@savoirpair Craving Calzones part 1 of 3. Demystifying the Dough!!! #calzone #homemadedough ♬ Similar Sensation (Instrumental) - BLVKSHP
Calzones – Pizza dough recipe from Barefoot Contessa Parties! (makes 6 Calzones)
I am a big Ina Garten fan. I usually buy her cookbooks as soon as they come out, and try almost every recipe in them. My books are stained, written in, and sometimes falling apart 😉 because I use them so much. Her books are so well written, and I am not kidding, I’ve never had one of her recipes not be delicious. She’s that good at creating recipes. A loooong time ago, I started making her California pizzas, and now I make the dough by memory. It’s so easy to make, easy to work with, fail-safe, and so good. The pizzas are also super fun for parties and everyone has a good time participating in making dinner. Countless adults and kids parties later, the dough works every time! Plus, making the meal is part of the party activities. What’s better than that?! Haha, get it? Along the way, I’ve used the simple dough recipe for Calzones, and even for simple Foccacia. Here is my Calzone crust method:
1 1/4 cups WARM (100 to 110 degrees) water
2 packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups all purpose four, plus extra for kneading
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 egg beaten, one tablespoon of water added -for egg wash if using
Combine the water, yeast, honey, and olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 3 cups of flour, then the salt, and mix. While mixing, add 1 more cup of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on low or medium speed for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with flour if necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a flour board and knead by hand about a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well oiled bowl and turn it several times to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Divide the dough in to 6 equal parts, and roll each one into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a baking sheet and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate up to 4 hours. (BTW, I’ve used the dough balls the next day too, with great results, just make sure to let the balls come to room temp for about 30 minutes before rolling out.)
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Roll and stretch each ball into 1 rough 8-10 inch circle on a piece of parchment paper. Add toppings (tomato sauce, cheese, pepperoni, whatever you are using – see next blog entry for ideas) along 1/2 of the circle and fold the dough over to make a half moon. Roll and crimp the edges to seal. Brush the tops with an egg wash if you want them a little more browned, like I did in the video. Take parchment with calzone and slide onto a baking sheet. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until the crust is crisped. Bon Appetit!