Making your own pizza with kids is easy! Too often we perceive making things by scratch to be difficult and end up spending way too much money to buy a sub-standard product. Time is also an issue, when you have busy lives and hungry kids to feed. However making easy pizza with kids really is simple, stress free and homemade is so much more delicious than anything you can buy. All it takes is a little organisation and a hot water cupboard! It’s a great activity to do with the kids these holidays. They will love all the kneading and choosing what ingredients to go on top.
The first stage involves the yeast sitting in your hot water cupboard or a warm place for about 15 mins, the second stage is where for give yourself an arm workout for about 10 mins (This is where you get the kids involved!) and the third stage is when it proves in your hot water cupboard again until it doubles in size. The time for this varies but we have experienced success every time we have made it even though we have left it for different amounts of time.
Easy pizza dough
You will need
2 tsp yeast (instant dried)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups of plain flour
1/2 cup warm water
How to make easy pizza with kids
In a bowl add the warm water, yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil. Leave for about 10 minutes until it’s activated and a bit bubbly.
Add the yeast mixture to the flour by making a well in the centre and mixing it with your hands to form a dough ball.
Knead it until it’s smooth – this takes about 10 mins – using the heel of your hand works well and you get into a rhythm. Great exercise!
Put into a bowl coated in a bit of olive oil and place some where warm to let it prove (rise) to double it’s original size. I leave it for an hour or so. (I used the hot water cupboard)
When ready, punch the dough as it’s quite light and re-work it into a ball.
It’s now ready to use.
Roll it out to the desired thinness/thickness – I always go thin.
Place on to a floured pan or pizza stone and add toppings. TIP: Uncooked pizza dough can be frozen in balls or flat between baking paper.
Bake at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes.
Interesting toppings and hints
Use a base of tomato sauce or pesto, you can even use store bought pasta sauce.
TIP: Be careful with ingredients that have a high water content such as fresh tomato, mushrooms, pineapple or frozen spinach – these can make the pizza soggy if you add too much.
Toppings
Ground mince and cheese
Cracked egg and bacon
Lamb and crumbled Feta
Ham, cheese and pineapple
Roasted vegetables and grated cheese
Chicken and grated broccoli
Salmon and cream cheese
