Easy Homemade Calzone Recipe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSY1-RUaOTo

If you've never made a calzone before, this easy homemade recipe is exactly where to start. Crispy golden pizza dough filled with pancetta, mushrooms, ricotta and a rich tomato sauce, it's everything you love about pizza wrapped into one delicious bake.

Easy Homemade Calzone Recipe

Makes 4 Calzones

Pizza Dough

500g bread flour

7g fast-action (active dry) yeast

5g salt

325ml tepid water

Olive oil, for greasing

Filling

250g pancetta lardons

1 onion, diced

250g mushrooms, sliced

250g ricotta

Salt and black pepper

Pizza Sauce

150g tomato passata

10g fresh oregano, chopped

1 garlic clove, finely grated

Salt and black pepper

To make the dough, place the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast to one side of the bowl and the salt to the other. Pour in the tepid water and mix until a rough dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Divide the dough into four equal portions and shape into balls. Place onto a lightly floured tray, cover and leave to prove for a further hour, or refrigerate overnight for even better flavour.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Place a frying pan over a medium-low heat and cook the pancetta until the fat has rendered and it begins to crisp. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook for 6–8 minutes until softened. Season with salt and black pepper, then set aside to cool slightly.

To make the sauce, combine the passata, oregano, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small saucepan. Simmer gently for 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened.

Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan (220°C conventional).

Lightly flour your work surface and stretch or roll one dough ball into a circle roughly the size of a dinner plate. Transfer it onto a sheet of baking paper, making it much easier to lift onto the baking tray.

Spread one quarter of the pancetta and mushroom mixture over one half of the dough, leaving a 2cm border around the edge. Spoon over a little of the tomato sauce, then add a generous spoonful of ricotta.

Fold the empty half of the dough over the filling to create a half moon shape. Press the edges firmly together to seal, then crimp with your fingers or a fork if you prefer. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Transfer the calzones to baking trays using the baking paper. If you like, spoon a little extra tomato sauce over the top before baking.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the dough is golden, crisp and cooked through.

Serve hot with a fresh green salad.

Tom's Tip

Don't be tempted to overfill your calzones. Using just enough filling makes them much easier to seal and helps prevent them from bursting open while they bake.