A Calzone is wonderful if you are looking for something a little different than a Pizza. Same idea, but you fold the ingredients into the Pizza Dough and serve the Tomato Sauce on the side, at least that's how I serve it. I like a crispy crust and will dip it into the sauce.
This Post will include the technique on how to make the Calzone. I thought I had gotten away from instructional posts, it appears I'll be explaining things a little while longer. You have to get a good seal on the Calzone dough to ensure your ingredients don't escape.At the time I posted this, I didn't have a video to show the close up of the Calzone edges. Now I do. You will find the linked video at the bottom.
Olive Oil is the trick to make sure your ingredients don't give you a mushy dough too. When you are baking the Calzones, Olive Oil helps create a barrier. I had made Calzones many years ago and placed Tomato Sauce right on the dough before I baked them. I didn't like the result and the Sauce bubbled over creating a mess. I don't have the option of firing these in a 700 F stone oven either. Keeping the moisture level against the bread down, helps ensure a crispier bite with less of a mess.
There are a multitude of filling ingredients you can add into the Calzone as well. This version is made with a home-made Italian sausage recipe, which has less salt than what you would purchase from a store, but has all the spices you are looking for. I will post a couple versions of Calzones in the future too, so you can see how flexible they are to make. I'm a big believer in using the ingredients you have at hand, but still want my variation and flavours.
My Thin Crust Pizza Dough recipe, is a must for these bites, even if it's arid or humid it out, it never fails me. You can use the full amount and make other Calzone variations at the same time. I'm frugal with ingredients as well as my time. If I'm going to make three, I may as well make more and freeze the others.I made 3 large Calzones with the Filling Recipe below, easily enough to feed 6 people if you cut them in half and serve with a side salad. soup or sautéed vegetables. It's a filling meal on it's own without the extra side dishes too.
"Italian Sausage Calzone"
The dough diameter I used for the Italian Sausage Calzones was 8 "Filling Ingredients
300 Grams Lean Ground Sausage
1/2 Small Yellow Onion, Diced
1/4 of an Orange Bell Pepper
1/4 of a Red Bell Pepper
1 TBSP Tomato Paste
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese (or Use Mozzarella - I didn't have any at hand)
Spices
1/2 TSP of each
Oregano
Basil
Garlic Powder
Cumin
CorianderRed Chilli Flake
Salt Pepper
Olive Oil, you will need a 1 teaspoon per Calzone for brushing.
Drizzle a little Olive Oil into the Pan, add your spices and brown your sausage meat. Drain off any excess fat.
Sauté the diced Onion and add the Sausage meat and diced Bell Peppers. Cook a little longer, until the Peppers are softened but not mushy.
Place aside and let cool. It's easier to work with cold and won't cause a sudden expansion on the dough.You can Add the Tomato Paste now.
While the meat is cooling, you can make your dough and let it rise.
As I mentioned above, you can make other variations of the Calzone at the same time.If you wish to make more Italian Sausage versions, you can use all of the dough at the same time, just double your ingredients for the filling.
Pre-heat your oven while you roll out your Pizza Dough and form the Calzones. I've included instructions on how to form them below. I will make a video to show the process too, though it may take me a week to do so, SORRY!
Bake at 400 F 25 to 30 minutes, depending on the amount of filling and texture you wish of the bread.
Making the Calzones!!!
The Thin Crust Pizza Dough is best for this recipe. I have made A LOT of bread in my life, some styles work better than others for filling.
You can form the Calzones by hand if you wish, without the rolling pin. I do prefer consistency when making certain things. A uniform thickness to the dough will ensure that each person gets the same texture when they bite into their meal.
If the dough is to thick on one versus the others, the bake time may vary too. underdone dough is not pleasant to eat.
Roll out your Pizza Dough and cut the forms.For a large Calzone, 8 inch diameter disks will do. I made two variations at the time I made these. Large ones for a "Meal", smaller bite size ones for others to try and trade with. A perfect size for a quick lunch. The Diameter I used on those was 5 inches.
Brush Olive Oil onto the face of the Dough. You will place your ingredients directly onto the Olive Oil. This is the trick to getting a crispy dough without frying it!For the 8 inch disks, I used 1/3 cup of the Italian Sausage filling mixture .
For each Calzone I added 1/8 of a cup of loosely shredded Cheddar.
You can absolutely use Mozzarella, I happened to be out.
Fold the dough over the filling. Ensure the filling stays in the centre of the dough and firmly press your edges down to create a crescent shape.
At one end of the crescent, pinch the edge, twist it toward the filling, press down with your finger, pinch the next portion of the edge and do the same again. It's similar to sealing parchment paper.I'm working on the video to show you the motion ... SORRY! It's difficult for me to photograph my own hands when they are in motion!!!
I've taken pictures of each stage of making the Calzones in the hopes it helps for now. The most important thing is to ensure the seal is strong on the edge.Once you are confident you have sealed the contents in the dough itself, create a few vent holes to allow the heat to escape as it bakes.
The more filling you have in the dough, the longer it may take to bake. The smaller Calzones cooked in 20 minutes, the large ones I left a little longer. 30 Minutes.
Please keep in mind yours may cook more quickly if you are at sea level. You loose moisture faster at higher altitudes which effects cooking times of bread and other items.
That's it, you have Calzones!! Serve up with a side of pre-heated Tomato Sauce, a small side salad, and you have a complete meal.
There are many other fillings you can add for additional variety. As mentioned, I made two varieties at the same time. The other I am calling Colby Chicken and Chive. It's pretty easy to make and had a WONDERFUL flavour. I'll post that recipe in a secondary post, today.
Something I love about cooking, if you have one idea, and switch out the ingredients, you start adding more variety to your meals. A calzone is no different than a stuffed Pepper, the exterior of the item is simply a vehicle to carry your flavours. Play with your spices and filling ingredients to create a dish that might have come from Italy, Mexico, Eastern Europe or even Cornwall in the UK.
Next week I will be making Cornish Pasties as well as Irish Pasties.It will be a great way for me to show you how you can turn a "Calzone" into something completely new. I additionally need to make them and have a camera set up so I can finish the video I started on the "Pinch, Twist, Press and Repeat" motion to create the seal.
Photographs are wonderful, but seeing the edge close up make it easier to show you.
Have a wonderful week!!! Please enjoy!!!
Video as promised
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