Real Italian Calzones

SUBMITTED BY: Jenny PHOTO BY: Allrecipes

"This is real calzone, because there is no tomato sauce INSIDE of it! We eat it at least once a week. Have a bowl of tomato or spaghetti sauce on the table for people to top their calzone with, if desired."

PREP TIME	1 Hr
COOK TIME	30 Min
READY IN	1 Hr 30 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING

Original recipe yield: 2 large calzones

USMETRIC

About scaling and conversions

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

READ REVIEWS (292)

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.

Wine Tip

Try with an Italian red like Aglianico, Barbera or Chianti Classico.

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REVIEWS

MORE MEMBER REVIEWS

Reviewed on Feb. 25, 2003 by LARA O

I absolutely love these, I make 'em every week. Instead of egg I brush the dough with olive oil, to me it makes a better crust for a calzone. I also use Mozzerella instead of Chedder.

14 users found this review helpful

Reviewed on Oct. 5, 2003 by HEIDIBOO

I tried halving the recipe, as so many thought these were quite large, and made mini calzones for appitizers. I also added some green pepper and olives. Delish! My only change would be to prick the tops with a fork before baking, as they all exploded a bit!!Thanks for the recipe!!

11 users found this review helpful

Reviewed on Nov. 5, 2003 by UNACHICA

This was a good recipe. It does need a few adjustments. The recipe should state that the yeast should proof first. I dissolved the sugar in the water with the yeast and let it sit for ten minutes. I didn't use the same toppings, I used ground ham, spinach, a little mozarella, mushrooms and of course ricotta, which makes a "real Italian Calzone, and for a little extra yum, a dash or two of Italian dressing, but the dough was great for calzone. Very chewy and beautiful coloring. I made 4 calzones out of this but cut them in half, so next time I will make 8 small ones. Also it took only 20 minutes when I used my pizza stone, so time should be adjusted for the size of individual servings.

8 users found this review helpful

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