We hosted a hands-on cooking dinner for a friend, Judy Burgess, and her family, including her son, daughter-in-law, and their two adorable children. The menu was based on the food preferences of the kids and the printed menu was designed to include their names (Mack and Ava). The pizza sticks were quite a hit. You’ll notice on the menu that I originally called them Pizza Sticks à la “Ava”. However, Judy told me that on the way home, as the kids shared their favorites about the evening, Ava’s choice was Pizza Sticks “I Like Ava”. The name stuck and I have officially renamed the recipe. I have added notes (in red) explaining how I adapted this recipe so the kids could help.)
 |
| Mack & Ava with Meta; Pizza Twists "I Like Ava" to the side. |
Pizza Sticks “I Like Ava” Yield: 12 to 13 sticks
1 batch pizza dough (if using linked recipe, cut it in half for the equivalent of 1 batch of pizza dough, or use 1 (13.8 oz) tube pizza crust
About 1/4 to1/3 cup pizza or pasta sauce + extra for dipping (I just add Italian seasoning + a few drops of olive oil to purchased tomato sauce)
About 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Olive oil for brushing sticks, or use olive oil spray
About 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
About 2 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Preheat the oven to 425°. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle (Ideally roll out on a silicon baking sheet for easy handling.) If the dough is misshapen, cut edges into a rectangle shape but it’s okay if edges are slightly wavy. (I had this done but let the kids use to rolling pin to straighten out the dough)
- Use a pizza cutter to cut dough in half lengthwise.
- Sparingly spread pizza sauce on one side of the dough. (We talked about the word sparingly before they began brushing on the sauce.)
- Add grated mozzarella cheese — use filling ingredients sparingly because as you twist the breadsticks any extra filling will squeeze out the edges. (They again practiced sprinkling on the cheese sparingly.) Finely chopped pepperoni, herbs, etc. could also be added at this point.
- Place the other half on top the pizza side.
- Slice into 1" strips. (I demonstrated and then they each carefully cut a strip or two. No they were not perfectly straight . . . but that makes little difference!)
- Use a fork to press down the sides of each breadstick. (An especially fun task for kids - a salad fork was the perfect utensil.)
- Twist two times and place on prepared baking sheet. (We ended up with a few more twists & so rather long sticks . . . but what fun we had!)
- Brush the tops of the stick with olive oil or use olive oil spray and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. (We actually omitted this step because we were so excited to put them in the oven.)
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are slightly golden brown.
- Serve with extra pizza sauce.
1 batch pizza dough (if using linked recipe, cut it in half for the equivalent of 1 batch of pizza dough, or use 1 (13.8 oz) tube pizza crust
About 1/4 to1/3 cup pizza or pasta sauce + extra for dipping
About 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
Olive oil for brushing sticks, or use olive oil spray
About 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
About 2 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Preheat the oven to 425°. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roll out the dough into a rectangle (Ideally roll out on a silicon baking sheet for easy handling.) If the dough is misshapen, cut edges into a rectangle shape but it’s okay if edges are slightly wavy.
- Use a pizza cutter to cut dough in half lengthwise.
- Sparingly spread pizza sauce on one side of the dough.
- Add grated mozzarella cheese — use filling ingredients sparingly because as you twist the breadsticks any extra filling will squeeze out the edges.
- Place the other half on top the pizza side.
- Slice into 1" strips.
- Use a fork to press down the sides of each breadstick.
- Twist two times and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of the stick with olive oil or use olive oil spray and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning. Finely chopped pepperoni, herbs, etc. could also be added at this point.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are slightly golden brown.
- Serve with extra pizza sauce.
No comments:
Post a Comment