It’s fun, flexible, and tastes just as good as it appears. To make a simple school holiday cooking activity for kids of all age groups, pizza is the perfect choice.
As I was a teacher in my former life and an advocate for food literacy in my current life, as well as a parent today and always, The school holiday season, is both the best and most inconvenient time to discuss how to get kids involved in the kitchen.
The best part is that what better way to allow students to develop life skills like flexibility, resilience, and curiosity? Not to mention the ability to cook themselves and build up numeracy and literacy by the measurement or calculation of ingredients and following the instructions (or developing your own).
The school holidays can be the most difficult time to be in since it’s another task to add to your to-do list during a time when the capacity of the internet is stretched. The last thing you want to feel like is another person who is doing good to you, telling you a new task your children can or should be doing when you’re trying to put dinner on the table.
Instead of putting off the start of activity until it’s perfect or getting caught up in the minutiae of things, My advice for cooking with children is to begin at the beginning and even with the smallest of help. Also, the holidays at school are a great time to start as any and not the most perfect and unique moment ever.
If you are deciding what recipe you can cook with your children, begin with a familiar place. It’s a safe and enjoyable area to play.
Pizza is the perfect food for everyone. Each aspect of this recipe is scalable upwards or downwards, based on the abilities of your kids. Sorting basil leaves, peeling garlic, and squashing tomatoes among (washed!) fingers in a large bowl to catch splashes is a great task for those who are just beginning. Make them push buttons, use oil trays, and then roll out the dough and push it with the (washed!) fingertips. Children older than ten can be trusted with cutting off the mozzarella balls and then portioning pieces with scissors.
Tricolore pizza al taglio (three-colour tray-bake pizza) – recipe
It’s always enjoyable to play with for children, and it’s sort of similar to edible play dough (or is it play dough you can actually eat)? You can make a messy mess by putting newspapers on the surface or avoid the confusion entirely by using a stand mixer that has an attachment for a dough hook or ensuring that your food processor comes with a passion for kneading with a blade made of plastic. In the event that you do not have a high-sided 40cm 20cm oven tray, cut the dough in half and create two pizzas in smaller portions.
In this recipe, we’re using an uncooked dough that resembles focaccia, which is very tolerant and has enough instant yeast to give an enticing puff. I tried it by placing it on top of my coffee maker, but any warm place will suffice. Certain ovens come with the option of proving, especially modern models. It is possible to try a slower proof by putting it in the fridge overnight If you’d like and breaking the recipe into two parts can be beneficial when your kids are in pre-school or junior elementary school. Their attention spans only last a certain amount of time.
(You could even make this a teaching moment on the subject of farty yeast. “It’s eating the sugars in the mix and farting it out as gas, which helps the dough to rise,” you’ll explain with a chuckle and gasps.)
As opposed to bread dough, you won’t need to take time to put this one, as just dumping it into the tray and then poking your fingers into it is as powerful a punch as it can get. If it does pop into a bubble, it is just added appearance to the final result.
The flour can make a significant difference. Tipo 00 is a premium Italian flour that has a high protein content that is ideal for pasta or pizza. Nowadays, you can find flour that’s labeled “pizza flour” specifically, which means if you’re an individual who cooks recipes such as this often and often, it’s worth investing. But, if you’d prefer to make use of the basic flour that is already in your pantry, you will still have a wonderful outcome.
Red sauces are extremely easy to make, meaning that every ingredient is vital – particularly the tomatoes in a tin. It’s worth looking for San Marzano tomatoes, which originate from a region in Italy famous for its rich volcanic soil and mild climate that yields a very sweet pomodoro. If you are unable to find them or prefer using the ones that are already in your kitchen, Add a bit of sugar to create the illusion (a helpful nonna technique that can be useful when cooking using tomatoes).
Buffalo mozzarella doesn’t mean that you need to hunt for buffalo milk cheese. It’s more about the spherical form. These are the white softballs fresh in brine, not the custardy yellow vac-packed ducks. In other words, bocconcini is an appropriate replacement.
The sky is limitless with regards to toppings. I’ve picked a classic tricolor, which is the color of the oil of garlicky basil, the white of buffalo mozzarella, and the red color of the sauce. But you can be creative as well. Pineapple is always a good choice.
Produces one to two large pizzas that look like tray Roman pizzas
For the dough
1 7g sachet of dried yeast
One heaped teaspoon of honey
1 cup of warm water 1 cup warm
400g tipo pizza flour with an additional portion to sprinkle on and for kneading
One teaspoon of small salt
One tablespoon of olive oil and an extra ingredient to prove
Red sauce for the red sauce
1 x 400g tin San Marzano tomatoes
One handful of basil leaves and basil stems
One clove of garlic, bruised
60ml Extra Virgin Olive oil ( 1 cup) Plus additional for serving
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 x 125g buffalo mozzarella balls, drained
To make the oily, garlicky basil
The remaining basil leaves of the basil that was used to make the sauce red, with a few leaves reserved to end the sauce
One clove of garlic
120ml extra-virgin olive oil ( 1/2 cup)
Salt Pinch
In order to make your dough, In a small bowl, add the yeast as well as honey and warm water (for convenience, mix it using the spoon that is used to measure the love), then let it remain in a warm place for 10 minutes or until the dough is bubbly.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Make a hole in the center, then add the yeast mixture and the oil.
Clean your work area with flour. With your hands, mix the dough until it’s together. Transfer the dough onto the bench covered with flour and then knead it for five to seven minutes until the dough forms an attractive, round ball with a smooth, even surface. (If you are using a stand mixer or food processor, mix it on low with the dough hook or use a kneading knife for five minutes or until the dough is elastic and easily removed away from the sides. Then, make an oval.)
Put the dough balls (or balls) in a clean and greased bowl and cover it with a clean, wet tea towel. Put the bowl in a warm area until the dough has doubled in size, 30 minutes to an hour, or for a night in the refrigerator if you prefer a slower fermentation. (Ensure that you take it off the fridge for four hours before moving on with the subsequent step.)
For the red sauce, Pour the red sauce and the tomatoes into a bowl, then squash them using clean hands. Add the basil leaves that have been torn, as well as basil stems and olive oil, and stir to mix. Add salt and pepper according to your preference.
In order to make basil oil, mix all the leaves of basil, garlic cloves, olive oil, basil leaves, and some salt in a food processor and blend till the leaves of basil become tiny flecks. Set aside.
The oven should be at its most maximum temperature (around 220C/240C fan). Line your 40x20cm (approx) baking pan with baking parchment (or place two baking trays on it in case you’re making two pizzas).
Scoop out the proofed dough onto the tray you prepared. Spread it out to the corners. Cover the tray with an adsorbent tea towel, and place the dough tray in a warm area to prove again for about 15 to 30 minutes.
When the dough is pliable, use your fingers to poke holes all over the surface, creating an uneven surface that resembles the moon.
Take the basil leaves out of them and add the basil stems to them. Schmear the tomato sauce over the pizza, distributing it evenly to the edges. Cook for approximately 15 minutes or until the pizza is puffy and golden with a few charred bubbles. If the center is somewhat liquid, bake for a few minutes. The pizza is done when you lift a corner, and it’s baked and golden beneath.
For serving, remove your pizzas from the oven. Place the mozzarella balls over the pizza. Then, generously sprinkle the oil of basil on top and sprinkle with a few basil leaves to complete.
Cut the mozzarella into bite-sized pieces, then use the cutters to cut the pizza again into square pieces. Serve with basil oil If you like, or dip the pizza crusts into basil oil.
