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Home Quick and Easy

Lunchbox Pizza Bread (easy)

By:Nagi
Published:2 Feb '23Updated:16 Feb '23
148 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

An economical, easy copycat of the fan favourite Bakers’ Delight pizza bread, a much loved lunch-on-the-run! Named as such as it’s designed to be tucked into lunchboxes and eaten at room temp rather than piping hot like normal pizza. Think: morning tea, picnics, hungry teenagers, freezer stash!

Overhead photo of slices of Easy pizza bread

Lunchbox pizza bread in a lunchbox
Lunchbox pizza bread in a… lunchbox! OK fine, it’s just a biscuit tin. 😂 With homemade muesli bar (coming soon!), baby cucumber, cherry tomatoes, grapes and Vegemite shapes (it’s an Aussie thing).

A homemade pizza bread

There’s a popular bakery chain here in Australia called Bakers’ Delight which sells a myriad of baked goods, ranging from sweet cinnamon buns to savoury bread rolls that are a convenient “lunch on the run”.

I’ve always wanted to recreate the fan favourite pizza breads. And noticing that the RRP has crept up to $4.90 (inflation!) was just the kick I needed to get moving on it.

Rather than making individual pizzas, I decided to take the easier option of making a large pizza slab then cutting it into portions. I then went one step further and decided to use a simple cheesy muffin batter rather than yeast-based proper pizza dough which needs hours to rise.

So here it is today – my pizza bread. It’s a great one for lunch boxes or taking to places, like morning tea at work because it’s designed to be eaten at room temperature.

Stack of Easy pizza bread slices

Ingredients in pizza bread

This is a quick pizza bread that’s based on a savoury muffin batter. Which means – no yeast, no kneading, no rise time. Mix and bake!

The batter

Ingredients in Easy pizza bread
  • Flour – Just plain / all purpose flour. Self raising flour will work in place of the flour + baking powder + baking soda but the crumb is not as soft or springy, and will not stay fresh for as long.

  • Baking powder + baking soda (bi-carb) – I know, it’s soooo irritating when I ask you to use both instead of one or the other! I wouldn’t ask it of you unless it matters – and in this case it really does make a noticeable difference.

    Basically, both make muffins, cakes etc rise. But baking soda is like triple strength baking powder, and they have different rising qualities depending on what other ingredients are used. For this recipe, only baking powder = crumb not as soft or moist. Only baking soda = mound rather than flat surface. Combo of both = perfect!

  • Shredded cheese – Used to flavour the crumb and top the bread. Use your favourite shredded cheese (or cheese blend) that melts except mozzarella which doesn’t have much flavour. I use Devondale 3 cheese blend (mozzarella, colby, parmesan) which is my favourite store bought shredded cheese for both melting qualities and flavour (I’m in Australia).

    If mozzarella is all you’ve got, just add an extra 1/2 teaspoon salt in the batter.

    Pre-shredded ok! Usually I recommend shredding your own but in this case pre-shredded is fine, in the spirit of this quick & easy recipe!

  • Milk & sour cream (or yogurt) – These are the liquids for this batter. The sour cream keeps the pizza bread stay moist for several days rather than going stale the next day which is what happens to most muffins. For baking enthusiasts: the reason for this is because sour cream is thicker than milk so you don’t need as much flour in the batter to get it to the right consistency. Less flour = more moist crumb.

  • Olive oil – This too helps keep the crumb moist. This is because butter, the other most common fat used in baking, adds lovely buttery flavour but it firms up at room temperature = drier crumb. Oil, on the other hand, remains in liquid form which means the crumb is more moist.

  • Egg – This is the binding agent in the batter. We only use 1 egg and this is another reason the shelf life of this bread is so great: because more egg in batters = drier crumb.

  • Salt – For seasoning.

Easy pizza bread batter
The batter will be a bit lumpy, like muffin batters. Shredded cheese lumps (good!) and little flour lumps which are fine as they will cook out.

Toppings

I’m going for quick ‘n easy today, so I’ve used a store bought pizza sauce. However, if you’re a better person than me, please feel free to make your own (any of the 3 options are great).

Ingredients in Easy pizza bread
  • Pizza sauce – As noted above, this is just store bought. Use any flavour your heart desires!

  • Toppings – Pepperoni, sliced olives, onion and green capsicum / bell peppers (yup, missing from photo above and half the pizza photos!). Feel free to use whatever you want.

  • Shredded cheese – I just use the same cheese as noted above in the batter.


How to make my easy pizza bread

You’re going to LOVE how easy this is! Ready?

  1. Whisk Dry ingredients in a bowl. I whisk the dry first so the whisk stays clean to use for the wet ingredients!

  2. Whisk Wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

  3. Combine – Pour the Wet ingredients into the Dry ingredients then mix with a rubber spatula until the flour is mostly mixed in but you can still see a bit. It will still be lumpy – that’s ok!

