Name: Garlic Pizza Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 500 g Strong White Bread Flour; 300 ml Warm Water; 7 g Yeast ((One Packet)); 2 tbsp Oil; 2 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Sugar; 100 g Salted Butter; 5 Minced Garlic; 1 tsp Diced Parsley

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Homemade Garlic Pizza Bread

Garlic bread meets pizza, it just had to be done! This recipe is SO tasty, I’m sure you’re going to be making it over and over again…I’m not kidding!!

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Craving pizza but want something different? How about this delicious garlic pizza bread that’s BIG on size and even bigger on flavour. All you need is a handful of ingredients, just over an hour and a few hungry mouths or just one.

This recipe is garlicy, buttery and the texture is both chewy and soft. Plus, the crusted pizza bread soaks up the pools of melted garlic butter, making the taste and texture utterly incredible.

In short, this is the most delicious garlic pizza bread recipe EVER that’s made with a homemade garlic butter spread. It’s so easy to make and I’ll take you through everything you need to know below!

Why You’ll Like This Recipe

You can make a thin or thick pizza base and crust
The flavours are phenomenal
This recipe is so versatile; you can add cheese or additional flavours like pepperoni!
Bakes in just 10 to 15 minutes

Garlic Bread Pizza Dough

The texture of the garlic dough is chewy, airy, springy and so soft; this is because yeast is added to the dough to help create an amazing texture. You can make pizza dough without yeast, but I find that the texture is denser.

Watch How To Make It

Recipe Ingredients

Below are the few ingredients needed to make this recipe:

Strong White Bread Flour: Use this type of flour, its high gluten content makes it perfect for making breads and pizzas. Gluten helps to create an airy and chewy bread texture.
Fast Action Yeast: This causes the bread to rise and creates an open and airy texture.
Sugar: Helps the yeast to react (it’s basically food for yeast releasing CO2 & ethanol)
Salt: Adds flavour to the pizza dough and also slows down the growth of yeast.
Warm Water: It’s important that the water temperature is warm and not too cold or hot, warm water is the optimal temperature for yeast to thrive. Around 40°C is perfect!
Oil: The addition of oil helps to retain moisture and keep the bread texture soft.
Homemade Garlic Butter: The garlic butter is made from a mixture of butter, minced garlic and diced parsley.

Do I Have To Proof The Dough?

Yes, especially as this recipe uses yeast, it’s a necessary step for creating an airy and light texture. If you want to make a pizza dough without yeast, simply mix 300g of self-raising flour with 330g of Greek yoghurt and mix together until a dough has formed.

Garlic Butter

You can either make the garlic butter in step five, just after rolling the dough out. Or you can make the garlic butter whilst the dough is proving and keep it in the fridge or at room temperature until you need it.

If you keep it in the fridge, bear in mind that it might be harder to spread. Whenever I keep it in the fridge, I take it out and let it sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to make it easier to spread.

Homemade Dough Or Shop Bought Dough?

If you don’t want to make your own homemade dough, then you can always buy readymade pizza dough or a premade base in pretty much any supermarket.

I prefer the taste of homemade pizza dough, as it’s freshly baked and the texture is chewy, soft and springy. I find some shop bought pizza bases are dense and less tasty. However, where it lacks in texture it gains in making this recipe super quick and even easier, it would be ready in just 20 minutes max (including prep time) instead of over an hour.

How To Make Homemade Garlic Pizza Bread

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make this homemade garlic pizza bread. Full recipe instructions are on the recipe card:

Step One:

flour, yeast, sugar and salt mixed together

Add flour, yeast, sugar and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix until evenly distributed.

Step Two:

Add warm water to the bowl followed by oil and use a knife to mix the ingredients together until a dough has formed.

NOTE: Using a knife helps to cut through the dough easily and combine the ingredients together without overworking it.

Step Three:

Lightly flour your work surface and hands, then tip the dough onto your work surface and knead for 10 minutes.

Put the dough back into the bowl, cover the bowl with a cloth and leave to prove for one hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

TIP: Leaving the dough to prove in a warm room helps to aid growth during the proving process.

