If you’re looking for fun recipes for kids to cook, look no further than this playful take on the traditional pizza. Kids (and grown-ups) love pizza anyway, so be prepared for maximum excitement when they get to make funny faces out of their pizza toppings. The best part is that there’ll be no arguments about which toppings to choose!
Making pizza from scratch at home is much easier than you might think, and it can be a healthier option too: for example, the pizza recipe below contains no sugar or salt. The kids will love getting messy with the flour, before unleashing their creative side when it comes to the toppings.
The benefits of cooking with children are endless – experimenting and playing with food is a great way for them to learn about different ingredients, where they come from, and how they can be put together to make something both delicious and healthy. The kids will have lots of fun, and they’ll have a great sense of satisfaction when they get to eat a yummy pizza at the end of it all!
What you need:
200g plain flour
250ml warm water
1 tsp dried yeast
Tomato puree or pizza sauce
Sprinkling of oregano
Grated cheese
Various toppings to make your pizza face features, such as sliced peppers, olives, ham, pineapple, mushrooms, and sweet corn
What to do:
Preheat your oven to 180c/ gas mark 4.
Mix together the yeast and water and leave the mixture in a warm place for 8 minutes.
Mix in the flour and knead until it forms a firm dough.
Dust a clean surface with flour, roll the dough out into a circle and bake it for 7 minutes.
Spread your tomato puree or pizza sauce onto the cooked base and sprinkle it with cheese.
Now for the fun part! Get creative by encouraging the kids to make funny faces out of the toppings.
The pizza should now be starting to take shape. Pop it back into the oven for another 7-10 minutes.
Leave to cool.
Cut the pizza into slices and eat with your hands for maximum messiness!
Managing the mess
Cooking activities for kids are bound to get messy, but embrace it! Part of the fun of making pizza is that kids can get covered in flour and make a mess. Here are a couple of handy tips, so you don’t have to worry about the clean up.
Flour is much more difficult to remove when water has been added, as it can get really sticky. Dust hands, surfaces, and clothes off as much as possible before you use water and soap.
If anyone has a tomato sauce spill on their clothing, simply scoop up the excess with a spoon, blot it with a wet sponge, and apply a liquid detergent that is tough on stains, like Persil Liquid Detergent. Launder as usual, according to the instructions on the garment care tag.
Pizza grease stain removal is just as easy – simply blot away any excess grease with a tissue, before applying your Persil Liquid Detergent directly onto the stain. Give it a rub with the Stain Erase Ball that comes with the bottle, and launder as instructed on the garment care tag. Make sure that the stain has been fully removed before you tumble dry or iron the clothing.
Why not invest in some fun aprons for the kids to wear when they’re cooking? They’ll love feeling like professional chefs!