HOMEMADE CALZONES

YIELDS: 4 Servings PREP TIME: 20 mins COOK TIME: 30 mins TOTAL TIME: 50 mins

Homemade calzones with a super simple and tasty marinara sauce! Recipe includes two varieties of fillings, but you can customize them however you'd like! Veggies, sausage, pepperoni...get creative!

INGREDIENTS:

Calzones
Pizza dough (4-5 oz per calzone), recipe below 
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water
Your choice of filling
Marinara for dipping

Cheese and Herb Filling
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
2 slices prosciutto, finely diced
Salt and pepper, to taste

Supreme Filling
8 oz sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 green bell pepper, diced
½ red onion, diced
2 serrano peppers, diced
½ yellow squash, diced
24 slices pepperoni
1 cup shredded mozzarella
¾ cup ricotta cheese
½ cup sliced black or green olives
1 ½ tbsp grated parmesan
Salt and pepper, to taste

Gluten-Free Pizza Dough
1 kg (1 bag) Caputo gluten free flour
3 ⅓ cups cold water
5 tsp salt
5 tsp olive oil
2 ¼ tsp (1/4 oz packet) RapidRise instant yeast

Detroit Style Pizza Dough
212 g King Arthur bread flour
128 g filtered or bottled water
3.50 g instant or active dry yeast
6.50 g kosher salt

Marinara Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed
15 oz high quality tomato sauce
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp salt

Tools 
Cutting board 
Knife
Stand mixer
Pizza stone 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. For the gluten-free pizza dough, combine the yeast and water in a small bowl. Mix and let sit for 5 minutes
  2. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the yeast/water mixture with the flour on low speed for about 1 minute. (Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer with dough hook attachment.)
  3. Increase speed to high and mix for 3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the salt, and mix on low for 1 minute.
  4. Increase speed to high and mix for 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl, add the olive oil, and mix on low for 1 minute. Increase speed to high and mix for 2 more minutes. (Final product will be pretty sticky.)
  5. Divide the dough into 5-6 oz portions, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 8-24 hours.
  6. For the Detroit style pizza dough, combine the water, yeast, and about half the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Mix for about 5 minutes on low, then cover and let stand for 20 minutes.
  7. Add the salt, turn the mixer to low and add the rest of the flour. Let mix on low for about 15 minutes. (Alternatively, you can mix the first step with a spoon then knead by hand for 20 minutes.)
  8. Divide the dough into 5-6 oz portions, coat with olive oil, place in an airtight container, and refrigerate for at least 8-10 hours (the longer the better).
  9. For the marinara sauce, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
  10. Add the smashed garlic cloves to the oil and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until browned. Remove the garlic from the oil and discard.
  11. Stir in the tomato sauce and seasonings, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  12. Keep warm until ready to serve.
  13. For the calzones with cheese & herb filling, preheat oven to 450°F. If you have a baking steel or stone, place that in the oven to preheat.
  14. Combine the cheeses, parsley, garlic, scallions, and prosciutto. Season with salt and pepper.
  15. Roll out each dough ball into a 6-7" round. Place on a sheet of parchment paper if using a baking stone or place the dough on a baking sheet if not.
  16. Place 3 heaping tablespoons of filling on the bottom half of each dough circle. Paint the edges with a bit of water then fold the top over, press the dough together, and crimp the edges. (Try to create a tight seal to prevent the filling from oozing out while baking.)
  17. Brush the tops of the calzones with egg wash and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.
  18. Let cool briefly then serve with marinara and enjoy!
  19. For the calzones with supreme filling, preheat oven to 450°F. If you have a baking steel or stone, place that in the oven to preheat.
  20. In a medium skillet, cook and crumble the sausage until browned.
  21. Add the bell pepper, onion, Serrano pepper and yellow squash and continue cooking until softened. Season with salt and pepper then transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain.
  22. Roll out each dough ball into a 6-7" round. Place on a sheet of parchment paper if using a baking stone or place the dough on a baking sheet if not.
  23. Spread the bottom half of each dough circle with a bit of ricotta then add several tablespoons of the sausage/veggie mixture, a bit of shredded mozzarella, some pepperoni, and olives. Paint the edges with a bit of water then fold the top over, press the dough together, and crimp the edges. (Try to create a tight seal to prevent the filling from oozing out while baking.)
  24. Brush the tops of the calzones with egg wash, sprinkle with parmesan and Italian seasoning. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.
  25. Let cool briefly then serve with marinara and enjoy!