Calzones

If you are looking for great family time, while preparing dinner, make some calzones!  If you've never heard of a calzone, think a pocket pizza.  Yes, that's right.  Everything you love on a pizza, wrapped up in a pocket of dough.  They are yummy and very easy to make!

Joe and Jonah making their calzones!

Start by making the pizza dough.  The ingredients for the dough are:

3 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 cups warm water

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast

1/8 cup olive oil

Start by putting the warm water in a bowl, with the yeast.  Let the yeast proof - this means that the yeast will activate by foaming or creating little bubbles.  Make sure your water is not too hot or it will kill the yeast. 

When the yeast proofs, add the salt, sugar, oil and 2 cups of the flour.  Mix with a dough hook on your mixer.   If you don't have one, you can mix by hand.  Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time.  Knead the dough until it is barely sticky.  Place the dough in a bowl and let it rise for an hour or so.

While the dough rises, make the pizza sauce.  Mix together and cook on low heat:

1 can tomato sauce

Salt

Pepper

1 teaspoon each:  parsley, basil, oregano, garlic salt

2 teaspoons sugar

Now it is time to think about what ingredients you are going to want in your calzone.  I browned some Italian sausage, made some bacon, got some pepperoni, cheese and chopped up some veggies.  I put those ingredients on the counter so that each person could stuff their calzone with whatever they wanted.

To assemble the calzone, take a small piece of the dough and roll it out on a floured surface.

Put a little sauce on one end of the dough.  Fill that end with the toppings of your choice.

Jonah Bologna saucing up his calzone!  Isn't he cute? 

Brush the sides of the calzone with melted butter.  Fold over and press the ends together.  Roll up each end so that the stuffing doesn't come out.  Take a knife and make a few small holes in the calzone.  This will allow steam to escape so you don't have an explosion in your oven!

Brush the top of the calzone with melted butter.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until browned.

Mangia!

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