In The Zone

It’s been awhile since I last blogged about a cook but here’s one that I’ve been planning for quite some time.  As a pizza lover, I’ve always liked calzones.  From DiMaggio’s on Park Street in Carbondale (when I was there, they closed in 2013 after a car crashed into their building) to Sauce On The Side in Downtown St. Louis they are a food item I seek out from time to time.  They are simple to make and they can be customized with any ingredients that you like.  Today I made two of them.  One that was a pizza version for the kids and another with pulled pork for Kendra and I.

The Dough:  It's best if you make the dough the night before but as long as it has 90 minutes to rise you'll be okay.

  You'll Need:

•         1 Cup Hot Water
•          1 Tbsp Honey
•         1/2 tsp salt
•         1 Package of Yeast (1 Tbsp if you have jar of yeast)
•         2-1/2 Cups Flour (you may need a little more for kneading)

Directions:  Combine the Water, Honey and Salt in a large bowl and sprinkle with yeast.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes while the yeast activates.  Stir in flour using a large spoon.  Once the dough is no longer sticking place on a cutting board, cover with more flour, and knead for 5 minutes.  Place the dough in a large bowl, cover, and allow to rise at room temperature for at least 90 minutes.  (The dough will keep refrigerated up to 2 days.)

Light the smoker or heat the oven to 350° F while you prep the calzones.

Pizza Calzone:

·         8 slices of Provolone cheese

·         3 ounces of Pepperoni

·         10 frozen meatballs

·         ½ can of sauce

Pulled Pork Calzone:

·         8 slices of Pepper Jack chees

·         ½ lb of Pulled Pork

·         BBQ sauce (as desired)

You will also need a 6” wide strip of heavy duty aluminum foil of a thing long enough to be folded 4 times so that it will be sturdy enough to support a calzone.

Roll the dough out to an 8” x 12” rectangle then place the ingredients on top of the dough.  Once the ingredients have been placed then fold the dough and close the calzone.  Now place the calzone (seam side down) on the foil.

Cook for 45-60 minutes or until the dough has turned a golden brown.  Once the calzones are done let them rest 15 minutes before serving.

The calzones were delicious with pulled pork version being my favorite!  I will definitely be making these again.  I may try out some different dough options though.  If you wanted to make it easy on yourself I believe the frozen dough from the grocery store would work just fine.

Thank you for taking the time to read.  If you try this recipe please reach out and give me some feedback!