Calzone

An Italian calzone is a turnover pizza made by folding over the dough to turn the pizza toppings into a filling instead. A calzone with pizza dough may be prepared with a wide selection of different fillings such as meat, vegetables, or mushrooms but always features cheese in its filling. A favourite among calzone fillings is the original Napolitano variety, which is made with ham and cheese. Though there are many delicious ingredients for calzone, you cannot go wrong with a classic combination like that.

With our recipe for homemade calzone, making a stuffed pizza becomes quite simple. Start by preparing the pizza dough as it will need to proof twice to make it elastic enough for folding. While it is on its second proofing, preheat the oven and prepare the flavourful filling with cream cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Shape the dough into four pizzas and top them with ham and two kinds of cheese. Fold them over and crimp the edges. Bake them on preheated baking trays until the crust is golden-brown and sounds hollow when you tap it.

Making pizza dough for calzones is just as easy as making regular pizzas. Dissolve yeast in water and add fine Italian flour, olive oil, sugar, and salt. To make it shiny and pliable enough to be folded, knead the dough for around 8 minutes. Let it proof for 30 minutes somewhere warm, before shaping it into 4 pieces and letting it proof a second time, also for half an hour. Make sure to cover the dough as it proofs to prevent it from drying out.

The best calzone recipe, of course, needs to explain how to properly fold it. Fortunately, it should not be difficult if you have an elastic pizza dough. Just place the filling on it, making sure to leave 2 cm of space at the edges, and fold over half of the round pizza to create a half-moon. The folding process may be made easier by placing the filling only on one side of the circle. Use a fork to make small holes to let out steam and crimp the edges to ensure none of the creamy filling escapes.

Homemade calzones may be cooked in advance, stored in the refrigerator, and reheated for 10 minutes on a preheated baking tray at 180°C (regular oven). Flip it halfway through the reheat to ensure even heating. If you have placed any leftovers in the freezer, there is no need to thaw them; simply pop them in the oven and reheat them for 20-30 minutes. You can also reheat them in a pan. At medium-low heat, fry it for 2 minutes on each side. Reheating it on a pan, you will need to thaw it first overnight in the fridge if you are reheating a frozen calzone.

All three are stuffed pizza derivatives made with classic pizza dough. The primary difference between Italian calzones and Italian American strombolis is how they are sealed. The former type is folded, while the latter is sealed. As such, they have different shapes with the former being shaped like a half-moon and the latter resembling a long cylinder. A panzerotti, which is typically stuffed with tomato and mozzarella, is folded and shaped like classic calzones and the major difference is that this version from the Apulia region is fried rather than baked.

An easy Italian calzone recipe will usually recommend using a blend of sweet ricotta and salty Parmesan or pecorino cheese. However, using cream cheese paired with mozzarella, as we suggest, makes for a decadent and creamy calzone cheese combination. The fresh flavour of the cream cheese and the richness of the shredded mozzarella work beautifully with the pungent garlic, peppery basil, and salty ham to create a savoury filling with many different delicious flavours.