Ciabatta Pizza is a super quick and easy way to make homemade pizza in a fuss free and minimal effort manner. Italian style with a rich tomato sauce, spicy pepperoni, olives and peppers this cheese smothered pizza will save ordering in with an aroma to please! Ciabatta bread pizza means no rolling pin, flour or elbow grease needed!
Recipes like my Basil Artichoke Pizza, Pear Gorgonzola Pizza and Garlic Pizza Bread are packed with flavour, texture and home made yum.
My Air Fryer Portobello Mushroom Pizza gives us a healthy option using mushrooms instead of dough for the pizza base.
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🤍 Recipe Highlights
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:
- Homemade pizza: is one of the best foods to come out of any kitchen! Saving time and money but allowing a 'take out' style meal from the comfort of home.
- Versatile: add your favourite pizza toppings and sauce combination.
- Family friendly: get the whole family involved with everyone taking part in the cooking process.
- Budget-friendly: ordering in pizza can get expensive very quickly! By making it at home you save on delivery charges and can use in season or on special ingredients to cut the cost.
- Ready to use pizza base: some nights you don't have the time and energy to make or roll pizza dough, using a ready made option provides the pizza base without effort or fan fare 😉👌.
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Ciabatta bread loaf: most major supermarkets will sell this in their bread and bakery section. It is a rectangular long loaf of white bread.
- Pepperoni: a massively popular pizza topping that is readily available.
- Black olives: store bought pre sliced ones are great as you can literally throw them straight onto the pizza with no prep needed.
- Capsicum: also known as bell pepper. This is a great ingredient for pizza adding texture and pops of colour.
- Cheese: mozzarella or your favourite pizza cheese is fine to use. You can use store bought grated cheese or grate it fresh from a block of cheese.
- Passata: (sometimes known as tomato puree). This is the key ingredient in making the pizza sauce.
- Tomato paste: thick and rich, this adds a lovely depth of flavour to the pizza sauce.
- Italian herbs: we add these to the pizza sauce to season and flavour the tomato combination.
- Salt: just a touch needed in the sauce.
Tasty tip: when purchasing the loaf of ciabatta bread, check to make sure that is has not been pre sliced!
🍳 Instructions
Here at the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by making the pizza sauce, you will need a jug and mini whisk or fork.
- Make pizza sauce by whisking together in a jug (Photo 1)
- Cut the ciabatta loaf in half (Photo 2)
- Spray with olive oil and toast for 3 minutes (Photo 3)
- Add sauce layer to toasted bread (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Ciabatta Pizza
Start by combining the pizza sauce by adding the passata, tomato paste, Italian herbs and salt to a jug. Whisk together till consistently mixed then set aside. Use a knife and chopping board to slice the ciabatta loaf in half lengthways.
- Add cheese (Photo 5)
- Then add pepperoni (Photo 6)
- Add sliced black olives (Photo 7)
- Sprinkle capsicum pieces over the top (Photo 8)
- Oven bake the pizza for 15 mins till cheese has melted (Photo 9)
The pizza will take about 15 mins to bake in the oven, look for the cheese melting and the edges of the ciabatta turning a lovely golden brown.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
If you want to serve a salad on the side of this pizza the Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad is a great choice!
You might also like to consider making the Ciabatta Garlic Bread, Turkish Garlic Bread or Garlic Pizza Bread as a side, each especially good as an alternative to store bought garlic bread.
A pizza wheel works very well to slice the pizza, but you can also use a chopping knife if you don't have a pizza wheel 😁👍.
Whilst I am not looking to be one to influence, I also find that this goes down exceptionally well with a glass of Pinot noir in hand 😉👌.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Store left overs on a plate with cling wrap pulled firmly to cover or in a sealed air tight container. Consume within 2 days.
The ciabatta loaf can be purchased in advanced, frozen, thawed then used to make the recipe. But the pizza is best consumed fresh at the time of cooking 😉👍.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- If you are looking for an alternative to the pepperoni, you can use ham, bacon or salami. Other options are leftover cooked chicken or prosciutto.
- If you cannot find ciabatta bread or want another options, Turkish bread, French bread or pizza dough will work.
- Use kalamata olives as an alternative to the sliced black olives (pitted, whole or sliced).
- Red capsicum (bell pepper) is a good choice in place of green capsicum.
- Add sliced onion, capers or anchovies if you please.
