Growing up, whenever my Dad made calzones, it was a real treat. It didn’t happen as often as having pizza for dinner. There was more of a process; creating individual mini pockets of warm bread, cheese, and sauce — probably 8-12 in one setting. Who really had time for all of that on a consistent basis? But it tasted so good. Sometimes my sister Melissa would ask for them for birthday dinners. Incredibly yummy.
Every once in a while, when I have a taste for it, I’ll make a few calzones to eat for now and then save for rainy days. Yesterday, I had a 2-hour window between admin work and teaching my tap class, that I could make everything. So I got on it…
I don’t have a set dough recipe so I google for various interpretations. Yesterday, I used Smitten Kitchen’s take. It’s for a smaller batch, so feel free to multiply the amount. (If you have any suggestions, send ’em over!) Does pre-make dough work for you? I like the taste of homemade better, but that’s just me.
After I left the dough rise (about an hour), I was able to assemble two calzones. Since it was a random notion, I used ingredients that were already in the house. But I wanted to spice it up — I cooked up ground turkey (seasoned with Italian seasonings) and added fresh spinach. Also, instead of a regular pizza sauce, I used pasta sauce from Bertolli (tomato and basil). It had some depth with chunky tomatoes and spices. Best of all – saves me time. (You could also save some sauce for dipping/marinara.)
Time to bring everything together!
Fold and crimp the edges. There ya go.
You can preheat the oven to 400°F, but I chose 425°F, to make the process quicker. I baked my calzones for about 15 minutes – started on the bottom rack for 8, then the remainder on the top. (Still working out the best way to do this.)
I was satisfied with the taste. Very filling. Next time, I’ll try to brown the top more, but the bottom was nice. Still working on the perfect calzone, but I’l get there.
How do you make your pizza or calzones? Send recipes my way. 🙂
xo
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