Ingredients for 6 people: For the dough:500 g plain flour Italian Type 0 (plus a handful for kneading)350 ml water100 g sourdough starter2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil12 g salt *** For the filling and topping:500 g fresh sheep’s milk ricotta150 g cherry tomatoes2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil to brush over the surface2 jars (180 g each) Bell Peppers, Olives and Capers70 g fresh pecorino cheese (cut into sticks)15 fresh basil leaves (plus a sprig for garnishing)50 g grated aged pecorino cheese salt
Prepare the pizza dough: in a bowl, mix the flour with the sourdough starter; slowly pour in the water and, stirring continuously, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the salt. When the mixture becomes firmer, transfer it onto your work surface, sprinkled with a handful of flour, and knead with your hands until you have a smooth, homogeneous ball of dough. Place it in a bowl greased with a tablespoon of olive oil, cover with a cotton cloth and put it in the fridge to rise for about 24 hours. Take it out 2 hours before you start preparing the recipe.
For the filling and topping: wash the cherry tomatoes and pat them dry, cut them in half, put them in a bowl and season with salt, then set aside. In another bowl, mash the ricotta with a fork, add the Bell Peppers, Olives and Capers (well drained of their oil), the grated aged pecorino and 5 basil leaves torn up by hand, and give everything a good stir.
Divide the dough, which has now risen, into two equal parts and roll one half out on a work surface sprinkled with flour, shaping it into a disc about 30 cm in diameter, then place it on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Place a cup upside-down in the centre and press down lightly, just enough to leave an indentation. Remove the cup and put some of the filling in the circle where it was, creating the “centre”, then distribute the remaining filling in a ring all around the pizza, leaving 3 or 4 centimetres free around the outer edge and the same distance from the centre. Now roll out the other half of the dough and shape it into a disc the same size as the first one. Place it on top of the base with the filling, trying to match up the edges (seal them well by pressing down with your fingers). Using a sharp knife, start from the edge of the “centre” and make cuts outwards to the outer edge forming segments, ideally of equal size (they will become the sunflower’s petals). Twist each segment around by 90 degrees, so that the filling remains on top in an opening and is visible. Remove the seeds from the cherry tomatoes that you set aside and arrange them on top of the “centre”. Insert the “sticks” of fresh pecorino in the openings of the segments, on top of the filling, and brush the surface of the pizza with olive oil. Bake in a preheated oven, at 200 °C on the fan setting, for around 30 minutes, until the pizza is golden brown.