- Use leftover sausage pieces as an alternative meat option.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- When making the pizza sauce, use a mini whisk or fork and stir vigorously. You want to make sure that the Italian herbs are consistently spread through the tomato sauce and a light whisk will see them hover at the top only.
- A spoon comes in very handy as a way to spread the sauce over the surface of the toasted ciabatta loaf (flip it over and use the back side).
- Ensure that the oven is preheated as the pizza will start cooking as soon as it is placed in the oven.
- Once removed from the oven, you can wait 1 to 2 mins before cutting the pizza as this way it is less likely any of the toppings will slide off (somewhat similar to resting meat prior to cutting).
🤓 Frequently Asked Questions
What is ciabatta bread good for?
Ciabatta bread is a versatile bread and lends itself to many serving options. Some ideas to try are using it as a pizza base, bread for smashed avo, open sandwiches, bread for dipping with oil and spices or sliced for sandwich bread.
Is ciabatta Spanish or Italian?
Ciabatta is an Italian white bread shaped in the form of a long rectangle with a slight dome form.
Is ciabatta the same as focaccia?
Ciabatta and focaccia are different products. Ciabatta refers to the bread itself which is white and plain, whereas focaccia is a type of bread that often has additional ingredients mixed in such as olives or herbs.
😍 More Easy Homemade Take Out Recipes
If staying in, cooking and finding comfort at home is on your to do list, then we are kindred spirits 🥰😍❤. Here are some more recipes along these lines that you might like to try:
- Bruschetta Pizza
- Air Fryer Chicken Skewers
- BBQ Lamb Ribs
- Asian Chicken Pizza
- Air Fryer Beef Kabobs
- Oven Chicken Kabobs
- Beef Yaki Udon
- Caprese Bruschetta
- Grilled Chicken Bruschetta
- Bruschetta with Feta
Let's get out pizza (popped on a loaf of bread 😉👌👍) on my friend xx.
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Ciabatta Pizza
Equipment
- 1 Knife to slice the ciabatta loaf
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 Glass measuring jug
- 1 Mini whisk or fork
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Silicon Baking Mat
Ingredients
- 1 ciabatta bread loaf Note 1
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese grated
- 100 grams/4oz pepperoni slices Note 2
- ½ cup sliced black olives Note 3
- ¼ green capsicum seeds removed, chopped into small pieces, Note 4
Pizza Sauce
- 1 ½ cups tomato passata Note 5
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste Note 6
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs Note 7
- ½ teaspoon salt Note 8
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: preheat the oven to 180°C / 350-375°F / Gas Mark 4-5.
- Make sauce: whisk together the passata, tomato paste, salt and Italian herbs, then set aside.
- Ciabatta loaf: use a knife and chopping board to slice the ciabatta lengthways. Place sliced pieces cut side up on lined baking tray and spray with olive oil (optional). Place in the oven and toast for 3 minutes.
- Sauce: pour the pizza sauce onto the toasted ciabatta loaf pieces and use the back of a soup spoon to spread into a layer.
- Add toppings: layer the pizza toppings on top of the sauce with the cheese, pepperoni, sliced black olives and capsicum.
- Bake: place pizza into the oven on middle or lowest shelf and cook for 15 mins till the cheese melts.
- Serve and enjoy: use oven mits to remove the baking tray from the oven and set on a heatproof surface. Use a flat silicon turner to slide the cooked pizza onto a chopping board. Then use a pizza wheel to slice into pieces.
Notes
- Note 1 Ciabatta bread loaf: most major supermarkets will sell this in their bread and bakery section. It is a rectangular long loaf of white bread.
- Note 2 Pepperoni: a massively popular pizza topping that is readily available.
- Note 3 Black olives: store bought pre sliced ones are great as you can literally throw them straight onto the pizza with no prep needed.
- Note 4 Capsicum: also known as bell pepper. This is a great ingredient for pizza adding texture and pops of colour.
- Note 5 Passata: (sometimes known as tomato puree). This is the key ingredient in making the pizza sauce.
- Note 6 Tomato paste: thick and rich, this adds a lovely depth of flavour to the pizza sauce.
- Note 7 Italian herbs: we add these to the pizza sauce to season and flavour the tomato combination.
- Note 8 Salt: just a touch needed in the sauce.
Julia Barnes says
This pizza is so easy to make and better than store bought for sure. The ingredients work well together!
Adrianne says
Great to hear, thanks Julia!