Artichoke Pizza

For the dough

1. Place water in a bowl large enough to hold both the water and all the dry ingredients and still have room to spare. Mix together dry ingredients in another bowl.
2. Add dry ingredients to water a bit at a time and mix thoroughly to form a dry rough mass.
3. Pour the oil over the dough, mix again to scrape off any dough residue stuck to side of the bowl, and place the rough shaggy dough onto a work surface.
4. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes.  If the dough is too sticky, place a clean bowl inverted over the dough and wait 30 minutes before resuming.  Return to kneading (just make sure to knead for at least a total of 5 minutes).
5. Place the bowl over the dough once more and let sit for 30-40 minutes to warm up before forming the dough ball.
6. After 40 minutes pull the dough towards its end repeatedly to form a smooth ball.  Pinch the seam side and place the dough ball seam side down into an oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least 12 but ideally 24 hours before using. 

For the artichoke pizza

1. Take the dough out of the fridge 2 hours prior to using. Do not uncover the bowl.
2. Coat the Grandma pizza pan or standard half sheet with 6 tablespoons of olive oil. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it into the pan. With your fingertips begin pressing the dough into the corners of the pan. If needed, oil your fingertips to help with the sticky dough. You will not be able to do this in one attempt.  Place plastic over the pan and let the dough warm up for 45 minutes. 
3. Drain the artichoke hearts and cut them into quarters. Pat the artichokes dry with paper towels to remove any excess water.
4. After 45 minutes remove the plastic and again try to stretch the pizza dough to the size of the pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and repeat the process one more time until the dough has completely filled the pan.  Cover the dough and set aside.  Preheat oven to 450f and set one rack to the lowest level of the oven and one to the highest.
5. In a small bowl, combine the garlic with a 1/4 cup of olive oil.
6. Remove the plastic from the pan and if required press the dough into the edges.  Starting by holding or pressing one of the corners. Layer the mozzarella cheese onto the corner to hold it in place. In an overlapping shingle pattern, leaving the outside 1/2 inch uncovered, layer the mozzarella until the pizza is completely covered.
7. Next, distribute the artichoke hearts all over the pizza then place spoonfuls of the ricotta in a random pattern on top of the artichokes. Sprinkle the hot red pepper flakes and drizzle the garlic oil on top of the pizza.
8. Place the pizza onto the lowest rack and cook for 10 minutes rotating the pan 180 degrees at the halfway point. 
9. After 10 minutes remove the pizza from the oven and check the bottom for browning. If the pizza is well-browned, bake on the top rack for 8 more minutes. Otherwise, leave the pizza on the bottom rack for 8 more minutes.
10. After 18 minutes of baking remove the pizza. Sprinkle with the Pecorino Romano and the basil leaves. Return the pizza to the oven and bake for 2-4 more minutes.
11. The total cooking time will be approximately 20-22 minutes.  Remove the artichoke pizza from the pan and let cool for a couple of minutes on a wire rack before slicing. Enjoy!