Feed Your Inner (or Real) Child With DIY Pizza Snacks
I am a very big fan of Lunchables, both product and concept. The food boxes that cannot be prepared, collected or eaten are convenient, customizable and fun for everyone, including schoolchildren and those who are just kids at heart.
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While I tend to consume random store-bought samples while drunk, I actually prefer making my own as it allows for the best ingredients and a little creativity. It’s pretty easy to make your own cheese and crackers set, but what about the iconic, coveted Lunchable pizza?
I know that some of you will accuse me of violating perfection. “This is not necessary,” you say. “Just buy Lunchable pizza.” But let’s be real for a moment: While making yourself a pizza for lunch was fun and exciting, the end product has never tasted so good, and any joy in your mouth you had was caused by a lot of sugar and a whole mess. salt. (Also full disclosure: I was homeschooled and thus always had access to the oven for toasting, and I used to reheat my Lunchables pizza before eating. When I realized most kids didn’t, I was horrified. )
Anyway. My point is that you deserved the best as a kid, you deserve the best now, and making Lunchable pizza is actually a lot of fun. We will now walk you through the process of creating the highest quality Lunchable you have ever encountered, addressing each component and optimizing it for maximum flavor.
Crust
The easiest way to do this is to buy or make real pizza dough and then just do small detours, but I wanted something that approached the flat and chewy crust of my youth and I wanted something that still it would be tender straight out of the refrigerator. I also wanted something pretty simple.
For all of these things, I turned to Minimalist Baker’s Garlic Herb Flatbread , although I made a few changes by eliminating rosemary and thyme and using all AP flour instead of AP and spelled. To achieve perfection, you will need:
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon organic cane sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more to cover the bowl
- 3/4 cup warm water
Whisk all dry ingredients, then make a small dent in the center and add olive oil and half a glass of water, stirring with a wooden spoon. You may need to add a little water to shape the dough, but once it starts to clump to a large extent, transfer it to a well-floured surface and knead until you have a nice, elastic mound. Pour some olive oil into a bowl, toss in a ball of dough to coat with a layer, then cover and let rise for an hour.
Remove the dough from the bowl, divide it into 12 roughly equal portions, and let them rest for about half an hour. When they’re well rested, roll them into round or five-inch mugs, then sauté over medium to high heat until crisp on both sides. (Use oil with a high smoke point; I used duck fat.) These tortillas shouldn’t be folded like Minimalist Baker’s, but that’s good because they need to be strong enough to get the pizza filling into our mouths.
Sauce
The most annoying part of the cold Lunchable pizza was the cold pizza sauce. The pizza sauce should see some heat – you know when you make pizza, and I’ve always found Lunchable sauce to taste like unfinished and too sweet.
Here we do not need a sauce, but a pasta , intended to be consumed cold. We need something thick and loving – something that would grab the cheese, hold it to our chest and whisper: “Now you are safe; I got you. “Luckily, we can easily do that using this excellent cherry tomato spread from Food52 . (Again, I made a mod and replaced the cayenne pepper with red pepper flakes, since red pepper flakes go well with pizza.) make your own, you will need:
- 450 g ripe cherry tomatoes
- 6 cloves of garlic
- Olive oil cups
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Preheat oven to 400 ℉. Cut the tomatoes in half and add them to the small oven along with all the other ingredients. Mix everything and place in the oven covered for an hour. Open the lid, stir again and cook for another hour to cool. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven, let it cool slightly, then hit it with a hand blender (or toss it into a real blender) to smooth it out. Place the sauce in cute little containers until ready to eat.
Toppings
I really have nothing against chopped mozzarella and pepperoni slices, but both get a little flat when eaten cold. Sub-par mozz is okay if you melt it, but that’s not the Lunchable way, and pepperoni doesn’t do it for me unless it’s turned into an adorable little fat cup. (Related: If you’re one of those people getting their pepperoni pizza wet, we’re sexually incompatible.)
Anyway. Since we are going to eat this situation cold, I urge you to invest in quality meats and cheeses that should not hide behind the heat. Some of my favorites include:
- Sausage: Prosciutto is a tender, surprisingly fatty piece of ham that doesn’t need to be cooked, so I go for number one, but any tasty meat will do that gives Dave Brooks class anxiety .
- Good cheese : Take real fresh mozzarella, preferably chili, and chop it into small pieces. But don’t stop there. Take some real parma (with visible crystals) and sprinkle with it for a nice contrast in flavor and texture.
- Unclear: You don’t really need them, but I love fruits or vegetables with a nice accent. Again, keep in mind that this is all meant to be eaten cold, so choose pickled mushrooms over fresh ones, pick up salted olives, or use yesterday’s fried vegetables. You can also borrow my favorite pineapple, which not only adds a delicious taste of bright acidity and sweetness, but also gives you a thrill that can only be achieved by challenging Papa Bourdin.
Then you are ready to place all the carefully prepared and carefully selected ingredients in an adorable little box and refrigerate until lunchtime. Yes, it’s a pretty tricky way to recreate a kid’s lunch, but haven’t you ever heard of the passion project?
And before you ask, they keep pretty well in the refrigerator. In fact, Sober Claire put one in the refrigerator before heading out for a few cocktails, and Drunk Claire was very grateful to him. Lunchable was not only delicious, but also consoled my soul, as is usually the case with nostalgic food, and all food – even packed lunches – should bring comfort.