Calzones are baked pizza pockets stuffed with cheese, proteins and  veggies and can be served for lunch, dinner or even breakfast if you’re creative.  Making homemade calzones can be fun for the whole family to enjoy and create their own versions of the best stuffing.  The key is to have a good pizza dough recipe. I have tried many recipes since getting my Gozney, and the 60% hydrated old school Naples dough is my favorite.  

How to make the best pizza dough.

Many have a secret family pizza dough recipe, some passed down from generations.  Being Polish, that’s not the case for me so I had to figure out what works best.  After trying many recipes, I finally landed on a great one.  This old school Naples dough at 60% hydration is the best pizza dough.  The reason for this is it gets crispy on the outside, but stays soft on the inside without being thick.  I used the Mastering Pizza cookbook to test out different recipes. 

In a stand mixer add 13 grams of sea salt, 300 grams of luke warm water (90 degrees), 1/2 tsp of active dry yeast and 500 grams of bread flour.  Mix for 15 minutes at low speed until the dough is formed and no longer sticking to the bowl.

Remove the bowl with the dough from the mixer, cover with plastic wrap and let it proof at room temperature between 6 to 12 hours.  

Once the dough has proofed, remove from the bowl and separate into 3 equal pieces. Roll each individual piece into a smooth ball and let it proof again in a container for another 2 hours. 

Time to make homemade calzones.

First you need to stretch the dough into a 10 – 12 inch pizza pie.  Start by covering your workspace with flour and press down and outward on the dough ball.  Continue this process until the edges are even with the rest of the pie.

Now it’s time to add the stuffing.  I made two different styles, one included prosciutto while the other had sautéed mushrooms, onion, garlic and spinach.  You can also go with a traditional cheese and pepperoni. 

Spread some pizza sauce on half of the pie.  Next add some fresh mozzarella pieces, grated parmesan and ricotta cheese. If you have any other stuffing choices place those on top, cover with more cheeses and fold the dough over to cover.  Pinch the ends to close off the calzone.  For the best seal, wet the edges with water allowing the dough to glue together. 

Preheat the pizza oven to 600 degrees and place the calzone in the oven.  Rotate it ever 2 minutes to get an even cook all around.  Total cook time is about 10 minutes.

After removing the custom baked calzone from the oven, drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle more grated parmesan and enjoy!

Printer friendly recipe and video below:

Check out the Recipes Page for other tasty ideas!