Beverage of choice: Pink Lemonade
Soundtrack: Pearl Jam, Backspacer
The true glory of this recipe is the dough. The homemade dough. With yeast. I promised we would talk about it, so fasten your seat belt and let's talk about how to rule this finicky little creature:
You will need your water to be between 110 and 115 degrees fahrenheit . If you don't have a thermometer, the best way to find that temperature is to put your wrist under the running water. If it feels warm and ALMOST hot, you've got the right temp. I know this sound like those recipes that call for a "pinch and dash", but trust me and the sensitive skin on your inner wrist, it works every time.
Put your sugar and your yeast into either a plastic or a glass bowl. (Yeast and metal don't get along too well) I usually put the sugar in first and dissolve it in the water before adding the yeast. It's just prettier that way. Once I do add the yeast, I don't stir it around too much. It will combine with the water, so stir it once if you wish, then leave it alone.
This is the yeast/sugar/water mixture before.
And this is what it looks like after about 10 minutes.
Now you're ready to add your flour, salt, and oil. Stirring this can all but give you carpal tunnel. Usually I'll mix it around a little bit and then stick my (clean) hands in to really work it into a sticky dough.
Like so.
Next, put the dough on a floured surface. We are not fancy here in the Nyen house, so I knead the dough on the countertop. Knead for about 5 minutes. This is creating gluten fibers in the dough that will trap the air that the yeast gives off as it bakes and make your bread fluffy. Kneading is directly correlated to texture. Don't skip this step.
When you are done kneading, put your dough in a clean and greased (or floured) bowl. Again, be sure the bowl is not a metal one. Cover it with a small, damp towel and place this in your oven. I usually turn my oven on the "warm" setting. Sometimes I'll have it on the "warm" setting for the first half of the time that the dough is rising and turn it off for the second half. This you kind of have to do by feel because all ovens are different. Mostly you want to make sure that you're not baking your dough or melting your bowl (if it's plastic like mine).
After an hour and a half the dough should nearly triple in size.
Meanwhile, about 20 minutes before the dough has finished rising, start prepping your fillings. The beauty of calzones is that I can make mine foo-foo and girlie, and Jake can stuff them with all sorts of pork and beef products. This dish really is a win-win for us.
Jake's typical calzone fillings:
Pepperoni
Sweet Italian sausage
Canadian Bacon
Bacon
Ricotta cheese
Mozzarella cheese (we only use the fresh stuff, but pre-shredded works fine too)
Renee's typical calzone fillings:
Sauteed red onions
Sauteed mushrooms
Spinach
Roma tomatoes
Minced garlic
Ricotta cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
So feel free to put whatever you want in there. We do.
Ricotta cheese is a wonderful filling for a calzone, it's not as runny as melted mozzarella (pictured in the big bowl at the bottom-right in "pearl" form) and makes a great base for the other ingredients. (pictured in the big bowl at the top-right.) The recipe will be at the bottom of this post along with the dough.
Back to the dough. Once it is done rising, pull it out of the oven and put it on a floured surface. If you don't have a rolling pin, you can use a tall, straight drinking glass instead. That's what we did in our pre-rolling pin days. Ghetto? Maybe. But it works.
Roll out the dough until its about a quarter of an inch thick.
Cut out a circle. (This is the top of my spring-form pan. It makes a calzone for a very big boy.) You can cut the circles freehand if you so desire. Also, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Brush the dough with olive oil.
Add your desired fillings. Try not to over-fill. Good luck.
Fold it in half like a burrito and pinch the edges together. Be really thorough here. You don't want your filling to ooze out while baking.
Line them up on a baking sheet. Realistically, you will need two baking sheets. Brush the tops with olive oil. Pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes. Make sure you're watching them, though. In my oven I have to switch the pans to the opposite shelf to avoid the top of one and the bottom of the other being overcooked.
Pull them out when they are an enticing golden color and you can't resist the smell any longer.
We like to serve them with some marinara sauce and not much else. This meal is flavorful, hearty and really delicious.
Here's the recipe for the Ricotta cheese mixture:
8 oz of Ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
grated parmesan cheese
Stir together.
(yup, that's it)
For the Calzones:
3 teaspoons sugar
2 packages active dry yeast (4 and 1/2 teaspoons)
1 1/4 cups warm water
3 1/4 cups of flour (and more for kneading)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Olive oil (for brushing)
Mix warm water and sugar with yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes. Stir in flour, salt, and vegetable oil. Mix with your hands if necessary to form a sticky dough.
Knead dough on floured surface for at least five minutes. Put into a an oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and place in a warm (but not hot oven) for an hour and a half. Once the dough has more than doubled in size, remove it from the oven and turn the heat up to 425.
Roll the dough out and cut circles in it. (Remember, your calzone will be 1/2 the size of the circle.) Brush with olive oil. Pile desired filling in the middle. Fold the edges of the dough circle together and pinch the edges.
Place on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve with marinara sauce.
Makes 4 large calzones.
