8/29/08 Calzones

Friday night is (almost) always calzones and pizzas. We used to order pizza in, and while I miss that sometimes, I have found it is WAY cheaper to make my own. Also, everyone gets exactly what they want, and I can make as much dough as I need. DH and I get loaded calzones, and the kids get little pizzas.

Here's my basic recipe. I used about 1 cup whole wheat flour because I ran out of white flour. I may need to add a bit of gluten to get it to rise more, but no one complained. It helps we normally eat whole wheat bread.

1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
3 cups flour -- or more if needed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
oregano, garlic powder, Italian seasoning -- to taste

Place all ingredients in breadmaker according to your machine's instructions. Make
on dough cycle.

When finished, remove, roll into a ball and let rest covered in olive oil coated bowl 30-45 minutes on counter or up to overnight in refrigerator.

Separate into 3-4 pizza sized pieces of dough, 5-6 calzone sized, one large Stromboli, or whatever form your family likes to make pizzas. Bake at 425' with whatever toppings you prefer until golden brown - approx. 6 minutes for a pizza and 12-15 for a calzone.

I also make this in my Kitchenaid mixer - place water, yeast and sugar in bowl and
let proof for 5-10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix with dough hook 15
minutes or so. Form into a ball, coat mixer bowl with olive oil, roll to coat and
cover with plastic wrap. Proof in refrigerator 2 hours to overnight. I let it
rest at room temperature 15 minutes or so to make the dough easier to work with.