Kids Cuisine

When I signed on to write for Kids Cuisine, I admit that I had certain visions in my head.  I had visions of showing the world that it is possible to feed kids healthy food while feeding them what they want.  I had visions of using my children as examples of how to transform a picky eater into a connoisseur of all things wonderful. So it was with careful thought that I planned for my first article here at Kids Cuisine. I decided that as subject matter I should have my first-grade daughter plan and prepare dinner for the family, my reasoning being that kids in the kitchen would be stunning to see, a joy to write about, and the world would be impressed.

Then Abigail and I had “that conversation.”  I needed to rope her into my project, and even though she does like to help me in the kitchen, she does tend to get bored with the process. The best way to keep her interested was to ask her what she wanted to make.   Imagine the thoughts that rolled through my head when she simply replied “pizza.”  “Are you sure?” I asked.  I offered other suggestions, geared more towards a real meal, chicken, meatloaf, salad… there was no budging.  She wanted to make pizza, and she wanted to make it herself beginning to end.  All thoughts of grandeur flew out of my head, and I decided to suck it up and help her prepare a pizza that would be both nutritious and delicious. 

Our first step was to make the pizza dough.  I’ve been on the prowl for a whole wheat pizza crust that is easy to work with, and that won’t end up tasting like baked cardboard.  After a quick search on a bulletin board I frequent, I ended up with a whole wheat pizza crust that fit our criteria.  Abigail went to work.  I let her do everything except pour the olive oil out of the bottle.  When she went to measure the flour she paused and asked me if we were using wheat flour, because that is the healthiest to eat, and she could only eat bread made with wheat flour. How could I not love that?  Hooray for first grade nutrition!  After we let the dough rest, it was topping time. With all of our different preferences, I laid out 10 different bowls of ingredients for the kids to choose from.  They each patted out their own pizza dough and spread sauce and cheese on.  The topping choices actually surprised me.  Abigail chose sausage, pineapple, green pepper, tomatoes, and ham.  Zander chose ham, black olives, and pepperoni.   Into the oven they went, and both kids bounced around the kitchen waiting impatiently for their pizzas to bake.

Now I have to confess.  I had decided against writing about this pizza making adventure.  While the whole experience was fun in the kitchen with the kids, I didn’t think it made for very glamorous writing.  And then I watched my children eat their pizza.  While they do enjoy pizza like most other American children, they don’t love it.  They don’t clamor for it day in and day out; it’s an occasional meal for us here.  This time, though, there was magic in these pizzas.  Because those four little hands made these pizzas beginning to end, there was something special about them.  They ate more pizza than I’ve ever seen them eat at one time.  The best part was that they were not eating the grease laden junk-food that most people recognize as pizza.   They were eating nutritious, low in fat, healthful pizza that tickled their taste-buds and gave them a sense of accomplishment.   It wasn’t just pizza night in our house.  Zander summed it up best when he looked at me, appearing to be very stuffed, and said “Mommy, we should help Abigail make supper again tomorrow.”

And that pizza crust?  It has become an instant favorite and will be our standard pizza crust. The recipe is after the jump.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Recipe courtesy Curtis Aikens

1 package dry yeast (or 2 ¼ teaspoons)
1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon salt

Proof yeast in a measuring cup with the lukewarm water according to package instructions.

In a food processor, add whole wheat and all-purpose flour, proofed yeast, oil, honey, and salt.  Pulse processor to combine the ingredients.  Then process until the dough forms a ball on the blade.  Remove dough to a large oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes or until dough has doubled in bulk.

Punch down dough and transfer to a floured board and knead briefly.  Divide dough into 4 equal portions and roll each into a ball.  Place the balls of dough, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.  Bring the dough to room temperature before proceeding.

On a floured board, roll and stretch each piece of dough into a 7 to 8-inch circle.  Place each circle on a wooden pizza peel or pizza pan and top as desired. 

Preheat oven to 450ºF and bake for 7 to 8 minutes per pizza.