We love our pizzas on Fridays. But I occasionally want something a little different. Calzones are just stuffed pizzas, so for me, they still fit the bill for Friday Pizza Nights. Kelly & Eric aren’t as easy to convince of this, but sometimes they relent. Not often. But I promised my sister Diane that I would do a meat version of a calzone for her family of meat lovers. Kelly found & tried this recipe then Eric &  I tried it and adapted it. The “twist” is a soft pretzel-like dough. We loved it!

If you’re not ready to experiment with a pretzel dough, you can stick with your favorite pizza dough and skip the boiling water/baking soda bath (step 8). For my pizza dough recipe for the bread maker, see “Fridays Are Martini & Pizza Nights“.

Stuffed Pretzel Calzones (adapted from girlversusdough)                                      Prep Time: 45 minutes  Total Time: 3 hours  Servings: 8 calzones

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
• 4 Italian sausage links
• 2 cups chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (or 3/4 pound fresh spinach, steamed for 5 minutes, water squeezed out, then chopped)
• 3/4 pound (3 cups) shredded mozzarella
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg, beaten
• kosher or pretzel salt for topping calzones
• pizza sauce for dipping the calzones, if desired

Directions

1. To make your dough in a bread maker: Put the first 6 ingredients (water, sugar, salt, butter, flour & yeast) into your bread maker in the order required and select the dough setting.  With about an hour left in the dough cycle, start preparing your filling. (Alternate directions for making dough without a bread maker are at the bottom of the post.)

2. Remove the sausage filling from the casings and cook the meat in hot olive oil until it is cooked through.  Drain off any fat.

3. Combine the cooked sausage with the spinach and mozzarella in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Set the filling aside until the dough is ready.

4. Just before the dough is ready, start the water bath.  Bring the water and the baking soda to a boil in a large stockpot.

5. When the dough is ready, divide it into 8 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Flatten each ball into an 8-inch diameter circle using a rolling pin.

6. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

7. Place 1/2 cup of the sausage/spinach/mozzarella filling in center of each of the 8 dough circles.

Fold one end of the circle over to the other end to form a half moon and pinch the ends tightly together to seal them.

Fold the pinched edges towards the center of the calzone and pinch to seal again. Repeat the entire process with each piece of dough.

8. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower one calzone at a time into hot water bath and boil it for 15 seconds, flip it over and boil for another 15 seconds for a total of 30 seconds per calzone. Remove the calzone from the water bath and place it on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with each calzone.

9. When all the calzones are done with the water bath, brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle them with the kosher or pretzel salt. Bake the calzones for 12-15 minutes or until they are a deep golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool them slightly before serving.

There are endless variations on the filling.  We have done ham-broccoli-cheddar using 1/2 pound deli ham chopped, 1 head of steamed broccoli cut into small pieces and 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese for the filling.  We have also done a vegetarian version using sauteed mushrooms & onions, steamed broccoli and mozzarella.

To make dough with a stand mixer: In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine the water, sugar and yeast. Allow it to sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add in the melted butter, flour and salt. Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough for about 5 minutes or until the dough is slightly sticky and has completely pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Shape dough into a ball and place in a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour. When dough is doubled, remove from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Continue with the above steps, starting at step 2.

Get creative with whatever flavors your family enjoys!  ~Linda

Stuffed Pretzel Calzones (adapted from girlversusdough)                                      Prep Time: 45 minutes  Total Time: 3 hours  Servings: 8 calzones

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
• 4 Italian sausage links
• 2 cups chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (or 3/4 pound fresh spinach, steamed for 5 minutes, water squeezed out, then chopped)
• 3/4 pound (3 cups) shredded mozzarella
• 10 cups water
• 2/3 cup baking soda
• 1 large egg, beaten
• kosher or pretzel salt for topping calzones
• pizza sauce for dipping the calzones, if desired

Directions

1. To make your dough in a bread maker: Put the first 6 ingredients (water, sugar, salt, butter, flour & yeast) into your bread maker in the order required and select the dough setting.  With about an hour left in the dough cycle, start preparing your filling. (Alternate directions for making dough without a bread maker are at the bottom of the post.)

2. Remove the sausage filling from the casings and cook the meat in hot olive oil until it is cooked through.  Drain off any fat.

3. Combine the cooked sausage with the spinach and mozzarella in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Set the filling aside until the dough is ready.

4. Just before the dough is ready, start the water bath.  Bring the water and the baking soda to a boil in a large stockpot.

5. When the dough is ready, divide it into 8 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Flatten each ball into an 8-inch diameter circle using a rolling pin.

6. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

7. Place 1/2 cup of the sausage/spinach/mozzarella filling in center of each of the 8 dough circles.

Fold one end of the circle over to the other end to form a half moon and pinch the ends tightly together to seal them.

Fold the pinched edges towards the center of the calzone and pinch to seal again. Repeat the entire process with each piece of dough.

8. Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower one calzone at a time into hot water bath and boil it for 15 seconds, flip it over and boil for another 15 seconds for a total of 30 seconds per calzone. Remove the calzone from the water bath and place it on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with each calzone.

9. When all the calzones are done with the water bath, brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle them with the kosher or pretzel salt. Bake the calzones for 12-15 minutes or until they are a deep golden brown. Remove them from the oven and cool them slightly before serving.

There are endless variations on the filling.  We have done ham-broccoli-cheddar using 1/2 pound deli ham chopped, 1 head of steamed broccoli cut into small pieces and 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese for the filling.  We have also done a vegetarian version using sauteed mushrooms & onions, steamed broccoli and mozzarella.

(To make dough with a stand mixer: In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine the water, sugar and yeast. Allow it to sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add in the melted butter, flour and salt. Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough for about 5 minutes or until the dough is slightly sticky and has completely pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Shape dough into a ball and place in a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour. When dough is doubled, remove from bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Continue with the above steps, starting at step 2.)