Calzones

Trusty Dishwasher Jeff requested Calzones last week. And I aim to please, so I made them for him. I was a little concerned, because I had eaten calzones that weren't cooked all the way through (and in Venice, no less!), calzones that were doughy...so I was a hesitant to make them. But, after some googling, I noticed that most recipes used a basic pizza dough, and I had a recipe I loved, so I just went for it. And they worked out! I think I will use less yeast in the future (and have changed the recipe below to reflect that) because even though I rolled them out fairly thin, they still rose a good deal in the oven and they were a bit more bready than I think they should have been.

What is so great about calzones (and pizza) is that you can top them with whatever you want! So, go crazy with this. It's so flexible, and that's totally my kind of cooking.

Calzones (makes 4)
Printable Recipe

Pizza dough
Adapted from Favorites cookbook

3-3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons active yeast (1 tablespoon if you make regular pizza)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup warm water

1/2 cup pizza sauce (plus extra for dipping)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
other toppings: pepperoni, sundried tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, olives, whatever!
egg wash: 1 egg plus 1 tablespoon of water, whisked together with a fork
cornmeal

Combine 2 cups of flour with rest of ingredients and mix. Gradually add the rest of the flour and knead to form a soft dough.

Let rise in a covered bowl until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 with pizza stone inside.

Divide into four equal portions and allow to rise again, about 30 minutes. Roll into 10 inch circles on a floured counter, about 1/16 inch thick. Brush the excess flour off of both sides, then place on a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal. Make sure it doesn't stick. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce on half the circle, leaving a 1 inch border around the edge. Top with toppings, then end with mozzarella. Fold over and crimp the edges to seal. Brush the top with the egg wash. Slide the calzones onto the pizza stone in the oven with the pizza peel. Bake for about 15 minutes, depending on your oven, until the top and bottom are golden brown.

I was able to bake two at a time, and rotated their place in the oven for even cooking.