The calzone was invented in 18th Century Naples as a neatly contained, on-the-go variation of pizza. Its determine speaks to its portability, translating roughly to “trousers” or “pants legs.” It is comprised of a little bit of pizza dough that has been folded proper right into a half moon type, like a giant empanada, spherical various fillings.
What Is in a Calzone?
The one calzone filling is a mixture of cheeses—ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan—though pizzaiolos and residential cooks can and do riff endlessly on the calzone’s versatile format. When choosing a ricotta for the filling, ensure that it is total milk ricotta and take a look at to determine on a mannequin that is additional flavorful. BelGioioso, Calabro, and Bellwether Farms are all good selections.
What Is the Distinction Between Calzone and Stromboli?
People usually confuse calzoni with stromboli, an Italian-American invention of pizza dough rolled proper right into a cylinder spherical quite a few fillings after which baked. Panzerotti, then once more, is a deep-fried Italian variant of the calzone.
Use Do-it-yourself or Retailer-Bought Dough
This recipe makes use of a hand-crafted pizza dough, which has a perfectly sophisticated style and is simple to work with attributable to not one nevertheless two in a single day rises. Whereas which can sound like a really very long time, it is practically absolutely hands-off. Don’t concern though! You presumably can substitute retailer bought pizza dough or use your particular person favorite dough recipe instead.
Fillings to Try In a Calzone
We provide a few ideas for variations beneath the recipe, nevertheless there could also be numerous room for experimentation. Try varied sorts of Italian salami or cooked sausage, sauteed peppers and onions, mushrooms, or wilted greens. However, one issue ought to remain fastened: tomato sauce certainly not goes on the inside of a calzone. Serve it on the aspect for dipping.
“I found the house made dough easier to work with than the store-bought dough. Every are tasty nevertheless the house made dough has a additional sophisticated style. The cheese filling has the suitable combination of creamy ricotta and stretchy mozzarella.” —Spruce Eats Check out Kitchen
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For the Pizza Dough
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1 3/4 cups warmth water (105 to 112 F)
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2 teaspoons full of life dry yeast
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1 teaspoon granulated sugar
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3 cups (360 grams) bread flour
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3 cups (340 grams) 00 flour or all-purpose flour (360 grams), plus additional for dusting
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2 teaspoons very good salt
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3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
For the Calzoni
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12 ounces low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)
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1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
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1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
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1 tablespoon chopped modern basil
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1 teaspoon very good salt
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1/2 teaspoon flooring black pepper
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16 skinny slices soppressata or Italian dry salami
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1 large egg
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1 tablespoon water
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1 cup marinara sauce
Remember: It’s best to make the most of store-bought pizza dough for this recipe. Purchase 2 kilos modern prepared pizza dough and divide it into 4 (8-ounce) components. Skip to the “Make the Calzones” portion of the recipe.
Make the Pizza Dough
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Acquire the weather.
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Stir collectively warmth water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl. Put apart until yeast has started to foam, about 5 minutes.
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Beat collectively bread flour, 00 or all-purpose flour, and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook on low tempo until blended, about 10 seconds.
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Add yeast mixture and a few tablespoons of the olive oil to flour mixture and mix on medium-low tempo until dough varieties a single mass and pulls away from the edges of the bowl, about 1 minute.
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Coat a giant bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and swap dough to the oiled bowl; flip the dough to coat it with oil. Cowl the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the dough has doubled in amount, about 24 hours.
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Swap the dough from the bowl to a lightly-floured countertop and divide it evenly into 4 components (about 9 3/4 oz. each).
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Working with one dough portion at a time, place the dough on a transparent work flooring and cup the edges with the palms of your arms, spinning the dough alongside together with your arms to kind a taut ball. Repeat this course of with the remaining 3 dough components.
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the dough balls, seam aspect down, on the prepared baking sheet. Cowl the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.
About 1 hour sooner than preparing the calzones, take away the dough balls from the fridge to allow them to return to room temperature.
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Make the Calzoni
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Acquire the weather. Place a rack throughout the center of the oven. Flip a giant rimmed baking sheet the opposite manner up and place it on the oven rack. Preheat the oven to 500 F with the baking sheet inside.
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Stir collectively the mozzarella cheese, ricotta, 1/3 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, basil, salt, and pepper in a giant bowl until correctly blended.
