Bread pizza: the delicious and easy way to reuse stale bread

Bread pizza might just become your new favorite way to use up stale bread. Transform leftover slices of bread into cheesy, tomato sauce-smothered pizza slices. This recipe is a quick, easy vegetarian dinner, side dish or afternoon snack for all ages!

How To Make Bread Pizza

Slice pieces of stale bread in half and arrange on a baking sheet.

Brush each piece of bread with milk to soften. If your bread is fresh, you can skip this step.

Brush each piece of bread with tomato puree.

Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Drizzle all of the bread with olive oil.

Bake in a 180°C oven until the cheese is melted and golden, about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

What is Bread Pizza?

Bread pizza is our name for the delicious concoction of stale bread lined with juicy tomato puree, melty cheese and Italian seasonings. It’s a versatile and always delicious treat to use up leftover bread and even other pizza toppings.

Ingredients for Bread Pizza

If you have a loaf, or even just a few slices, of leftover bread on hand, you’re most of the way to making your own cheesy pizza bread. Here are the other ingredients you need for our traditional take on this recipe:

• Milk, to soften the bread (omit if you’re using fresh bread).
• Tomato puree, or marinara sauce, to add the necessary tomato flavor to your pizza.
• Melty cheeses. We like to use several kinds of cheese for the added flavor and texture. Try grated Parmesan and mozzarella for a classic Italian combination.
• Olive oil, to add Italian flavor and extra creaminess.
• Fresh basil, for a bright garnish.

Topping Ideas for Pizza Bread

There are countless ways to top your cheesy pizza bread. Once you have the foundation of crisp bread, a smear of tomato sauce and some kind of melty cheese, use your creativity to decorate the slices with your favorite flavors.

Some topping ideas include:

Pepperoni, crumbled cooked sausage or bacon Hot peppers Thinly sliced mushrooms and onions Pineapple chunks and ham for a Hawiian take Shredded leftover rotisserie chicken and hot sauce Pesto sauce and thinly sliced prosciutto

How to Toast Bread Pizza

The best way to achieve melty, gooey cheese-topped bread pizza with crisp edges is to toast the bread in a hot oven (180°C/350°F).

Spread the slices of bread in a single layer on a baking sheet or baking dish. Avoid overlapping the bread, which will prevent it from crisping up.

Then toast the prepared pizza in the oven for about 20 minutes. The pizza is done when the cheese is melted and golden on top and the edges of the bread are starting to brown and crisp up.

What to Serve with Bread Pizza

This is a recipe that’s so easy to pair with your favorite foods. Make a full Italian feast and serve pizza bread alongside pasta dishes like lasagna, macaroni salad, or baked ziti.

Or, keep things simple and serve your bread pizza as a starchy side dish to your favorite proteins, such as barbecued chicken, grilled shrimp or veggie burgers.

This also makes a quick kid-friendly snack on its own. It’s a fun way to get kids to help in the kitchen, as everyone can dress their pizza bread up with their personal favorite toppings and flavors. There’s very little cutting involved too, so it’s a fun and safe way to get small hands cooking.

What Kind of Bread is Best

You can truly use any kind of stale bread for this recipe. In fact, the bread doesn’t even have to be stale, though it will crisp up a little better if it’s dried out a bit. Use crusty sourdough bread, doughy focaccia, or even leftover bagels to make round pizza bites.

The only bread that you may want to avoid is anything flavored with a sweetener, like cinnamon raisin bread or other dried-fruit studded breads.