Holiday pizzas

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only
The latest in our cooking with kids series looks at kneading, rolling and sauce skills- then let your child build their own pizza from their favourite toppings

Prep:30 mins
Cook:15 mins

Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 341
fat 5g
saturates 1g
carbs 64g
sugars 5g
fibre 3g
protein 9g
salt 0g

Ingredients

500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
small pinch of sugar
7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
300ml warm water
1 garlic clove
400ml chunky passata
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp dried oregano
handful basil leaves, snipped
small pinch of sugar
1 tsp red wine vinegar
ham, red peppers, black olives, salami, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, cheddar, tuna, sweetcorn
houmous and green salad, to serve

Tip

Freeze your pizzas

If you want to freeze any pizza bases for later, roll to your desired size, spread with tomato sauce (see Step 5) and layer up between sheets of baking parchment. Wrap in foil and freeze for up to 1 month or until needed.

Throw a kids pizza party

Have the dough already made then let the kids get on with the rolling and topping. Have the topping ingredients out in bowls and get the kids to taste things they might normally shy away from, like red pepper or olives. Serve the pizzas with something to dip the crusts in, like houmous, so nothing goes to waste.

What skills can kids learn from pizza making?

MIXING AND KNEADING DOUGH to make and shape basic breads. ROLLING to later use when making pastry and biscuits. MAKING TOMATO SAUCE to use as a pasta sauce for a weeknight family meal.

Method

KIDS: The writing in bold is for you. GROWN-UPS: The rest is for you. Mix a sticky dough. Put the flour, sugar and yeast in a bowl and get the child to make a hole in the middle. Measure 300ml water – that isn’t cold and isn’t hot but just right (like the little bear’s porridge in Goldie Locks). Add the oil and water; point out that the two don’t mix well. Stir with a wooden spoon until you have a sticky dough. Add a splash more water if needed.
Now you need to do something called kneading. Scatter a bit more flour over the surface and tip the dough onto it. You now want to ‘stretch’ the dough and bring it back into a ball shape. This will need to be done for about 10 mins. I usually give children a few minutes bashing the dough about, then take over to make sure that the dough is smooth and elastic enough.
Leave the dough to grow. Brush a clean bowl with a little olive oil, put the dough in it and cover with cling film. Leave it somewhere warm for it to grow until doubled in size. Now is a good time to tidy up and wipe down surfaces a little before you start again.
Make a tasty tomato sauce. Crush the garlic by using a garlic crusher or by grating it on the fine edge of a box grater. Tip into a bowl and mix with the other sauce ingredients. Stir well until everything is combined, then set aside.
Roll out the dough. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 8. Show your child how the dough has grown, then divide into the amount of pizzas you want to make. Brush the baking trays with extra oil. Divide the dough and roll out, then lift onto the baking trays.
Spoon on the tomato sauce. You need to be a bit more careful with this task than you think. If the dough is thin, a child can easily tear it, so make sure that they use the back of the spoon to spread the sauce over. You can now freeze the pizzas – see tip, below.
Build your own pizza. Put all the toppings out in different bowls and let the child ‘build’ their own pizza. Little ones will need to be handed the ingredients as they will try to just pile up as much as they can or not be able to scatter things evenly.
Get cooking. You can get older kids to carefully place the tray in the oven using oven gloves (see safety first, opposite). Bake pizzas for 12-15 mins until puffed up and golden around the edges, then carefully lift out of the oven. Leave to cool slightly, then slip onto a board or plate. Serve cut into pieces with houmous and a simple green salad.