Pizza with Pesto, Tomatoes, and Prawns

 Ingredients - Dough

•  1/2 cup warm water
• 2 tbsp active dry yeast
• 5 cups unbleached white flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups warm water
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions - Dough

1. Proof the yeast by sprinkling it over the half cup of water and whisking with a fork. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt and make a well in the centre. After ten minutes, when the yeast begins to foam, pour it into the centre of the of flour and add the two cups of warm water.
3.  Stir the ingredients with a large wooden spoon.
4. When the dough starts to come together, turn it out onto a floured surface. Generously flour your hands and knead the dough for at least ten minutes or until the dough springs back.
5. In the bowl that you first mixed the dough in, add the olive oil, coat the sides of the bowl, and turn the dough over in the oil.
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place to proof for at least two hours.

Pesto Ingredients
*Note* it is fine to skip this step and use store bought pesto sauce

• 3 cups chopped fresh basil
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Pesto Instructions

1. Place the basil in a blender. Pour in about 1 tablespoon of the oil (or more if you need to, I used more) and blend basil into a paste. Gradually add pine nuts, salt, Parmesan cheese, garlic, chili powder, and remaining oil. Continue to blend until smooth.
2. Set aside until later.

Pizza Instructions

1. Put your pizza stone into the oven and turn the heat to 450. Leave the stone in for at least a half hour before you're ready to begin cooking the pizza.
2. Prepare about a pound of fresh or frozen shrimp for cooking, then cube a quarter cup of butter, snip up some fresh chives, mince a clove of garlic, and juice a whole lemon.
3. Put everything but the lemon juice into a frying pan at medium high heat, add a little olive oil to keep the butter from burning, add the shrimp, and begin sauteeing.
4. When the prawns are cooked, add the lemon, some salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
5. By now the pizza dough should be ready. Punch it down, divide it in two and roll each half out to make two pizzas.

Now you're ready to start building
The toppings: fresh pesto, fresh mozzarella, feta cheese, fresh grated parmesan, the shrimp, red ripe campari or other flavourful tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and basil.

1. Start with the pesto and spread it over the dough.
2. Transfer the dough onto the hot pizza stone. Don't worry about the pizza being perfect. Slide it  onto your hot pizza stone, or gather it up and transport it (that's what I do) and add the rest of your toppings.There's no measurement - add as much or as little of each ingredient as you want.
3. Bake at 450 for about ten to fifteen minutes until your crust is golden brown and the cheese is Gooeylicious.
4. Remove from the oven and enjoy.