Cheese Calzone

5 from 5 votes

Cheese calzone are half-moon shaped pockets of pizza dough filled with a creamy blend of ricotta, mozzarella, and Pecorino Romano cheese and baked until golden.

Prep Time10

Cook Time55

Cold fermenting time1

Total Time1 1 5

Course: Main Course, pizza

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: calzone

Author: James Delmage and Tara

Ingredients

For four 6-ounce pizza dough balls

406 grams bread flour or 3 1/4 cups
2 grams instant yeast or half teaspoon
8 grams fine sea salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons
4 grams sugar or 1 teaspoon
260 grams cold water 9 ounces
14 grams olive oil or 1 tablespoon

For the marinara sauce dipping sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic sliced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can crushed plum tomatoes
1 teaspoon Sicilian oregano
1 salt and pepper

For the calzone

4 6-ounce pizza dough balls from above or use store bought dough
4 tablespoons Pecorino Romano grated, divided
2 cups block mozzarella cheese shredded
1 pound ricotta drained overnight
salt and pepper to taste
semolina flour for launching

Instructions

For the dough balls

Place water in a bowl large enough to hold both the water and all the dry ingredients and still have room to spare. Mix together dry ingredients in another bowl.
Add dry ingredients to water a bit at a time and mix thoroughly to form a dry rough mass.
Pour the oil over the dough, mix again to scrape off any dough residue stuck to side of the bowl, and place the rough shaggy dough onto a work surface.
Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, place a clean bowl inverted over the dough and wait 30 minutes before resuming. Return to kneading (just make sure to knead for at least a total of 5 minutes).
Place the bowl over the dough once more and let sit for 30-40 minutes to warm up before forming the dough ball.
After 40 minutes divide into 4 equal-weight balls. Pull each dough ball towards its end repeatedly to form a smooth ball. Pinch the seam side and place the dough balls seam side down into an oiled bowl (using individual containers or a large proofing box works best) and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 12 but ideally 24 hours before using.

For the marinara sauce

In a saucepot, saute the garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat until golden (about 2-3 minutes).
Add the hot red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the plum tomatoes and bring sauce to a simmer. Simmer for 5-7 minutes then season with oregano and salt and pepper to taste.

For the calzone

Remove dough balls 2 hours prior to making each calzone. Place the baking steel approx 7" below the top of the oven and preheat oven to 525f for 45-60 minutes.
Dust wooden peel with semolina flour. This will help launch the calzone without sticking.
Remove dough ball from the container (trying to maintain round shape) and dust both sides with flour. The stickier side of the dough (bottom of proofing container) will be the top of the calzone.
Stretch the dough by pressing your fingers into the dough and turning in a circular motion. You can hold the dough and use gravity to stretch it as well. Form a circle roughly 8-10”. Once satisfied with the stretching place dough onto the wooden peel and make sure it moves easily.
Place the ricotta (about 3 ounces) into the center of the circle and sprinkle with Pecorino Romano cheese. Take around a 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and ball it with your hands. Place the mozzarella ball on top of the ricotta. Season the mozzarella and ricotta with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Wet the edges of the dough with a touch of water then fold the dough over to create a half moon shape. With a spoon, fork, or handle end of a pizza cutter press tightly to form a seal.
Cut a slit into the top of the calzone to allow air to escape. Brush a bit of olive oil on top of the calzone. Make sure the calzone moves easily before launching in the next step. 2 calzones can be cooked on the steel at the same time. Repeat process for a total of 4 calzone.
Launch the calzone onto the pizza steel and cook for roughly 6-8 minutes. Turn the calzone with a metal peel at the 3-minute mark to achieve even cooking. Note: the calzone can be cooked on a baking sheet (will take about 2 minutes longer) if you don't want to attempt the launching process.
After removing the calzone wait 8-10 minutes before cutting so that the cheese doesn’t ooze out completely. Serve with marinara sauce. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Any pizza dough can be used. For this recipe, we used 24 ounces of our standard pizza dough which makes four 6-ounce dough balls.
The calzone can be cooked on a baking sheet but will take 1-2 minutes longer than on a pizza steel or stone. If you feel uneasy about the launching process this is a good option.
Use your own premade marinara or store-bought to skip the sauce preparation step.
Ham, salami, soppressata, capicola, and other meats can be added.
Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days in the refrigerator and should be reheated in the oven at 350f until hot.

Nutrition