Calzones Recipe

Do you love pizza? Do you love crunchy crusts and oozy, melting, drippy cheese mixed with sauce and all your favorite pizza toppings? I had never tried a calzone prior to making these (but had seen George Costanza have some massive issues with them on an episode of Seinfeld). I really didn’t think you could improve on pizza, which is my favorite food in the world and my go-to item whenever I see it on a menu but this takes that pizza and wraps it up, folds it and encompasses it into something utterly delicious. It’s not easy to get a crispy base but these calzones were crunchy on the top AND the bottom. They make four and they are pretty filling but guess what? You can eat any leftover ones for lunch the next day hot or cold just like a sandwich and it will be just as delicious as the night before. This of course, makes it an excellent lunchbox item for the little and big kids.

The fillings I have listed are because I have a serious penchant for pepperoni but you can absolutely substitute that for ham or pancetta or go vegetarian with mushrooms, capsicum – let your imagination go wild.

Ingredients

1/2 cup tomato passata (or tomato puree)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
salt & pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups grated cheese blend (tasty, mozzarella etc)
100g salami or pepperoni, thinly sliced
1 egg whisked

Dough
450g (3 cups) white flour
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
250ml (1 cup) warm water
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Dough: Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add water and oil and mix with a wooden spoon and then your hands (you may have to add a dash more water if it’s still dry and crumbly). Knead for 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly-oiled bowl and cover with a tea towel. Set aside for 1 1/2 hours or until dough has doubled in size.

Sauce: Combine passata, garlic powder, onion powder, chilli flakes, oregano, basil, salt & pepper and sugar together. Taste it and if it’s a little bitter, add a pinch more sugar. Set aside.

Assembly: Divide dough into 4 even pieces. Roll each piece out to about 15cm. Leaving a 1cm border, spread with a quarter of the sauce, sprinkle with a quarter of the cheese and top with a quarter of the salami.

Fold 1 side of the dough over and press to seal. Place on baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper.

Cover with a tea towel and set aside for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 240C/220C fan forced. Brush calzones with egg and cut small slits in each one.

Bake, swapping traps halfway, for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Carolyn started her blog Pinkpostitnote.com just over a year ago as a way to deal with her obsession of trying new recipes from the copious collection of cookbooks that she owns (and continues to buy). She is particularly fond of “man” food, both cooking it and eating it. She will happily elbow people out of the road at the sight, sound and smell of a pulled pork burger. When she’s not lying awake at 5am wondering if she should buy chooks and a cow to deal with the constant need for eggs and butter, she’s dealing with all the paperwork associated with owning a bunch of tip trucks and her favorite time of the day is wine five o-clock.