Step Four:

Preheat the oven to 240°C (220°C Fan / gas mark 8) and divide the dough into two.

Roll the dough by using a rolling pin or hand stretch the dough using your hands, then place the dough onto a pizza tray and spread it out to cover the sides of the tray. For the second dough, repeat the same process on a separate pizza tray.

Step Five:

To make the garlic butter spread, mix together butter, minced garlic and diced parsley until thoroughly combined.

Step Six:

Spread the garlic butter over the pizza leaving a 1-inch gap for the crust. Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the garlic butter has melted and the sides are beautifully golden brown.

How Long Does It Take To Cook?

This garlic pizza bread should take roughly 10 to 15 minutes in the oven, though oven temperatures can vary which can affect cooking time.

At the 10-minute mark take a sneak peak, if the pizza has golden brown spots in the middle and the crust has a light golden brown colour it’s ready.

Pizza Crust (Thick Or Thin)

To make a thick crust pizza, use your hands to gently flatten the dough into a disk and press the edges of the dough up to the edge of the pizza tray to create a thicker border or crust.

Another way is to hand-toss the dough, this involves gently rotating and passing the dough through your hands, causing it to stretch and spread out. As you continue this process, the dough gradually widens and takes on the classic circular shape of a pizza crust.

To make a thin crust pizza, all you have to do is use a rolling pin to roll out the dough as thin as you want it.

My Top Tips

When shaping the dough, if you notice any holes in the dough don’t worry it’s easy to fix. If the hole is small, simply pinch the edges of the hole together to seal it. If the hole is bigger, stretch the dough around the hole and fold it over the gap, pressing it together with your fingers.

Allow the dough to rise in a warm room, this usually takes an hour or so to double in size making it ready for rolling. If you want to prepare the dough in advance, place the dough in the fridge for it to slow rise ready for the next day.

Bake the pizza dough on a tray lined with parchment paper to prevent it from sticking to the tray. Another tip to prevent sticking is to roll the dough over semolina, this also adds a rustic and chewy texture once cooked.

Recipe Variations

Cheesy Garlic Pizza Bread: Add your favourite types of cheese for a delicious cheesy twist. Parmesan, cheddar, red Leicester and mozzarella are perfect for making pizzas with.
Use Different Herbs: Traditionally, parsley is used to make the well known garlic butter flavour we all love, but other types of herbs like oregano, basil and chives are great to use too. Fresh or dried herbs are fine to use (though fresh herbs are more vibrant in flavour).
Add Meat: Who doesn’t love pepperoni? A couple of slices on this garlic bread pizza will make this pizza taste insane! You can also add ham, ground beef and chicken.
Add Sauces: For even more flavour you can add a layer of tomato sauce before adding the garlic butter topping. You could also do a white pizza sauce instead.
Change The Type Of Flour: 00 Italian flour has a super fine texture and is perfect for making crispy and thin pizzas. You can also use wholemeal flour; it will add a nutty and slightly earthy flavour and the overall colour will be brown.

What To Serve With Garlic Pizza Bread

Pizza and dips are a match made in heaven, this homemade garlic sauce will go perfectly with this recipe, it’s my favourite combo! If you want a bit of spice, then you can try it with this kebab shop chilli sauce recipe or go completely out of the usual with this katsu curry sauce or this Chinese curry sauce (that also goes well with chips).

How To Store, Freeze And Reheat

If you have any leftover garlic pizza bread, store it in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 to 5 days. When you’re ready to eat it, reheat it in the oven at 180°C or microwave it.

To freeze, place the pizza slices in an airtight container or freezer bag and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen or leave the pizza to thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat before serving.

Equipment I Used

You don’t need any fancy equipment to make pizzas, and you don’t need a special pizza tray. You can simply form the dough into a rough circle (or whatever shape you like) and bake the pizzas in a large enough baking tray.

However, if you want perfectly round shapes then you can use a pizza tray like I did. I used this non-stick 13″ pizza tray which makes two 13″ pizzas.

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