calzones

Lately Ben and I have been dining at one of our favorite restaurants, a small pizzeria just a few blocks away. Their pizza is incredible; really fantastic crisp crust, fresh mozzarella, and lots of fun toppings. My favorite is the white pizza (ricotta, smoked mozzarella, basil). Ben likes it with pepperoni on top.

In honor of our love of pizza, Ben and I decided to try making calzones on Sunday. With a hearty appetite after a Fast Sunday, we threw together a bunch of random ingredients in our fridge to make really great creations. I have been working on perfecting my pizza crust. I typically like deep dish, but these never turn out well at home, so lately I have converted over to thin crust. I would highly recommend investing in a $15 baking stone to make the best crusts (and always preheat the stone).

Pizza Dough
I actually made normal french bread and let it rise in the fridge while we were at church.
2 1/2 c warm water
2 Tbs yeast
3 Tbs sugar
1/4 c oil
1 tps salt
1 egg yolk
6 c flour

Combine water, yeast, and sugar and let it grow for 5-8 minutes. Add oil, salt, egg yolk, and half of the flour. Stir until the lumps are gone and then add remaining flour until a soft dough forms. Place in greased bowl and let rise until double.

Punch down and cut off a small portion. Roll out into a circle as thin as possible. Put any combination of the following ingredients onto half of the dough, leaving the edge empty:

Sharp cheddar cheese
Ricotta cheese
Spaghetti sauce
Vodka spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese
Flavored sausage

Fold the dough over and press the edges together to seal (I like to roll the bottom edge on top of the other edge and then press together. Transfer to a preheated, corn meal dusted baking stone and bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes (until golden brown). Brush with olive oil and lightly salt. Eat hot.