Spotted Snake Pizza

This pizza is great fun to make together with your child. It almost looks too good to eat!

Yield: 4 servings

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 ounces Cheddar cheese, cut into 12 cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten

Topping:
3/4 cup store-bought tomato sauce with herbs
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into slices
Red, orange, and yellow sweet peppers, cored and seeded
2 black olives, pitted
Small piece of green pepper

1. Place the yeast in a mixing bowl, add 1 cup of lukewarm water, stir in the sugar, and mix with a fork. Allow to stand until the yeast has dissolved and started to foam, about 10 minutes. Stir in the olive oil, then mix the flour and salt together and fold half of this mixture into the bowl using a wooden spoon. Gradually mix in three-quarters of the remaining flour, stirring with the spoon until the dough forms a sticky mass and begins to come away from the sides of the bowl.
2. Sprinkle some of the remaining flour onto a smooth work surface. Remove the dough from the bowl and gradually knead in the remaining flour, a little at a time, until the dough is smooth and elastic and no longer sticks to your hands. This will probably take between 8 and 10 minutes. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel, and leave in a warm place to rise for about 50 minutes, or until doubled in size. To test whether the dough has risen enough, stick two fingers in the dough and if the indentations remain, the dough is ready. Punch the dough down with your fist and place on a floured work surface. Knead again for a few minutes, until the dough is nice and elastic.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Divide the dough into about 12 balls with one larger ball for the head of the snake and a small tail made from the dough for the end of the snake. Stuff each of the balls with a small cube of cheddar cheese, making sure it is completely covered with dough. Place the balls and tail on a large greased baking tray in the shape of a snake so that they are just touching each other. Brush the tops of the balls with the beaten egg and bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until lightly golden and joined together.
4. Top each ball alternately with tomato sauce and a slice of mozzarella cheese, and decorate with sweet pepper shapes, which can be cut out using mini cookie cutters.
5. Bake for another 5 minutes. Add the olives for eyes and a forked tongue cut from a strip of green pepper to complete the snake.