Since I make pizza on a regular basis, I figured it was time I ventured into the realm of calzones. What I didn't know was how easy they would be! I used my same favorite pizza dough recipe and it worked wonderfully. Instead of pulling (no rolling here) the dough into a single large round, I divided the dough into four pieces and made four separate ones (that are then topped with fillings and folded over). Like usual, they went into the oven and onto a burning hot pizza stone. 8-10 minutes later I had golden crusty calzones! On the first try I used an egg wash but was disappointed because the calzones came out flat (although still tasty). Without the egg wash the dough puffed up beautifully. So I dropped the egg wash. Really, you can fill your calzone with whatever you fancy. I used a blend of Italian cheeses, fresh thinly shaved pepperoni, and a variety of veggies and fresh herbs (picked right outside my back door!). As is proper, the pizza sauce was served on the side for dipping.
INGREDIENTS
1 recipe pizza dough
Italian cheeses, shredded (Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano)
pepperoni, thinly sliced
baby spinach
baby portobello mushrooms (cremini), thinly sliced
red onion, thinly sliced
red bell pepper, diced
fresh basil, julienned
fresh oregano, chopped
Pizza Sauce, for serving
DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare pizza dough according to recipe directions.
2. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 450 F.
3. Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Stretch each piece of dough into a thin circle and place on parchment paper or a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal. Place cheese and toppings on half of the circle of dough, leaving a small border around the edge. Fold the dough over top and secure the edges by pressing with a fork. Cut several small slits in the top to allow steam to vent.
4. Transfer to the pizza stone and bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.
Makes 4 calzones.
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