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ABK's Homemade Calzones

Servings 6 servings
Author abountifulkitchen

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 1 tablespoon yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 cups warm water, divided
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter or oil canola or olive or a mixture of both *
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 1/2 - 5 cups cups flour plus more for rolling out

Sauce:

  • 1 14 oz can tomato sauce I like the Thick and Chunky Tomato Sauce for this recipe
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • herbs 3 tablespoons chopped each, fresh or
  • 2 teaspoons dry oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dry thyme
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dry sage
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 to mato cut into chunks (about 1 cup)

assorted fillings:

  • 1 lb Grated mozzarella cheese Parmesan cheese,1 cup Ricotta cheese
  • Chopped olives chopped onion, sautéed, fresh spinach, 1-2 lb sauteed mushrooms, Canadian bacon, pepperoni etc.

Instructions

  1. Place yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar into 1/2 cup warm water in large bowl or stand mixer bowl. Let stand 5 minutes.
  2. Add additional 1 1/2 cups warm water, 1/4 cup sugar, butter and/or oil, salt and 3 cups of the flour.
  3. Turn mixer on low using paddle and mix for about 2 minutes. Add flour, a half cup at a time until dough is no longer sticky. Change out paddle for the dough hook if available, otherwise, use large spoon and mix.
  4. Mix for a total of about 4-5 minutes on low speed. All flour should be mixed into dough and the dough should have a satiny finish, not sticky, but still a soft dough.
  5. Using a spatula, scrap down the sides of the bowl and bread hook or paddle. Spray the sides of the bowl lightly with cooking spray.
  6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or light towel. Set aside for about 1 hour to rise in a warm place.
  7. While dough is rising, mix together sauce ingredients in a small pan on stove, simmer for about 10 minutes, then turn off heat and cover with lid.
  8. Cut up all of the vegetables and meats for filling, grate cheese and set aside to fill calzones.
  9. After the dough has risen, place on floured surface Roll out to a approximately a 9x13 rectangle, cut or break off the dough into 6 even pieces. Let rest for about 15 minutes.
  10. Roll out dough into 8” circles. Put desired fillings into each circle, covering one half of the circle (do not place the filing too close to the edge of the dough circle, you 'll need to leave enough of an edge so you can crimp and seal the edges)
  11. Fold the other side of the dough over, crimp edges, and seal.
  12. If you like a shiny finish on your crust, brush with beaten egg.
  13. Bake on a pizza stone or a cookie sheet at 425-450 degrees for about 15-18 minutes or until calzone is golden on the outside.
  14. Serve with sauce.

Recipe Notes

*Optional method making dough with cracked wheat- purchase cracked wheat for recipe: ½ cup cracked wheat (found in baking section, I purchase Bob's Red Mill brand)The original recipe called for using Cracked Wheat in the dough. I have found that many readers have had a difficult time finding cracked wheat or have been intimidated to use cracked wheat, so I've modified the recipe. If you would like to use cracked wheat, follow these directions-Boil 2 cups water, add 1/2 cup cracked wheat. Cook as you would oatmeal for about 5 minutes until the wheat absorbs the water and is soft. Set aside to cool for at least ten minutes. Follow the directions on the recipe but omit the 11/2 additional cups of water. Use 1/2 cup water to soften the yeast and then add the cracked wheat mixture to the dough. If the dough is a bit dry, add 1/4 cup of warm water to the dough. -The leftover calzones should cool completely and then be wrapped up individually and placed in refrigerator. When ready to re heat, place on cookie sheet in oven at 325 for about 15 minutes or until heated through.-Filings can consist of almost anything. If you are using mushrooms or onions, I suggest sautéing first to remove excess water. Spinach seems to be okay fresh and does not need to be sautéed first. Pineapple tends to release too much juice as well so I don't recommend filling the calzones with pineapple.-Herbs are listed with fresh and dried measurements. If you have access to fresh, wonderful! Fresh is always best. This recipe also works well with dried herbs. I've also used a mixture of dried and fresh. -The original recipe calls for butter, but I like a mixture of butter and oil. I use half butter and half canola oil.