Do that do-it-yourself calzone recipe for a enjoyable twist on pizza night time! Crispy on the surface, tacky on the within, and simple to customise together with your favourite fillings.
Since Alex and I’ve grow to be consultants in do-it-yourself pizza, I made a decision why not attempt a enjoyable twist: calzones! Wrap pizza dough and pizza sauce round a tasty filling, and also you’ve received the finest calzone recipe.
Positive, sharing half of a pizza is sweet: however consuming that very same pizza within the type of your individual private pizza pocket is much more enjoyable! You need to use any greens you want in for the filling, and luxuriate in them with a scrumptious dipping sauce. Right here, I’ll present you learn how to form and bake completely golden and crisp calzones!
Why You’ll Love This Calzone Recipe
After spending years honing my do-it-yourself pizza dough and pizza sauce recipes (together with a number of journeys to Italy), I do know this recipe is dependable sufficient to grow to be your go-to. Right here’s why you’ll adore it:
- Reliably scrumptious: My in style pizza dough recipe has been beloved by many readers, and utilizing these easy shaping methods makes spectacular outcomes
- Completely customizable: You possibly can fill your calzones with any mixture of cheese, veggies, and meat you favor
- Freezer-friendly: Make a double batch and freeze extras for simple weeknight dinners
- Child-approved: Even youngsters love serving to form the dough and selecting their fillings
Reader Evaluations
“Made these tonight together with your traditional tomato sauce…completely superb!” -Kristin
“My youngsters beloved serving to me make these, and so they have been scrumptious! I actually love how simple it’s to customise them, too!” -Chelsea
What Is a Calzone?
The calzone pizza is a folded pizza that originated in Naples, Italy (the place all nice meals comes from, proper?). It’s primarily an enormous pizza pocket! As an alternative of being open-faced, the dough is stuffed with cured meats, cheeses, and veggies, then folded right into a half moon form and baked. The phrase “calzone” really means “trouser leg” in Italian, referring to its folded form!
Calzones normally don’t have any tomato sauce in them, since they’re served with marinara sauce for dipping. (This calzone recipe has only a little bit of sauce stirred into the filling for a burst of taste.) The distinction between this and stromboli is that stromboli is rolled right into a log form after which sliced.
Dough Choices: Selfmade or Retailer-Purchased
The inspiration of any nice calzone is the dough. Listed below are your finest choices:
- Selfmade pizza dough is my first selection when I’ve time. I exploit my Finest Selfmade Pizza Dough Recipewhich takes quarter-hour of hands-on time plus 45 minutes to rise. The flavour and texture are unbeatable. When you’ve got a stand mixer, attempt my Stand Mixer Pizza Dough technique for even simpler mixing.
- Retailer-bought pizza dough is an effective shortcut for busy weeknights. Search for recent dough within the refrigerated part of your grocery retailer. Be sure to let it sit at room temperature for Half-hour earlier than rolling.
Rolling tip: When rolling out your calzone dough, intention for circles about 5-6 inches in diameter and about 1/4-inch thick. Roll on a flippantly floured floor to stop sticking.
Find out how to Make Calzones
Making calzones is less complicated than you would possibly suppose. Right here’s my step-by-step course of with troubleshooting ideas inbuilt (or leap proper to the recipe beneath):
- Roll the dough: Place every dough ball on a flippantly floured floor and gently press or roll it right into a 5-6 inch circle. Don’t roll too skinny or it might tear if you fold it. Tip: If the dough retains shrinking again, let it relaxation for five minutes: this relaxes the gluten.
- Add the filling: Spoon about ⅓ cup of filling onto half of the dough circle, leaving a ½-inch border across the edge. Tip: Don’t overstuff! I discovered this lesson the laborious method: much less actually is extra.
- Fold and seal: Fold the empty half over the filling to create a half-moon form. Press the sides collectively, then crimp with a fork to seal utterly. This prevents the cheese from leaking out throughout baking.
- Put together for baking: Use a spatula to switch the calzones to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the highest of every calzone with an egg wash (1 egg crushed with 1 tablespoon water), or olive oil. This makes the shiny golden brown coloration (in case you skip this, it is going to prove pale and matte in end).
- Bake till golden: Preheat your oven to 500°F and bake for about 10 minutes.
Troubleshooting ideas: If cheese is leaking out, use extra strain when crimping subsequent time. If the underside is soggy, ensure that it was not over-stuffed and that the veggies are absolutely cooked and drained. If the highest isn’t golden, brush with extra egg wash or olive oil earlier than baking.
