This recipe has been a go to for me since high school! It takes the comfort and deliciousness of one of the best dishes and adds a little healthy to it. My pizza bread recipe has been through a lot of variations and still is depending on what ingredients are available and what the occasion is. Pizza has been an iconic meal for decades whether it’s eaten for those on Friday nights at home, or a sloppy greasy slice for that drunk 2am dinner. When we get to our local pizzerias, we get a hot cheesy slice in a matter of minutes, but has it always been like that? Well of course not! Through the ages, pizza has taken on various shapes and forms before we see what is beloved today.

We have to start with the base, well, the base of the base. Yeast was originally discovered in Ancient Egypt and is a crucial ingredient to the process of dough, literally any type of dough. But the Ancient Egyptians primarily used yeast for bread making. However, earlier than Ancient Egypt (Sumeria and Babylonia) they would use yeast for beer and wine. Fast forward a bit – while the Neapolitans are mostly credited with the canonical circle shape of pizza, it was actually the Ancient Romans who first used circle bread dishes for sauces. Not necessarily a pizza but the idea of all the important parts are slowly coming together. We don’t start seeing the iteration of modern pizza until the 1600s, with the way it’s baked (firewood ovens), and topped with tomato sauce. However, mozzarella wasn’t added until the 1800s!

But don’t worry the recipe isn’t from scratch. In fact, it’s a simple and easy way to enjoy the iconic dish in a more personalized fashion. My pizza bread started with the basics, basil, sauce, and mozzarella. But I thought, “what would be a good way to add a little more substance to it?” Well, roasted tomatoes of course! I actually think it might have been my mother, around this time she also recommended balsamic glaze, to which I took her up on it and became obsessed with the flavor contrast the glaze drizzle added! Not until college did I start adding different toppings such as bell peppers, onions, pepperoni, and my favorite, jalapenos.

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
   • Make sure you have a rack in the middle of the oven.
   • We’re going to start with roasting tomatoes so they are a priority!
2. On the cutting board: With a sharp knife, dice jalapeno and put them to the side. Next slice tomato to desired thickness and then cut slices in half.
   • Remove seeds from jalapeno if you don’t want heat!
   • Don’t like tomatoes or jalapenos? Switch it up! This recipe is so versatile to make into your own. I’ve also done bell peppers and onions.
3. Finally julienne the basil while also saving smaller leaves for topping!
4. Place sliced tomatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil.
5. Once tomatoes are evenly covered, put in a 425° oven on the middle rack and let roast for 5 min. Then flip halves and cook for another 5-10 min.
   • Don’t let tomatoes roast too much cause they will continue to cook when you put them on your flatbread.
6. While tomatoes roast, start to prepare bread by slicing lengthwise.
   • If interested in serving these as an appetizer, cut widthwise for easy grabbing.
7. Drizzle olive oil over both bread halves and evenly top with marinara.
8. Once tomatoes are a little roasted, let cool for one minute, then top on flatbread slices.
9. Sprinkle on diced jalapenos, julienned basil (not the small leaves you set aside!), mozzarella, and grate a little parm on top.
   • Like cooking with pizza dough, bread can still easily break apart and not cook through if you put too many toppings! So go easy.
   • If you want fresh tasting parm, grate after baking rather than before.
10. Place pizza bread on a baking sheet with parchment and put on the middle rack in a 425° oven for 15-20 minutes.
11. Once cooked til desired, let pizza cool for 2-3 minutes.
    • Tomatoes will be super duper hot! Even if the cheese and bread is cooled, tomatoes will still be scorching hot.
12. Drizzle balsamic glaze onto cooled slices and sprinkle small basil leaves.
13. Serve!

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