Recipe: Calzone

Recipe Source (dough): Shapter, Jennie.  Bread Machine.  Anness Publishing, London, 2002 p. 112

When we did the planning for our family tree decorating party this past Christmas, the plan was for all of the food to be dishes you could eat while standing and mingling.  You know, finger food.  That way there would be no problem decorating the tree and eating at the same time.  That's not how it worked out, but that was the intention.  I thought and thought about something that I could serve that would fit that ideal, and the thought of the calzones popped into my head.  When I was a kid I remember learning that calzones are "kind of like a pizza, except folded in half."  That's kind of oversimplifying it, but it worked well enough for me at the time. 

I used a dough recipe from one of our default bread-baking books, but the filling was original.  I wanted to include sausage.  Ordinarily I'd use pork sausage, but pork is really on my no list right now so I used hot Italian chicken sausage instead.  Otherwise, I used just some cheese and some sauce.  The calzones were a pretty big hit with our guests, and the leftovers kept quite well in the refrigerator for several days.  (They might have lasted longer, but we ate them.)  Minette the Cat showed some curiosity about the calzones, but did not actually eat any. 

Calzones (makes 13; approx. $0.74/ea.)

Generous 1/2 cup warm water

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

3/4 can (14 oz can) prepared pizza sauce (I prefer Muir Glen brand, but it's up to you)

1 2/3 hot Italian chicken sausage, casings removed

5 ounces shredded mozzarella

2 ounces grated peccorino

Equipment:

• Stand mixer
• Skillet
• Baking sheets
• Rolling pin

1. Combine the yeast, sugar and water.  Set aside until frothy.
2. Mix the flour and salt in the bowl of the stand mixer.
3. Add the yeast mixture and the olive oil.  Knead on very low speed 3 - 4 minutes, then on very slightly higher speed 3 minutes.
4. Cover and set aside until doubled in bulk, at least 1 hour. 
5. When the dough is risen, preheat your oven to 425. 
6. Break up the sausage and brown it in the skillet.  Set aside.
7. Break off pieces of dough and roll them into thin, flat discs.  I got 13 discs out of mine. 
8. Create an assembly line.  Take a disc.  Spoon about a spoonful of sauce into the middle, then add a small amount of sausage, some mozzarella, and the scantest pinch of peccorino.  Fold the edges of the disc shut and crimp to seal.  Place seam-side down on the baking sheet and proceed to the next one.
9. When you've used all of your dough, bake the calzones for 15 - 20 minutes. 
10. Serve warm or at room temperature, although they're good cold too. 

Comments

[The Duo Dishes]

Great hand food. For Christmas or any other day. And of course there are easy ways to get around pork. You made a nice substitution!

[Chris]

If you HAD decorated the tree while eating as planned, someone may have ended up accidentally hanging a calzone as an ornament and then to their dismay, biting into an ornament;)

I'll have to try this, I've never made my own pizza or calzone dough.

[Healthy Foods Blog]

The ingredients looks yummy and interesting. I hope I could follow your recipe well for a perfect outcome.

P.S. Thanks for sharing!

[Health Insurance]

Wow, I think the cat love it lokks delicious.