Pizza Toastie (w/ Anchovies, Olives and Capers)

Pizza is a classic recipe… Toasties are a classic recipe. What about combining the best of both classics, and making a Pizza Toastie!? It will be the easiest pizza you’ll ever have made for yourself!

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Pizza Toastie FAQs

Does the Pizza Toastie really taste like pizza? 

The Pizza Toastie shares most of the main ingredients of a real pizza. However, the bread has a different structure from pizza. So, while the flavor might be resembling pizza, the structure will not be entirely the same. 

Pizza and bread use basically the same ingredients: flour, yeast, water, and salt – and pizza requires some extra olive oil.

But, while the ingredients are the same, the texture is still different…

There are some differences between pizza dough and bread, the main ones being: 

• Bread uses more water than flour compared to pizza
• Bread can have more ingredients, like milk and eggs, that make it fluffier

The different texture is basically because bread is a little fluffier and pizza crispier. Now, on a grill, you should be able to flatten the bread and make it crispy. So it will be closer to pizza! 

Can you add other ingredients to the Pizza Toastie? 

There are many variations to the Pizza Toastie. In fact, you could practically make any kind of pizza on a grilled sandwich. 

Some suggestions to spice up your Pizza Toastie: 

• Ham
• Salami
• Pepperoni
• Ham, salami and pepperoni
• Tuna, onion and capers
• Bell pepper, black olives and mushrooms
• Four cheeses
• Pizza hawaii (ham and pineapple)
• Ham and mushrooms

What kind of cheese do you recommend for the Pizza Toastie? 

“Real” pizzas use mozzarella cheese, but you can choose to replace the mozzarella for any other kind of (grated or shredded) cheese.

For example: 

• Cheddar cheese
• Gouda cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Colby cheese
• Monterey Jack

Opt for mild cheeses as your base, so that the flavors of the other ingredients prevail! 

Can you use sliced cheese instead of grated cheese for the Pizza Toastie?

To make the Pizza Toastie resemble pizza, I’ve chosen to use shredded cheese in this recipe. However, you can very well use a slice of cheese, just like you would for any other toastie. 

The shredded cheese works on pizzas because it melts “around” the other ingredients. But, for a toastie, this doesn’t matter all that much since it is made between two slices of bread anyways (and gets kinda squashed in between). 

What kind of bread do you recommend for the Pizza Toastie? 

White bread is best for the pizza toastie, to resemble the pizza flavor best. You could also choose to opt for whole bread, but make sure the flavor is plain and the texture is smooth. 

Ciabatta bread is another good option if you want to make sure your Pizza Toastie is as “Italian” as possible. 

Sourdough bread is a little denser and could therefore be another great alternative for the Pizza Toastie. 

How long should you grill the Pizza Toastie? 

When you follow the recipe for the Pizza Toastie above, it requires only 3-5 minutes of grilling (depending on the grill). With these ingredients, the pizza toastie is not very thick and therefore does not require any extra grilling time to make sure the entire toastie is grilled sufficiently. 

However, if you’re using other ingredients that make the Pizza Toastie thicker, you might want to consider adding another minute or so of grilling time. 

You can tell the Pizza Toastie is ready when the cheese starts to melt, or when the bread turns gold-ish brown.

Can you use store bought pizza sauce for the Pizza Toastie?

You can choose to make your own pizza sauce, or use store bought pizza sauce for the Pizza Toastie. 

• The easiest option is to choose store bought sauce that you can spread (with the back of a spoon) onto the bread. 
• The most culinary option is to make your own pizza sauce (like this recipe from Budget Bytes). Add another 30 minutes or so to prepare the sauce!
• The in between option is to use simple tomato paste, and add garlic, oregano, and onion to the paste before or after spreading it onto the bread.

Does the Pizza Toastie need extra sauce on the side? 

You can choose to serve some extra ketchup on the side when eating the Pizza Toastie – to make it more of a toastie. However, it is not necessary, since there is already tomato sauce used on the bread. 

Another sauce option is to use aïoli. In Peru, they always served some watered-down garlic sauce with pizzas and I have to say that I miss that, a lot! It’s such an unnecessary but delicious addition to pizza!

• Note: in Peru, the garlic sauce was really watery, so if you’re using aïoli (which is mostly thick and gooey) make sure to use only a little bit!

Is the Pizza Toastie dinner, lunch or breakfast?

Toasties are meals that can work for all three meals of the day. And for in between snacks, too. It depends on you when you want to eat this toasted sandwich. 

If you’re craving toastie, eat it for breakfast or lunch. If you’re craving pizza, have one for dinner. 🙂