesan and mozzarella for our pizza cheese.
   
   

6. Place whatever toppings you’d like on each pizza.  Here’s where Pizza Toast really shines since you can treat each pizza differently with a unique topping combination.
   
   
   
   

7. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and browned.  Watch the bottom of the bread to make sure that it doesn’t over-bake while the cheese is melting.  That’s why baking these on the top rack may help you to melt the cheese more evenly with the rest of the toast.  You might even prefer to broil these pizzas if you find the bottom cooking faster than the top, depending on your oven.  But be careful!  Broilers work extremely fast and can easily burn your food if you’re not careful.

8. When the cheese is cooked and the Pizza Toast is done, remove the pan and allow the Pizza Toast to cool either on the pan or on a cooling rack.
   
   
   
   

9. Pizzas with more sauce will usually require more time to cool.  When your pizza has cooled, call the kids in and eat!
   
   

We would love to know what you think of this recipe, or if you have questions or additional variation ideas.  Please comment below and join the conversation!

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