  4. Add cheese then mix until you can no longer see flour. If the batter still has some small flour lumps, that’s fine as they will bake out. What you do not want to do is mix too much because this will activate the gluten in the flour and make the crumb hard and dense.

How to make Easy pizza bread
  1. Spread the batter into a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13″) lined metal pan. I spray with oil then line the base and long sides with a single large sheet of paper, with overhang to make it easy to lift out later. There’s no need to line the short sides if you spray with oil.

    Ceramic and glass pans will also work but the bread will rise a smidge less and I would add an extra 3 minutes to the bake time. This is because glass takes a little longer to heat up.

  2. Toppings – Spread with pizza sauce, then top with cheese, onion, capsicum (which I forgot in half the photos!), olives and pepperoni (in that order).

  3. Bake 40 minutes – Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Then pop a baking tray on top and bake for a further 15 minutes. This will stop the cheese from getting a little too golden.

  4. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then 10 minutes on a cooling rack before slicing to serve.

    It’s important to follow recipe directions for cooling baked goods because they finish cooking inside. If you slice this bread when it’s piping hot, straight out of the oven, then the inside will taste a bit “doughy” and undercooked.

    This bread will still be warm after 20 minutes resting time. But it’s also specifically designed to be tasty at room temperature, for popping into lunch boxes! And it will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days.

Easy pizza bread fresh out of the oven
Picking up a piece of Easy pizza bread

How to serve Lunchbox Pizza Bread

As mentioned at the top, this pizza bread is designed to be eaten at room temperature like a savoury muffin rather than piping-hot-straight-out-of-the-oven like pizza, easy to make in bulk (do 2 pans at once!) and freezes perfectly.

Which means it’s:

  • great to pop into lunch boxes – the original idea I had when I decided I set out to create this recipe, hence the name! Pictured in post (top) with a homemade muesli bar.

  • ideal to take into work for a shared morning tea

  • a handy breakfast on the run

  • useful to feed permanently hungry teenagers

It’s about 70% cheaper than buying pizza rolls from Bakers Delight. And finally, my last effort to convince you to try this? There’s nothing like homemade. Right? – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Overhead photo of slices of Easy pizza bread

Lunchbox pizza bread (quick)

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Cooling: 20 mins
Baking, Breads, Lunchbox, Snacks
Western
4.98 from 42 votes
Servings12
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. A quick to make pizza bread, made for tucking into lunchboxes or a great savoury snack for morning tea. It's something I created as an economical alternative to pizza bread from Bakers' Delight, a popular Australian bakery chain. Use store-bought pizza sauce and pre-shredded cheese for convenience (true to name!), and whatever toppings your heart desires.
Sour cream and olive oil keeps the crumb moist so it will stay fresh for 4 days in an airtight container.

Ingredients

DRY INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups plain flour (all-purpose flour)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda / bi-carb soda , sifted (Note 1)
  • 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt

WET:

  • 1 large egg (60g / 2 oz)
  • 1 cup milk (full or low fat)
  • 1/4 cup sour cream , or plain yogurt
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

CHEESE FOR BATTER:

  • 1 cup shredded cheese (colby, cheddar, Monterey Jack, Devondale "3 cheese blend") (Note 2)

PIZZA TOPPINGS:

  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, same as above (Note 2)
  • 1/2 cup pizza sauce , store bought or homemade (any of them)
  • 1/4 red onion , finely sliced
  • 1/2 green capsicum / bell pepper , finely sliced
  • 1/4 cup sliced kalamata olives
  • 50g/ 2 oz pepperoni slices (about 1/2 cup)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan). Oil spray a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13") metal pan then line with baking / parchment paper (Note 3).
  • Whisk Dry ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Whisk Wet ingredients in a separate bowl until combined.
  • Combine Wet & Dry – Pour Wet into the Dry ingredients. Mix with a rubber spatula until the flour is mostly mixed in but you can still see a bit of flour. Add cheese then stir until you can no longer see flour. Some small lumps is fine, they will bake out.
  • Assemble – Scrape into the baking pan and evenly spread – it's not that thick, remember it rises! Spread the surface with pizza sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, then (in this order) onion, capsicum, olives then pepperoni.
  • Bake 40 min – Bake 25 minutes uncovered. Cover with a baking tray (or foil) then bake for a further 15 minutes.
  • Cool 10 minutes in the pan then use the paper overhang to lift or slide out onto a cooling rack. Cool for a further 10 minutes before slicing to serve.
  • Serving – Great at room temp though for VIP's, sometimes I warm it in the oven, drizzle with a swish of olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of oregano.

