2 ingredients and 5 steps, achievable with the littlest helpers!
We all know that cooking with kids is simply one of the most wholesome and beneficial things you can do. We don’t always let these benefits inspire us to cook with them. This is your friendly reminder that it’s worth it!
Don’t be fooled by their sweet cooking competence, the two little chefs in this video can be absolute stinkers when it comes to eating well. I recently read Dr Kyla’s advice that serving their own food is a wonderful way to get kids to eat more and be more adventurous, surely actually making it is a step better than that? …and do you know what? It has been really effective for us! Just you watch: in the video you can see how my girl’s plan changes about what she is willing to eat simply because it looks good and she’s in charge!
Surely there is no better ‘sensory play’ or teaching tool than cooking and there is absolutely no connection like the one found around the family table. At the end of a long week when everyone is tired and more than a little tightly wound, ‘Fun Friday’ diy pizza on the menu has helped these little chefs to connect, laugh and regulate some big emotions. So, even though it might feel a bit much to let the kids in the kitchen, let this encourage you to take the time to create dinner with those eager little helpers; they will make something they can be proud of and the list of benefits is substantial.
Now, let’s get on with the info!
Here’s the secret to the simplest pizza base around: Equal parts Greek yoghurt and flour. That’s it!
Pre-baking the crust at a higher temperature is the key to making this the perfect pizza. Once the base is starting to crisp, you can get to loading it with Inglewood Organic Chicken! …and all of your other favourite ingredients. Actually, throw in some that aren’t favourites too! Kids don’t have to eat it but the exposure and lack of pressure can work wonders with expanding palettes, fun and curiosity are a powerful combination. Like our little chef says “Whatever you like!”.
Easy Peasy Pizza Base:
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Plain Yoghurt
- 1 Cup SR Flour
- * If using plain flour like we did, just add 2 teaspoons of baking powder for each 150g/6oz/1 cup plain flour
We sourced all our ingredients from Toowoomba’s Organic Food Market.
Method
1. Mix Ingredients: Mix the flour and yogurt until a scruffy dough forms.
2. Knead: Transfer to a flour dusted work surface, then knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Add more flour as needed if the dough becomes too sticky…. maybe not quite as enthusiastically as these chefs ….
3. Parbake: Spread the dough on your pizza stone and bake the base at 260°C for 5-7minutes.
4. Remove from the oven: then add sauce and Inglewood Organic Chicken along with whatever toppings are sure to be a hit with your little chefs and co.
5. Finish Baking: Return the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is lightly browned, the cheese gooey and looking ready to gobble!
These simple two ingredient bases freeze beautifully too so don’t get daunted by the thought of getting roped into making fresh dough every time the need to create pizza strikes, freeze bases in advance! The dough doesn’t freeze well but once bases are parbaked it’s a different story, they can be stored in the freezer for 4-6 months.
We find that the dough is fun but its just as fun to simply load the bases and the level of satisfaction is magnified when they know they created those bases frozen or fresh. I suggest you get together as a family and have a pizza base making day and every time you grab one of those bases out of the freezer the kids will feel so chuffed and still feel they immediate sense of achievement as they load their toppings. Hello to unlocking beautiful core memories of family time, good food and connection.
By Julienne Doran
