Family Dinner: Teaching Kids How to Cook a Heart-Shaped Pizza

1. Add warm water Into a large bowl or electric mixer. Sprinkle on the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Stir to dissolve completely if needed at the end of 5 minutes. Stir the salt, sugar, and oil into the yeast solution.
2. Attach a mixing paddle to the mixer. Slowly add the flour on low speed for about a minute, until a dough begins to form flour. Remove mixing paddle and replace it with a dough hook. Knead mixture with dough hook, on low to medium speed, until the dough is smooth and elastic, (around 10 minutes.) If the dough seems a little too wet or sticky, simply sprinkle with a little flour at a time until no longer sticky. (*If you don't have a mixer, you can mix and knead by hand.)
3. Form dough into a ball. Place the dough in a bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil. Turn the dough in the bowl once in order to make sure that it gets coated with the oil on both sides. Cover bowl with towel and let it sit in a warm place (75-85°F) until it doubles in size, usually about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
5. Remove the dough and punch the dough down so it deflates a little. Divide the dough in half. This recipe makes two pizzas. Form two round balls of dough. Place each in its own bowl, cover with towel and let sit for 10 minutes.
6. Prepare your toppings while the dough sits. Tip: Do not load the pizzas with a ton of toppings. Doing so while not allow the crust to get crispy.
7. Place one ball of dough on a lightly floured surface. Begin to flatten the dough with your hands. Start from the center and work your way our, using your fingertips to press the dough to about 1/2-inch thick. (You can also use a rolling pin to do so.) Let the dough sit for about 5 minutes and stretch/roll dough until it reaches about 10 to 12 inches. Use your palm to flatten the edge of the dough where it is thicker. Form dough into a heart shape for Valentine's day! Pinch the edges to form a lip for the outer crust.
8. Brush the top of the dough with olive oil. Use a fork to press down and make dents across the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Let the dough stand another 5 minutes. Place dough on a greased pizza sheet. (Repeat steps 7 and 8 with the second ball of dough.)
9. Spoon on the tomato sauce, sprinkle with cheese, and place your toppings on the pizza.
10. Place one pizza in at a time. Bake pizza for approx 15 minutes, or until the crust is browned and the cheese is golden.

Yields: 2 (10-12-inch) pizzas

You can teach your kids how to make this fun recipe and share with them your love of cooking at the same time. This heart shaped recipe will be a fun activity to do with the whole family. They will love spending time in the kitchen with you and enjoy cooking this healthy recipe as well.

What fun meals are you making for Valentine's Day this year?

Featured image courtesy of Flickr.

Nicole Laws is a wife and mother to four rambunctious boys under 7. She does her best to create a healthy lifestyle for both herself and her family. She regularly searches for All Natural recipes that are both healthy and family friendly. She is the author of Modern Style Mama, a lifestyle blog that touches on all aspects of motherhood. Whether it's pregnancy, breastfeeding, surviving infant reflux, or life as a mom of four boys, there is something for everyone. She regularly blogs about healthy recipes makeovers, motherhood, and Must Have Products that help simplify her life as a mother. Connect With her: Twitter, Facebook