Recipe Notes:

1. Baking soda can be substituted with an extra 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder though the bread is not quite as soft and springy. (Notes in post for more info)
2. Cheese choices – Any cheese that melts nicely and has flavour works best here. I use Devondale “3 cheese blend” (mozzarella, colby, parmesan). Monterey Jack, cheddar, colby, pepper jack, tasty cheese will all work fine here.
Pre-shredded ok – Normally I am a stickler for shredding your own cheese but in the spirt of today’s recipe being a quick one, store bought shredded is fine.
Mozzarella is a little plain so if that’s all you’ve got add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of salt into your batter.
3. Lining pan – single sheet covering long sides + base is enough, no need to line the short sides (as demo’d in the video).
Ceramic & glass pans will work but add 3 minutes to the bake time and they will rise a smidge less as they do not conduct heat as quickly.
4. Keeps 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, though best to eat at room temp. Freeze once cooked for up to 3 months. Unless it’s a really, hot day, it will be fine in a lunchbox from morning until lunch as the meat is cooked. Otherwise, use an insulated lunchbox!
5. Nutrition per slice assuming 12 servings.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 260cal (13%)Carbohydrates: 19g (6%)Protein: 10g (20%)Fat: 16g (25%)Saturated Fat: 7g (44%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 46mg (15%)Sodium: 425mg (18%)Potassium: 189mg (5%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 529IU (11%)Vitamin C: 7mg (8%)Calcium: 228mg (23%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Keywords: lunchbox idea, mini pizzas, pizza bread
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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148 Comments

  1. Jocelyn Manullang says

    March 13, 2023 at 2:25 pm

    5 stars
    My family loved this!

    Reply
  2. Em says

    March 13, 2023 at 12:51 pm

    5 stars
    Love another lunchbox recipe idea! I love to give my kids and husband a variety of different lunches, not always ham or tuna sandwiches 😅
    This is way easy with your instructions and video. And might I add, so much tastier and healthier for my wallet too!
    I made a large one. Wondering how well it will freeze once I portion?

    Reply
  3. Polly says

    March 7, 2023 at 2:25 pm

    5 stars
    I really liked this, easy to make, quick and tasty, great for lunch. I’ll be making this for visitors to snack on in future, cut into fingers for snack size.

    Reply
  4. Claire says

    March 7, 2023 at 5:46 am

    5 stars
    Make this for the third time today! A square of this is the perfect snack to hold me over between meals. Absolutely love how easily and quickly this comes together. I used Cabot shredded cheddar and it added the perfect sharpness I was looking for.

    Reply
  5. Rachael says

    March 5, 2023 at 10:18 pm

    5 stars
    I made this gluten free today and it worked out perfectly.
    Only change was Flour- ANTIMO CAPUTO Gluten Free flour.
    Was a hit with everyone

    Reply
  6. Sabina says

    February 25, 2023 at 6:35 am

    Made this today. Didn’t have baking soda so used all powder. It was really tasty and so fast and simple. You are correct that mozzarella is bland and that a stronger cheese is better. Made it with bosnian dried beef and sausage and onions. Can’t wait to try with baking soda and more veggies. Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Sabina says

      February 25, 2023 at 6:36 am

      5 stars
      Forgot to rate

      Reply
  7. Heather says

    February 22, 2023 at 8:26 am

    5 stars
    Thanks for the recipe Nagi. This recipe works well for gf too. I just sub the flour for gf plain flour and added 1 teaspoon of Xanthum gum. 👌 my daughter is coeliac and she loved it!!

    Reply
  8. Gigi says

    February 22, 2023 at 2:27 am

    5 stars
    Pizza was easy to prepare and quite delicious. Wondering if I could use whole wheat flour for an even healthier treat?

    BTW, you’re fabulous, Nagi!!

    Reply
  9. Cindy says

    February 21, 2023 at 1:40 pm

    5 stars
    I enjoyed this recipe, it was easy to put together and it was very tasty. Just for personal reasons, next time, I will make the bread/crust a little thinner. With the pans I used I can make two pizzas from this recipe. Other than that, it is a keeper!

    Reply
  10. Nici says

    February 17, 2023 at 1:28 pm

    5 stars
    I have made many of your recipes. This lunch box pizza was great. Happy happy co-workers and some students too enjoyed this immensely.
    Thanks again for a great recipe

    Reply
  11. Kerrin says

    February 16, 2023 at 5:30 pm

    5 stars
    Easy to make and tastes delicious. I had one little bit left over on day 4 and after a zap in the air fryer it was like it was just cooked. Thanks again for a simple quick and affordable lunch box filler!

    Reply
  12. Vikki U says

    February 15, 2023 at 9:38 pm

    5 stars
    This was amazing 🤩 so easy I swapped out the plain flour and baking powder +soda , and used self raising instead and Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream , 10/10 defs going to make it again 👍

    Reply
  13. Monique says

    February 15, 2023 at 9:13 am

    5 stars
    Love this! Quick and easy and set us up for lunches for a few days. I made a vegetarian version, with olives, capsicum, mushrooms, sun dried tomato’s and feta. So good!

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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