How do you make a calzone properly at home?

Question

What ingredients go into the ricotta filling?
Do you need a pizza stone?

Answer 1

Calzones are so easy to make at home. Get frozen bread dough at the grocery store and let it thaw. Roll it out flat like a pizza and spoon tomato sauce onto it. The cheese filling is just a mix of ricotta cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese. (You can substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta.) Oh, and the filling is half one cheese and half the other.

The other toppings are your choice--just like a pizza. Top it with whatever you like--mushrooms, ham, bacon, beef, onions, olives, etc.--then fold it over and pinch all the sides together until it is sealed off.

Then bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Very easy and very good!!

Answer 2

Calzones are closely related to pizzas, sort of a folded over pizza. Somehow though, cutting into the crisp, golden crust of a calzone to reveal a luscious filling is a different experience than eating a pizza. But if you can make a pizza, you can make a calzone. In this article, we’ll tell you how and give you a recipe.

You can use nearly any pizza crust recipe to make calzones. The fillings are usually different than the toppings on a pizza; use ricotta instead of hard cheese for the filling base. (Although you can make calzones without any cheese in the filling.)

Keep the following principles in mind as you build your calzones:

1. For the filling, simple combinations really do work best. Less is truly better.
2. Calzones take longer to cook than pizza and require a lower temperature in order to crisp the crust and to penetrate the filling. They generally take 15 to 20 minutes to bake at 400 degrees.
3. Smaller is better. Make calzones that are 6 to 12 inches long.

Most calzones are made in the traditional half-moon shape that is achieved by rolling or pressing out the dough ball into a circle. The filling is mounded into the bottom half of the circle and the top part is folded over and crimped by hand or with a fork.

Here are the steps to making a perfect calzone:

1. Mix the dough according to the package or recipe instructions. Cover and let the dough rise until doubled.
2. Roll out a small dough ball (about 8 ounces) into a round 1/4 inch thick. The gluten in the dough may try to make the dough spring back into shape. It’s often easier to roll the dough partially, let it sit for a few minutes to relax, and then roll the dough again. Try to roll the dough uniformly. Thin spots lead to leaks.
3. Place a small handful of mozzarella on the lower half of the circle. On top of the cheese, place about three quarters of a cup of filling materials. On top of the filling, add 1/2 to 2/3 cup ricotta. Thick, creamy ricotta—not low-fat—works best. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parmesan. (Of course, you can vary the filling ingredients greatly. Often an egg is mixed with the ricotta to make the filling less runny.)
4. Fold the top of the calzone crust over the bottom into the traditional half-moon shape. Seal the edges by crimping them with a fork. Be sure to press firmly enough to seal the edges and keep the fillings from leaking. Use the edge of a knife or fork to shape the crust edge into a uniform border.
5. Just before baking, brush the crust with an egg white wash or olive oil. An egg white wash will give the calzones a satiny finish. Olive oil will make the crust browner and crisper. If you brush with olive oil before baking, brush the crust again with olive oil immediately after coming from the oven. The second brushing will add sheen and flavor to the crust.
6. Bake the calzones on a dark pan on the lowest shelf of the oven to provide enough bottom heat to bake the bottom crust. Better yet, place the pan directly on a preheated baking stone. (If you are using a rectangular pan, a rectangular baking stone works best.)

Answer 3

Italian Calzones
INGREDIENTS
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup diced pepperoni
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1 egg, beaten
DIRECTIONS
To Make Dough: In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the oil, sugar and salt; mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour, until dough is smooth and workable. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, or until it is elastic. Lay dough in a bowl containing 1 teaspoon olive oil, then flip the dough, cover and let rise for 40 minutes, or until almost doubled.
To Make Filling: While dough is rising, combine the ricotta cheese, Cheddar cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms and basil leaves in a large bowl. Mix well, cover bowl and refrigerate to chill.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
When dough is ready, punch it down and separate it into 2 equal parts. Roll parts out into thin circles on a lightly floured surface. Fill each circle with 1/2 of the cheese/meat filling and fold over, securing edges by folding in and pressing with a fork. Brush the top of each calzone with egg and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Answer 4

You can use nearly any pizza crust recipe to make calzones. The fillings are usually different than the toppings on a pizza; use ricotta instead of hard cheese for the filling base. (Although you can make calzones without any cheese in the filling.)

EASY CALZONES

1 pkg. Pillsbury "Poppin Fresh" pizza dough
1/2 lb. sliced pepperoni (thin)
1/2 lb. sliced provolone (thin)

Roll out dough on a floured board. Cover with pepperoni in thin layer. Top with layer of cheese. Roll as a jelly roll. Bake, seam side down on a dark non-stick pan (do not grease), for 45 minutes at 400 degrees.
NB: Substitute pepperoni and provolone for other cold cuts. OR, cook a package of fresh spinach, drain and spread on dough. Top with shredded Mozzarella. Bake as above.


ITALIAN CALZONES

1 (1 lb.) loaf commercial frozen white bread dough
1 lb. ground round
1/2 c. chopped fresh mushrooms
1/2 c. finely chopped onions
1/4 c. chopped green bell pepper
1/2 c. evaporated skimmed milk
3 tbsp. fine, dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp. dried whole oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
3/4 to 1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. no salt-added tomato sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
Vegetable cooking spray

Thaw bread dough.
Combine ground round and next 9 ingredients in large skillet; stir well. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until meat is browned, stirring to crumble meat. Add 3/4 cup tomato sauce, sugar and salt; cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; let mixture cool slightly.

Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time (cover remaining portion to keep dough from drying out), roll each portion to 1/8 inch thickness. Place on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and pat each portion into a 6 inch circle with floured fingertips. Spoon 1/3 cup meat mixture onto half of each circle; moisten edge of dough with water. Fold dough over filling; press edges together with fork to seal. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven, and lightly coat again with cooking spray. Serve warm.

Answer 5

Bar B Que Chicken Basil Calzones (Oamc):

40 min 25 min prep
4-8 servings

Dough
2 1/2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons basil
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2/3 cup warm water
6 teaspoons instant powdered milk
2 eggs
Filling
2 teaspoons margarine or butter
1 onion, diced
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
2 portabello mushrooms, chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese or your favourite cheese
1 3/4 cups barbecue sauce, your favourite

1. For the dough: Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and basil.
2. Add milk powder to water and stir until disolved, add to dry mixture.
3. Add eggs and melted butter and mix well.
4. Set aside while making the filling.
5. For the filling: Cook onions in butter over medium heat until onions are tender.
6. Add chicken and mushroom pieces and cook 2 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in bar b que sauce and cheese.
8. Divide dough into 4 pieces and roll out into 8 inch circles.
9. Place 3/4 cup - 1 cup of filling in each circle.
10. Fold dough in half and seal edges tightly.
11. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until top begins to brown slightly.
12. For OAMC: Cool and freeze at this point.
13. Defrost in the oven or microwave before serving.
14. Serve warm with extra bar b que sauce to dip if desired.

Answer 6

31 calzone recipes can be found at www.recipezaar.com...free site, go there.