Stephanie's Calzones

Stephanie's Calzones

recipe credit: Stephanie Cates

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

For the filling:

• 1/3 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 -1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup marinara sauce
• 1 T olive oil
• 3/4 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• ½ white onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3/4 cup cubed chicken (I used pre-cooked, frozen chicken)
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced
• 1 roma tomato, sliced
• 3/4 cup artichoke hearts, sliced

Olive oil

Finely grated parmesan cheese

Extra marinara sauce

Directions

To Make Dough: Dissolve yeast in very warm water. Set aside. Mix flour, sugar and salt in mixing bowl. Add olive oil, then pour in yeast/water mixture. Mix with dough hook until dough is smooth and workable. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, or until it is elastic. Lay dough in a bowl containing 1 teaspoon olive oil, then flip the dough, cover and let rise for 45 minutes to an hour, or until almost doubled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

For filling: Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion. Saute until onion is soft. Add chicken and mushrooms and sauté until cooked. Take off heat and put into a bowl to cool slightly.

Combine sundried tomato, roma tomato, artichoke hearts and marinara sauce. Add ricotta cheese and stir to mix. Add mushroom/onion mixture.

Punch down dough and knead slightly. Separate it into 2 equal parts. Roll each half out into circles about 12” in diameter on a pizza stone or lightly greased baking sheet (one for each calzone). Brush lightly with olive oil. Put mozzarella cheese on half of each circle, leaving 1 inch at the edge. Add half of filling, then top with more mozzarella cheese. Fold empty half of circle over the filling. Crimp with a fork and roll edge tightly. Brush with olive oil and punch top once with fork to let steam escape.

Bake in center of oven at 375 for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown. You may want to periodically brush with more olive oil. Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving, as filling will be very hot. Brush again with olive oil and top with finely grated parmesan. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.