French Bread Pizza

Here's a really quick idea for pizza. I know, pizza is one of those things that is just not the same for those with dairy allergies, but that doesn't stop my son from begging me for pizza for dinner! This is so quick and easy and it is delish! We've made it 2 Fridays in a row now. A lot of times I find a loaf of french bread for 50 cents from the bakery in the "day old" pile that they mark down. Can't beat that for pizza dough!

Just cut the loaf lengthwise (hotdog style) and then cut into however many serving sizes you want after that. It's easier to cut before all the toppings are on and baked, but you can still cut after too. (If you don't want an entire loaf just cut it in half: slice the first half lengthwise for pizza tonight and save the other half for garlic bread another night)

Top with spaghetti/pizza sauce, and all your favorite toppings. My son hates pepperoni so I just cut up deli meat for him. Options are endless: pepperoni, deli meat, diced chicken, pineapples, tomato, green pepper, olives, spinach, etc. Put on a baking sheet and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. The longer you cook it the crispier the crust will be, just make sure to watch it carefully not to burn on top.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza (on the grill)

Making pizza has been a tradition of ours for years, and as newlyweds we use to make it in the dutch oven every time we went camping. (now with kids those camp trips are getting fewer) That has always been my favorite method for baking pizza for the obvious reason- everything tastes better in a dutch oven! We decided to try something new and bake the pizza on the grill this time. You can bake this pizza in the oven, but if you want to try something new and don't want to heat up your oven to 450 degrees, try it on the grill! (Just read my warning notes :) For this barbecued chicken I used canned chicken and leftover barbecue sauce from barbecued burgers, so it was really simple and easy. That barbecue sauce is so perfect for pizza because it's tangy and sweet. (My stomach is seriously growling just typing about it)

Basic Pizza Dough

Recipe from Weight Watchers New Comblete Cookbook

Makes 2 12 inch pizza crusts

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tsp sugar

1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1 Tbsp olive oil

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

In a large mixing bowl, combine the water and sugar. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oil. Combine the flour and salt and add to the yeast one cup at a time until the dough starts to pull from the sides of bowl. Knead until smooth and elastic. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray (you can use the mixing bowl); put the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or damp cloth. Let rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, then cut in half for two 12 inch pizzas, or thirds for 3 smaller pizzas. Use, refriderate or freeze in floured zip-close freezer bags for later.

For each (12 inch) Pizza:

3/4 cups barbecue sauce (I used this one)

1 cup canned chicken or cooked and cut up chicken breasts

3 Tbsp green onions, sliced horizontally

1/3 cup mozzarella cheese (optional)

Put the pizza dough above on a greased pizza pan. Grill the pizza crust for 5 minutes in a medium heat grill covered. Take the pizza out and spread with 1/2 cup barbecue sauce. Spread out chicken evenly and then top with onions and mozzarella (if using). Drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce over the top. Grill covered for 5 more minutes.

*Warning- the first time I took the pizza off the pan and set it directly on the grill and toasted it black! The perfect way is to take the pizza off the pan at 4 minutes, set it directly on the grill and keep the lid open for about 1-2 min. Then you can slide it back onto the pan to cut it up.

To bake the pizza in the oven just preheat it to 450 and then bake it for 10-12 minutes. You can also take it out and set it directly on the rack the last few minutes to make it crispy.