Calzones, which are made from pizza crust dough and stuffed with tomatoes and meat or vegetables, are a handy substitute for pizza. Enjoy the calzones when they're done in the oven, but you can also save them for later and eat them at room temperature. This article provides instructions for making calzones from scratch.
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 pack of yeast that will dry instantly
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, with additional cooking oil
Calzone Filling Ingredients
- 450 g loose Italian sweet sausage
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 can of boiled tomatoes measuring 480 ml
- 1 cup baby portobello mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making the Dough
Step 1. Mix the ingredients
Place the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a mixing bowl. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to mix the ingredients. Let the mixer continue to beat the mixture while you add the water and 2 tablespoons of oil. At first, the dough will have a sticky texture, but will soon form into a ball.
- If the dough feels too dry, add a teaspoon of water to moisten it until the dough forms a ball.
- If the dough feels too sticky, add a spoonful of flour until a dough forms.
Step 2. Mix the ingredients
Place the dough on a work surface that has been greased with flour. Use both hands to knead until a firm ball of dough forms. The surface of the dough should start to look soft and shiny.
Step 3. Let the dough rise
Grease a large bowl with a few teaspoons of olive oil until the inside is thoroughly coated. Put the dough ball in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the bowl in a warm part of the kitchen. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size, which should take about 1 - 2 hours.
Step 4. Let the dough rest
Remove the dough from the bowl, then press the dough. Divide the dough into 8 portions, with each portion for one calzone you wish to make. Place the dough pieces on a tray, cover with plastic wrap, and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- If you want a larger calzone, then reduce the number of divided portions. To make more calzones, divide the dough into smaller pieces.
- At this point, you can store the dough in the refrigerator and use it in the future, or you can go ahead and finish the calzone recipe.
Method 2 of 3: Creating the Calzone Fill
Step 1. Cook sausage until brown
Heat a little cooking oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the sausages to the skillet. Cook one side of the sausage until brown, then flip the sausage over and cook the other side until brown. Cook sausages until fully cooked. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside.
Step 2. Sauté the onions and garlic
Add the onions to the skillet and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Step 3. Add the spices
Add the salt, pepper, and oregano to the skillet and stir to combine.
Step 4. Add tomatoes and mushrooms
Add the tomatoes and mushrooms to the pan along with the onions. Let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should have a thick and fragrant texture. If the mixture looks too runny after 20 minutes have passed, then continue cooking for another 10 minutes.
Step 5. Add the sausage meat
Put the sausage back into the pan. Remove the skillet from the heat source and prepare to fill the calzone.
Method 3 of 3: Making Calzones
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius
Step 2. Roll out the dough
Remove the plastic wrap from the tray that holds the dough pieces. Place the first piece of dough on a floured surface and use a rolling pin to make the dough into a disc shape. Continue until all the dough pieces are shaped like discs.
Step 3. Enter the filling
Transfer the calzone filling to the center of the dough disc with a spoon. The filling should fill about 1/3 of the dough; Don't put too much calzone filling to spread to the edges of the dough, as this will cause the calzone to not cook evenly.
Step 4. Fold and pinch the dough
Lift one side of the dough into a disc shape and fold it over to the other side to cover the calzone filling. Use your fingers or a fork to press the dough where the edges meet, so the calzone will be in the shape of a half moon. Repeat this process for the remaining disc-shaped dough.
Step 5. Bake the calzones
Place the calzones on a greased baking tray. Use a fork to punch holes in the top of each calzone. Use a brush to apply a little olive oil to the calzone. Place the tray in the oven and bake the calzones until the tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the calzones from the oven and serve warm.
Step 6. Done
Tips
- To make non-baked dough, flash-freeze the unbaked calzone on a tray.
- If the dough doesn't roll and keeps returning to its shape, then let the dough rest to loosen it up.
