Cooking with Kids: Fun Recipe "Pizza-Smile"

Cooking with kids is not only fun but also beneficial! It helps develop children's fine motor skills, creativity, and teaches them new skills. Today, we offer you a bright and tasty recipe to try with your little ones – a pizza-smile. This simple and engaging recipe is sure to be a hit with every little chef!

Ingredients: For the dough:

• 250 g flour
• 1 tsp dry yeast
• 150 ml warm water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• A pinch of salt

For the topping:

• 150 g tomato sauce
• 200 g grated cheese (mozzarella or any other)
• Olives for the eyes
• Sausages or bell pepper for the smile
• Cherry tomatoes or pineapple pieces for the cheeks

Steps:

Making the dough. In a large bowl, mix flour, yeast, and salt. Gradually add warm water and oil, kneading a soft dough. If a child is doing the kneading, this is a great time to practice hand coordination – let the child knead the dough on their own (under supervision!). Let the dough rise for 30 minutes.

Preparing the toppings. While the dough is rising, prepare the ingredients. Give your child small tasks: chopping cherry tomatoes, sausage, or bell pepper. Olives can be cut in half to use as eyes for the pizza smile.

Rolling the dough. Once the dough has risen, divide it into small balls (if you want to make several mini pizzas) or roll out one large round piece. Let your child help roll the dough – they'll find it exciting and fun!

Assembling the pizza. The most fun part! Show your child how to spread the tomato sauce on the dough, then sprinkle it with cheese. Now it’s time to decorate: make eyes out of olive halves, a smile from sausage or pepper, and cheeks from cherry tomatoes or pineapple. Give your child complete creative freedom!

Baking. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes until the dough is golden and the cheese has melted.

Garnishing and serving. Once the pizza is ready, you can add some greens for color and flavor. Your pizza-smile is now ready to serve! Kids will be thrilled to have made their very own “happy” dish.

Tips:

• To vary the recipe, you can use different vegetables to create different facial expressions on the pizzas.
• If your child finds it difficult to cut ingredients, give them safe knives designed for children.
• Instead of yeast dough, you can use a ready-made pizza base to speed up the process.

Cooking with kids is a great way to spend time together, teach them something new, and delight the whole family with a tasty result!