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Swap 1 dough ball to a carefully floured work flooring. Preserve the dough edges alongside together with your fingers or keep beneath the dough spherical alongside together with your knuckles and gently rotate to allow gravity to stretch the dough. Alternatively, place the dough onto a floured flooring and roll or gently stretch proper right into a 9-inch circle.
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Swap the dough spherical to a giant piece of parchment paper. Repeat the strategy with the remaining 3 dough balls.
Dollop 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture in a line within the midst of each dough circle, leaving a 1-inch border at edge.
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Tear 4 slices of the soppressata into gadgets and place on excessive of cheese mixture. Dollop about 1/4 cup additional cheese mixture on excessive of the soppressata.
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Whisk collectively the egg and water in a small bowl until blended. Collectively together with your fingers, calmly coat the dough edges with egg wash mixture.
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Gently elevate one aspect of the dough and drape it over the cheese mixture to fulfill the opposite aspect. Press to seal the edges and crimp as desired. Repeat the strategy with the remaining 3 dough circles.
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Brush the best and sides of the calzoni evenly with the remaining egg wash.
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Working with 2 calzoni at a time, use a pizza peel or a cookie sheet to slide the parchment-bottomed calzoni onto the preheated baking sheet. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 12 to fifteen minutes.
Take away from the oven and immediately excessive each calzone with about 2 teaspoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Repeat with the remaining calzoni and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Slice each calzone into gadgets or halves and serve immediately with marinara sauce for dipping.
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Recipe Tip
The pizza dough itself sounds extended, nevertheless is pretty hands-off. Letting the dough rest for the entire 24 hours at first, after which the entire 24 hours after forming, helps it receive a additional sophisticated style. You’ll be able to even use retailer bought dough!
Recipe Variations
- Provolone and Eggplant: Change half the mozzarella with shredded Provolone throughout the cheese mixture. Swap soppressata for 1 cup of seared eggplant slices: Sprinkle 1 lb. eggplant slices (about 1/4-inch-thick) with 1/4 teaspoon very good sea salt. Put together in a good layer on paper towels and let sit for 20 minutes, then pat dry. Working in batches, sear eggplant slices in olive oil over medium-high heat in a giant nonstick skillet until browned and tender, about 4 minutes. Pat with paper towels to remove additional oil.
- Broccoli Rabe: Omit basil from the cheese mixture. As an alternative of soppressata, use 1 cup blanched, squeezed-dry, chopped broccoli rabe.
- Buffalo or BBQ: Sub Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese for half of the mozzarella and omit basil from the cheese mixture. As an alternative of soppressata, use 1 cup pulled rooster or pork tossed with BBQ or Buffalo sauce.
- Onion and Artichoke: Omit basil from the cheese mixture. As an alternative of soppressata, use 1 cup roughly chopped drained oil-packed artichoke hearts and 1/4 cup thinly sliced crimson onion. (Within the occasion you’re an anchovy lover, layer on a few fillets as correctly!)
Learn the way to Retailer or Freeze
- These are biggest served immediately out of the oven.
- After rising, freeze the dough balls individually and thaw when capable of make a calzone. You’ll be able to even freeze the raw stuffed calzoni. Place on a baking sheet and freeze until company, about 2 hours. Then swap to freezer safe baggage for as a lot as 2 months. When capable of bake, preheat the oven to 425 F and bake for barely longer, then improve the heat on the end to get a pleasing golden shade. You can presumably even freeze par-baked and completely baked calzoni and finish the cooking when desired, or reheat the already baked calzoni until scorching.
Make Ahead
In case you’re using hand-crafted dough, this recipe is mostly made ahead of time, nevertheless you possibly can too prep the cheese filling as a lot as 2 days prematurely. Maintain tightly coated throughout the fridge.
| Food plan Particulars (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 1392 | Vitality |
| 59g | Fat |
| 148g | Carbs |
| 64g | Protein |
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| Food plan Particulars | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Vitality | 1392 |
| % Day-after-day Value* | |
| 59g | 75% |
| Saturated Fat 25g | 127% |
| 202mg | 67% |
| 3598mg | 156% |
| 148g | 54% |
| Dietary Fiber 6g | 23% |
| Full Sugars 6g | |
| 64g | |
| Vitamin C 1mg | 7% |
| Calcium 744mg | 57% |
| Iron 7mg | 41% |
| Potassium 750mg | 16% |
| *The % Day-after-day Value (DV) tells you the best way lots a nutrient in a meals serving contributes to a daily consuming routine. 2,000 power a day is used for widespread food regimen suggestion. | |
(Food plan information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be thought-about an estimate.)