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A slice of toast topped with melted cheese, cherry tomatoes, onions, and green peppers on a decorative plate, served with a gold fork on a wicker tray lined with newspaper-style parchment.

Japanese Pizza Toast

by Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Chunky slices of Japanese milk bread topped with homemade pizza sauce, salty ham, fresh veggies, and melty mozzarella cheese. This Japanese Pizza Toast is the epitome of deliciousness and nostalgia! No wonder it makes a popular lunch and snack item among children and adults in Japan!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Servings: 3 slices

Ingredients

For the Quick Pizza Sauce

  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (red pepper flakes) (plus more for serving, to taste)
  • 1 clove garlic (minced or crushed)
  • 3 Tbsp ketchup (or 2 whole tomatoes, canned)
  • ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the Pizza Toast

  • 3 slices shokupan (Japanese milk bread) (¾ inch, 1.5 cm thick per slice)
  • ⅛ sweet onion
  • ⅛ green bell pepper
  • 4 cherry tomatoes
  • 3 slices ham
  • 6 Tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese (or more, if you'd like)

Instructions

  • Gather all the ingredients.
    A top-down view of sandwich ingredients on a wooden surface: a loaf of bread, ham, green pepper, onion, cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese, ketchup, olive oil, a garlic clove, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.

To Make the Quick Pizza Sauce

  • Heat a small frying pan or saucepan on medium low. When the pan is warm (not hot), add 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper (red pepper flakes), and 1 clove garlic (minced or crushed). Sauté gently for about 2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant but not burned.
    A two-panel image shows a frying pan on a stove with oil, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes. In the second panel, a blue spatula stirs the ingredients as they cook.
  • Once fragrant, add 3 Tbsp ketchup. Stir to combine all the ingredients together.
    Two-panel image: Left, minced garlic and red pepper flakes are sautéing in oil in a pan while ketchup is being poured in. Right, a hand stirs the ketchup mixture with a blue spatula, blending the ingredients.
  • Add ⅛ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper to taste and stir to combine. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside to cool.
    Two side-by-side images show hands adding spices and salt into a pan of red tomato sauce cooking on a stovetop. The sauce is simmering in oil, and ingredients are being poured from small glass bowls.

To Prepare the Bread and Toppings

  • Using a bread knife, cut 3 slices shokupan (Japanese milk bread) ¾ inch (1.5 cm) thick, if it's not already sliced.
    A close-up of hands slicing a loaf of white bread on a wooden cutting board, shown from two different angles.
  • Using a sharp knife, thinly slice ⅛ sweet onion and ⅛ green bell pepper. Cut the 4 cherry tomatoes into three slices each (if possible). Then, cut 3 slices ham into thin, short strips.
    Four side-by-side images show hands slicing an onion, a green bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and ham on a wooden cutting board.

To Make the Pizza Toast

  • Set the shokupan slices on your work surface. Leave whole or cut in half (I like to cut diagonally) if serving to children. Place the two halves back together so they look like one slice.
    Next, spread about 1 Tbsp homemade pizza sauce on top of each slice and sprinkle with a small pinch of shredded mozzarella cheese—once melted, it helps keep the toppings in place.
    A three-step sequence shows: slicing white bread, spreading red jam on it, and sprinkling shredded cheese on top with hands, all on a light wooden surface.
  • Next, scatter some onion slices, green pepper slices, and ham strips. Finally, add the tomato slices and sprinkle all over with the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese, about 2 Tbsp per pizza toast.
    Three side-by-side images show hands preparing toast with tomato sauce, sliced onions, bell peppers, and halved tomatoes, then topping it with shredded cheese on a wooden surface.
  • Adjust the toaster oven rack to the middle position. Place the pizza toast directly on the rack, making sure the toppings don’t hang over the edges. Toast on High setting (450ºF or 230ºC) until the edges start to brown and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.
    Nami's Tip: I set a tray underneath the rack to catch any melted cheese. The bottom may not crisp as well, but it keeps the oven clean.
    Two photos side by side: On the left, an uncooked French bread pizza with cheese, peppers, and pepperoni; on the right, the same pizza baked with melted cheese and browned toppings, both on a foil-lined oven rack.

To Serve

  • Serve hot immediately. Sprinkle more red pepper flakes on top, if you‘d like.
    A slice of toast topped with melted cheese, cherry tomatoes, onions, and green peppers on a decorative plate, served with a gold fork on a wicker tray lined with newspaper-style parchment.

To Store

  • Wrap leftover pizza toast (cooked or uncooked) tightly in plastic. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Reheat in the toaster oven straight from frozen or after thawing.

Nutrition

Calories: 275kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 769mg, Potassium: 241mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 426IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 214mg, Iron: 2mg
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