Half-Wheat Monster Calzones

What better way to start a recipe post than to show it half gone right? Last week my brother was raving about his “beefy calzones” and I knew I just had to make my own. I’ve never done a lot of bread baking other than pizza so this of course presented a new challenge to again make something both yummy and healthy. Of course in our house, pizza topping preferences are WW3, so this is a great recipe to customize, even within in your own household.

INGREDIENTS (makes four “beefy” calzones):

For dough:

• 1 (.25 ounce) package of active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour + 1 cup bread flour (or just use 2 cups bread flour)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons white sugar

For stuffing:

• 2 cups tomato/pizza sauce
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped pepperoni
• 1/2 cup sliced olives
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy,
about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour (or 1 cup whole wheat flour
+ 1 cup bread flour), olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (175 degrees C). (Note: 30 minutes is the minimum time, we usually wait an hour.)

3. In a medium bowl, place all of your stuffing ingredients (in our case mushrooms, pepperoni, and oregano) excluding tomato sauce and cheese. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over the ingredients and toss to mix well. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute your stuffing ingredients for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Lower heat  to low and stir in tomato sauce/pizza sauce and stir for another 2 to 3 minutes until stuffing ingredients are evenly coated.

4. On floured surface roll out dough and divide into four pieces. Press each half into a circle, then use rolling pin to roll into an oval shape. On each oval place 1/4 of sauteed stuffing goodies and top with cheese. Wet your finger (clean hands people!) and rub along the edge that has the stuffing on it. Fold other half of dough over and press edges together. Pinch or roll edges to seal. Place calzone on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining calzones.

5. Brush with remaining olive oil and place in oven. Bake until golden brown, around 20 minutes. I recommend over-cooking a bit, so the crust gets crispy.

They are MASSIVE!

“OM NOM NOM!”

So there you have it, another super easy recipe to pull out on a packed weeknight or make with friends on a Saturday night. Easy to customize, fun to make, it’s one you can’t not have fun with or make your own.

Note: If you have leftovers, do NOT reheat in the microwave. To retain crispness, it has to be reheated in the oven.