Filling Concepts & Variations
My recipe options mushrooms, spinach, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese, however there are such a lot of concepts for filling variations:
- Cheese: Pecorino cheese for a fair saltier taste, a touch of ricotta (don’t use an excessive amount of), or Fontina or provolone
- Veggies: Sauteed bell peppers, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed spinach, sautéed kale, sauteed broccoli, caramelized onionsroasted crimson peppers, sun-dried tomatoes
- Meat: Pepperoni, cooked sausage, pan seared henham, salami
- Sauces: Pizza sauce, marinara sauceor pesto
Tip: At all times prepare dinner and drain veggies earlier than including them to your calzone filling. Uncooked greens launch water throughout baking, which makes them soggy!
What to Serve With It
This calzone recipe is finest served with something you’d serve with pizza, actually! Listed below are my favourite sides:
Make Forward, Storage & Reheating
In case you’re planning to make this simple calzone recipe for visitors, I’d suggest making the pizza dough upfront. My simple pizza dough recipe might be refrigerated for as much as 3 days earlier than making it, and it additionally enhances the flavour! You’ll simply must let it come to room temperature for about Half-hour whereas making the filling.
Retailer leftover calzones in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days. To reheat, place it on a baking sheet and heat in a 350°F oven for 10 to fifteen minutes till heated by way of.
You possibly can freeze calzones both baked or unbaked. For baked calzones, wrap every one individually in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag for as much as 3 months. Reheat from frozen at 400°F for 25-Half-hour. For unbaked calzones, freeze them on a lined sheet pan till strong, then switch to freezer luggage. Bake from frozen, including 5-10 minutes to the prepare dinner time.
Dietary Notes
This calzone pizza recipe is vegetarian.
Often Requested Questions
No! Calzone dough and pizza dough are precisely the identical: you simply form and prepare dinner them in another way. Any pizza dough recipe you like will work for making calzones.
A calzone is folded in half like a half-moon and sealed alongside the sides, whereas a stromboli is rolled up like a log and sliced into items.
The secret is to prepare dinner all of your veggies first and drain any extra liquid. Uncooked greens launch water throughout baking, which makes the inside soggy. Additionally, use sauce sparingly contained in the calzone: most of it needs to be served on the aspect. Lastly, ensure that your oven is absolutely preheated to 500°F for a crispy exterior.
You possibly can double my pizza dough recipe with none points! Simply be sure you have a big sufficient bowl for the dough to rise correctly. In case you’re making an enormous batch (greater than double), I’d suggest making separate batches to make sure even mixing.
Simple Calzone Recipe
Do that simple calzone recipe for a enjoyable twist on pizza night time! Crispy on the surface, tacky on the within, and simple to customise together with your favourite fillings.
- Prep Time: 1 hour Half-hour
- Cook dinner Time: 10 minutes
- Whole Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 calzones (4 servings) 1x
- Class: Essential Dish
- Technique: Baked
- Delicacies: Italian
- Observe the Finest Selfmade Pizza Dough Recipe or Meals Processor Pizza Dough recipe to arrange the dough. (This takes about quarter-hour to make and 45 minutes to relaxation.) After kneading, divide the dough into 8 equal elements. Brush the underside of a container with olive oil, then brush the dough balls with olive oil on all sides and place them within the container. Cowl the container and permit the dough to rise 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- In the meantime, make a double recipe of the Simple Selfmade Pizza Saucehowever use ¼ teaspoon garlic powder instead of the garlic clove (so ½ teaspoon garlic in all). One cup can be used within the calzone filling, and the rest can be used as a dipping sauce.
- Make the filling: Slice the mushrooms. Mince the garlic. Warmth the olive oil in a big skillet, and sauté the mushrooms, basil, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt till delicate, round 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir; sauté for 1 minute. Add the pizza sauce and spinach and prepare dinner down till the liquid has principally cooked out. Take away from the warmth. Style and add extra salt if essential. Stir to mix with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
- Preheat the oven to 500°F.
- Working dough 2 balls at a time, place the dough on a floured floor and gently press every right into a roughly 5 to 6-inch circle (it’s useful to measure to ensure it doesn’t get too giant). On one half of every dough circle, add a ⅓ cup of the filling combination, ensuring to depart ½ inch of house across the fringe of the dough. Fold the opposite half of the dough over in order that the calzone varieties a half-moon form. Crimp the sides collectively utilizing a fork (we used a big serving fork). Use a spatula to switch the calzones to a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat for all 8 calzones, cut up between two baking sheets.
- Beat the egg along with 1 tablespoon water and brush the egg wash onto the highest of the calzones.
- Bake the calzones till golden brown, about 10 minutes. Permit to chill, then serve with the remaining pizza sauce on the aspect.
Notes
Make forward: Pizza dough might be refrigerated for as much as 3 days earlier than utilizing. Let come to room temperature for Half-hour earlier than rolling.
Retailer-bought shortcuts: Use store-bought pizza dough and your favourite jarred marinara sauce to avoid wasting time.
Forestall soggy calzones: Be sure to prepare dinner greens till most liquid evaporates earlier than including to filling.
