Skillet Pesto Mozzarella Bread

No, you're not dreaming. This is real. Chewy-crisp bread, topped with pesto and mozzarella and baked IN A SKILLET until ooey-gooey and awesome. This is out of control. And you need just 4 ingredients.

So why the skillet? 'Cause I wanted to see if it would change the texture of the bread. When I make pesto-mozzarella bread, I typically use my baking sheet. This time, I wanted to see what would happen if I used a high-sided, ovenproof skillet (I used my cast iron pan). I was hoping that cooking the bread in the skillet would produce slices that were equally toasty, but still chewy in the middle. I also wanted to make sure I didn't lose all the melty cheese to the baking sheet; when cheese melts into a skillet, you can scoop it up when you grab your slice. The result? GAME CHANGED FOREVER. Bye-bye baking sheet. This rocked my world. Culinarily speaking.

This is a simple swap of pans, but what a HUGE difference in the final product. I used the same ingredients, I just changed the cooking vessel. Recipe testing is hard work, am I right?

So, you need to try this. If you don't have a cast iron pan, use any ovenproof, high-sided skillet (the goal is to protect the bread from the harshness of the hot oven; this keeps it chewy in the middle while toasting the outside at the same time). You can also use a casserole dish.

Oh, and as amazing as basil pesto is, I'm going to try other variations (under the cheese) to keep this skillet-mozzarella-bread-train rolling. Sundried tomato pesto, garlic-butter, marinara sauce... the possibilities are endless.

Skillet Pesto Mozzarella Bread

1 baguette (Italian, French or sourdough), cut crosswise into 2-inch thick rounds
1/4 cup prepared basil pesto, or more if desired (I prefer the refrigerated variety)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or more if desired
Crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the pesto all over one side of the bread rounds and nestle them, pesto-side up, in an ovenproof skillet or casserole dish (keeping the slices close together ensures that more cheese stays on top!). Top the bread slices with the cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese melts. If you want golden brown cheese, keep baking until the cheese bubbles and turns golden brown.
Sprinkle the crushed red pepper flakes over top and serve hot.
Serves 4-6