How To Make The Perfect Calzone
The Calzone
A member of the pizza family not often talked about is the calzone. Yet, this week we decided to spread some light on this unique pizza dish. After all, the calzone (originally known as a calzoni; meaning ‘trousers’) comes from Italy, like many of our favorite pizza recipes.
Basically a folded over pizza, the calzone is highlighted by its crunchy dough exterior and hot gooey interior. One of my favorite aspects of the calzone is that unlike a lot of pizzas, it allows one to double up on the toppings. As we know, pizzas can easily be ruined or become soggy with too many toppings. The calzone allows us to break this rule and fill the inside with a little extra of the things we love - mainly cheese!
How To Make The Perfect Calzone
Similar to the pizza, one of the most important parts of the calzone is the dough. It is very important to have that perfect fold to keep all the ingredients inside your pizza. Somewhat like mastering an omelet or pie, the perfect calzone fold takes a bit of a learning curve.
To make this process easier one can use a dough press or calzone press. The Pizzacraft Calzone Press was designed specifically for this purpose - to make the perfect calzone every time. The Pizzacraft Calzone Press works by allowing one to have a dough surface to work on before making a flawless fold. To use the press simply:
1. Stretch proofed pizza dough until it is the size of the opened Calzone Press
2. Dust the press with a little bit of flour and place dough in the press
3. Place your favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings on one side of the dough
4. Apply a small amount of water to the outer ring of dough, fold the press and give it a slight press down
5. Open the press and score the top of the calzone with a sharp knife.
The Pizzacraft Calzone Press comes in two sizes a small or large. They are perfect for making large calzones to share at dinner or smaller personal calzones with all your favorite toppings inside.
Cooking Your Calzone
To cook the calzone preheat your pizza oven or indoor oven to 450ºF. Place the calzone in the oven the same as you would a pizza. The calzone will cook slightly longer than a regular pizza because of its added density. If using a pizza oven, turn the calzone halfway through cooking. Cook until the dough beings to get golden brown like a pizza crust (around 15 min).
Tips: Fillings with high moisture content should be cooked prior to baking. For example mushrooms, bell peppers, and sausage. Avoid using soft fresh cheeses like ricotta and fresh mozzarella. These cheeses tend to produce a lot of liquid when cooking and often make the calzone dough soggy.
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