Toddler Recipe Homemade Pizza With Veggie Faces

FUNNY FACE MINI VEGGIE PIZZA

Steps:

• Spread sandwich thin with cream cheese spread.
• Arrange fresh vegetables on cream cheese to create funny face.

HOMEMADE VEGGIE PIZZA

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a small bowl. The water should be no more than 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). Let stand for 5 minutes until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam.
• Sift flour, sugar, 1 tablespoon oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt into a large bowl. Mix egg and oil into dry ingredients; stir in yeast mixture. When dough has pulled together, turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, then place dough in bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place (80 to 95 degrees F (27 to 35 degrees C)) until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (235 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
• Cook and stir diced tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, 1 tablespoon oregano, garlic, onion powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until sauce has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Punch down dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a knife to divide dough into two equal pieces--do not tear. Shape dough into rounds and let rest for 10 minutes. Form dough into rectangles, and place onto prepared baking sheet. Spoon tomato sauce over dough. Sprinkle with 1 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese; top with bell pepper, onion, and mushroom. Sprinkle 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese over top.
• Bake in preheated oven until crust is browned and crisp and cheese has melted, 20 to 25 minutes.

"VEGGIE FACES" NO-BAKE VEGETABLE PIZZAS AND WRAPS

Steps:

• To assemble, start by spreading the "crust" with one or more types of "sauce."
• Add desired toppings to make a fun face.
• To serve, cut into wedges like a pizza, roll up like a burrito or wrap, or fold like a quesadilla.

PESTO RAINBOW PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Taking one half of an English muffin, spread roughly 2 tablespoons of pesto on top and then sprinkle with cheese. Taking the peppers, make a small rainbow or any design you would like on top of the cheese.
• Repeat with all of the English muffins.
• Place the topped English muffins onto a baking sheet, and bake for 8-10 minutes, then heat oven to broil and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

TODDLER RECIPE: HOMEMADE PIZZA WITH VEGGIE FACES

Steps:

• To make the dough, put both flours into a large bowl, then stir in the yeast and salt. Make a well, pour in 400ml warm water and the olive oil and mix with a wooden spoon until you have a soft, fairly wet dough. Bring together with a light knead in the bowl then turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 mins until smooth. Cover with a tea towel and set aside. Leave the dough to rise if you have time but it's not essential for a thin crust.
• To make the sauce, blitz the tomatoes, garlic and thyme and a little seasoning, either in a food processor or using a hand blender.
• Heat oven to 240C/fan 220C/gas 8. Get the toppings ready in bowls so that your children can decorate their own.
• If the dough has had time to rise, give it a little knead in the bowl, then split into four balls. On a floured surface, roll out two of the balls into wide circles using a rolling pin. The dough needs to be very thin as it will rise in the oven. Lift these onto two floured baking sheets or pizza trays.
• Smooth sauce over bases with a spoon. Scatter with cheese, then start making the faces. Courgette rounds make great eyes or cheeks, halved courgette rounds can be used for ears and spiralised courgette for hair. Strips of pepper are good for eyebrows and mouths while olives and halved cherry tomatoes make great eyes or earrings. Sweetcorn can be used for teeth or freckles. Let their imagination go wild.
• Cook for around 10-15 mins until crisp. You'll want to swap the pizzas to a lower shelf halfway through the cooking time.
• Repeat for the second two pizzas or freeze the balls of dough in two separate freezer bags, plus any remaining sauce in a sealed container.

MAKE-YOUR-OWN PERSONAL PIZZAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500°F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or grease them with a little olive oil.
• Prep your toppings while the oven preheats, and place them all in separate bowls on a counter or table within easy reach of each pizza maker.
• Cut the ball of dough into 4 equal-size pieces. Give one piece of dough to each person and let them roll, stretch, or press it out to a 6- to 8-inch circle. Try to avoid overworking the dough; encourage everyone to form their pieces into pizza-size circles and then get right to topping.
• Place two rounds of dough on each baking sheet and let each person top their pizzas however they like! No combination of ingredients is off limits (as long as there's enough for everyone). As a general rule, two or three spoonfuls of sauce is plenty for individual pizzas. As far as the other toppings go, however, there are no limits! (Just know that the crust might be flimsy and wet in the middle if you pile on too much. Encourage your fellow pizza makers to grab pinches or spoonfuls rather than handfuls of toppings.) Pro tip: Making pizza faces (see photo above) or other patterns with colorful toppings will prevent pizza makers from overloading their crusts.
• Transfer the baking sheets to the oven. Bake the pizzas for 10 to 15 minutes, rotating them halfway through, until the crust is golden and the cheese begins to brown in spots.
• Remove the pizzas from the oven. Drizzle the pizzas with a little olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and a grind or two of black pepper if desired. Let them cool for a few minutes before slicing.
• Serve the pizzas on their own or with ranch dressing, hot sauce, or other condiments for dipping/topping.