Homemade Calzones

I’ve been craving the crusty, saucy, gooey cheesy goodness of calzones for months.

I start by making my homemade pizza dough in the bread machine because I don’t have a stand mixer and it really is easy to add all of the ingredients, press start and come back a couple of hours later to dough that’s ready to go. Whatever method you choose for making the dough, you will want to punch it down after it has risen and divide it into four equal pieces. Work those pieces into a seamless ball and press into discs like these beauties:

At this point you can use a rolling pin or your hands to flatten the discs to a thickness of about 1/4”.

This will yield a circle of dough roughly the size of a small pizza. When you reach this point, you are ready to put together some seriously delicious calzones.

Grab your choice of sauce and fillings and make a small pile on the right side of the circle, leaving about an inch of empty space around the outer edge. You’ll need this to press the outside of the calzone together to make a pocket. It may help to lightly damped the outer edge to help it seal well.

Place the calzones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. At this point I brush the tops with olive oil spiked with a little garlic powder.

Shove ‘em in the oven for 15 – 18 minutes, or until they turn a light golden color and you just can’t stand it anymore. Remove them from the oven and let the cool for at least 10 minutes, unless you like to get a mouthful of molten lava.

Homemade Calzones

 

Print

Warm pockets of crusty, cheesy, saucy goodness? Yes, please.

Author: Michael Nolan

Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

• pizza dough
• marinara
• cheese
• pizza fillings

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 475F.
2. Divide a standard pizza dough recipe into four equal parts and form into balls. On a floured surface, flatten dough balls into1/4" discs about a foot across.
3. Add a few tablespoons of sauce on the right half of the dough leaving an inch of dry space around the outer edge. Add your choice of fillings, careful not to stuff them too full or they'll burst while baking.
4. Dampen the outer edge of the circle, fold the left half over the right and press the edges together firmly to create a pocket. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Brush with olive oil and bake for 15-18 minutes, until the tops become lightly golden.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
7. Serve with a small bowl of warm marinara sauce for dipping.

3.2.2885