This is the first recipe we used our sourdough starter for, and the first one where we used the homemade pesto from Sunday:

A post will be forthcoming about making your own sourdough starter. But you can frequently also buy them at farmer’s markets or get them from a friend. It’s actually kind of a point of pride for bakers and bakeries to have a long-living starter (they survive forever with the same yeast growing, eating, being split in half and then growing back to original size). Our starter was born in 2012. I hope it’s still around in 2022 and beyond!

Here’s what you need to make this delicious pizza:

For the crust:

• 1 cup sourdough starter
• 2.5 cups flour
• 1 cup water

You can also, of course, sub your favorite crust recipe. This one is my new favorite. I wish I had taken a photo of what the inside of the crust looked like, so you could see how chewy and perfect it was! It was just awesome.

Knead the flour and water into the starter about a half cup at a time. Allow to rise for 1-2 hours. Roll out to make a largeish pizza – about 14 in. in diameter.

For the toppings:

• 3-4 Tbsp. homemade pesto, or more
• 1/2 lb. medium shrimp
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 sliced roma tomato
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1-2 cups spinach – we used raw but frozen would probably work.

Start by sauteeing the vegetables and the shrimp. While they are cooking, you can spread the crust with pesto, top with cheese and finally add the spinach. Finish with the sauteed goodies when they are cooked through.

Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes, or until the crust is done to your liking. Our crust didn’t brown a heck of a lot, but it was done perfectly and had an ideal moisture content. I can’t wait to make it again!