This Homemade Calzone recipe takes pizza night to the next level. Using a simple pizza dough, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and your favorite fillings, you can make this portable pizza pocket for dinner, appetizers or snacks any night of the week.
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The Best Homemade Calzones
There are so many things to love about these Homemade Calzones. Not only are they easy, cheesy and delicious, they are also super convenient. Once you’ve got your pizza dough, they really only take about 30 minutes to make and bake. Plus, you can freeze them and reheat any time you need a quick meal, or snack on the go!
Our family loves to make personal-sized Homemade Calzones that are filled with each person’s favorite ingredients. Pro-tip: bake them on a sheet tray with parchment and write each person’s name to keep track!
What is a Calzone?
Basically, a calzone is a portable pizza. They originated in Naples, Italy where street vendors sold them as pizzas that were built to be eaten on the go.
Calzones are typically made with pizza dough that has been rolled into a flat round and stuffed with various cheeses, meats and veggies. The dough is then folded in half, sealed and baked for a delicious alternative to your regular pizza night.
Ingredients in this Homemade Calzone Recipe
- Flour - we use all-purpose flour but you can also use bread flour.
- Salt - salt is important for the flavor and for the structure of any bread, so don’t forget to add it!
- Water - warm water is best because it helps to wake up your yeast. It should be between 95-110 degrees F.
- Yeast - we use active dry yeast in this recipe, which needs to be proofed. (check out our Homemade White Bread recipe for more info on activating yeast). If you use instant yeast, you can skip the proofing step and just mix the dough together, knead and then let rise.
- Sugar - we use regular granulated sugar, but you could also substitute honey.
- Olive Oil - you can substitute any other cooking oil that you’d like to use. It’s best to use something with little flavor, like avocado oil.
- Mozzarella Cheese - purchase this pre-shredded to save yourself an extra step. Either whole milk or part-skim will work great.
- Pepperoni - this is a family favorite at our house, but you can either omit this ingredient or try something else that your family prefers.
- Marinara Sauce - use your favorite store bought brand, or you can make your own Homemade Marinara Sauce if you are feeling up to it!
- Egg Wash - we use a simple egg wash of whole eggs and water to brush onto each calzone just before baking. It helps the garlic salt and Parmesan stick, and gives a nice shine to the dough.
- Garlic Salt - you can either purchase garlic salt, or make your own using half salt and half garlic powder. You could also substitute Italian seasonings, instead.
- Parmesan Cheese - any type of grated Parmesan cheese will work well to sprinkle onto your calzones just before baking.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Homemade Calzones with Pizza Dough
The first step is to make your calzone pizza dough:
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- In a medium sized mixing bowl, or stand mixer, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast and mix well. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes frothy and bubbly.
- Once your yeast has proofed, add a cup of flour, the salt and cooking oil and mix with the dough hook to combine. The dough should start to look stringy.
- Add the rest of the flour, ½ cup at a time, and stir until it's all combined. Continue to mix and knead on low speed for about 2 minutes.
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest for about 30 minutes, or until about doubled.
Now it’s time to shape, fill and bake!
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Punch the dough down and divide into 6 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, shape each piece of dough into a ball and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a 6-8" circle.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce onto one half of each circle of dough and spread it evenly, making sure to stay at least ¾" away from the edges. Sprinkle about ¼-1/3 cup of shredded cheese evenly over the marinara sauce, and then layer your pepperoni (or other toppings) over the top of the cheese.
- Fold the dough in half, over the filling, and press to seal the edges tightly. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed lightly with cooking spray, leaving at least 2" between each calzone.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water and brush a thin layer of this egg wash over the top of each calzone using a pastry brush. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and/or garlic salt, then poke a couple holes into the top of each calzone to allow steam to escape.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Tips and Tricks on How to Make Calzones
- Don’t overfill them! It’s tempting, we know, but if there is too much filling it will be difficult to seal them and they will more than likely pop open in the oven.
- To save yourself some time, make your pizza dough in advance. You can make your dough the day before and let it sit in the cooler. That way, all you’ll have to do is roll, fill and bake. You can also freeze your dough for later (see below).
- Using an egg wash makes your calzones nice and shiny, but it also helps your seasonings stick and keeps them sealed shut.
- If you have any dough left over, make mini calzones for a fun snack or appetizer.
- Don't forget to poke a couple of holes into each calzone so that steam can escape. They'll be less likely to burst this way.
How to Freeze and Reheat Calzones
Calzones are perfect for freezing and reheating later. They don’t take up much freezer space and are a cinch to reheat.
- Make sure they are completely cool, then wrap them up safe and sound in plastic wrap.
- Transfer to freezer bags and store for up to 2 months in the freezer.
- To reheat, it’s best to pull them from the freezer and let thaw in the fridge for a few hours first. Then heat in a 350 degree oven until warmed through (about 15-30 minutes depending on the size), or microwave on high for 1 minute at a time until warmed through.
What Can I Put in a Calzone?
Calzones that are made here in the US are usually filled with the same meats, cheeses and vegetables that you would find on a pizza.
Marinara or pizza sauce is the most commonly used sauce for calzones. You can either use your favorite store brand of pizza sauce, or Homemade Marinara if you’re really feeling it. Depending on what you choose for your fillings, here are a few other sauce ideas:
- Buffalo sauce
- BBQ sauce
- Pesto
- No sauce! Or else serve the sauce on the side.
For cheeses, it’s always a good idea to use Mozzarella. Here are a few different combinations that would be delicious:
- 2-Cheese: Mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese
- 3-Cheese: Mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese mixed with ricotta cheese and seasoned with salt and pepper.
- 4-Cheese: All of the above mixed with shredded provolone
Some tasty filling ideas:
- Pepperoni
- Sausage
- Sliced ham
- Mini meatballs
- Banana peppers
- Sautéed onions
- Fresh green onions
- Sautéed spinach
- Sautéed mushrooms
- Black olives
- Fresh basil
We’d love to hear what you tried. Leave a comment with your favorite Homemade Calzone topping combos!
You sure can! Once your dough has risen completely, transfer it to a freezer bag and press gently to remove any air from the bag and flatten the dough slightly. It can remain frozen for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to use your dough, allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge. The next day, remove the dough from the cooler and let sit at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes, then use to make your Homemade Calzones, or anything else that uses this pizza/calzone dough.
This all depends on the size of Homemade Calzone that you are making. This recipe gives an approximate baking time for making 6 calzones from a single-sized batch. At 425 degrees F, depending on your oven, this should take anywhere from 20-25 minutes.
If you are making mini calzones for an appetizer, the baking time could range anywhere from 10-20 minutes. It's best to check them frequently (without opening the oven door, if possible!) and look for that beautiful golden brown
Homemade Calzone Recipe
Ingredients
Calzone Dough
- 1 cup Water warm (95-110 degrees F)
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
Other Calzone Ingredients
- 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- ½ cup Pepperoni
- 1 cup Marinara Sauce
- 1 large Egg
- 1 tablespoon Water
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Salt or use half garlic powder, half salt
- 2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
How to Make Calzone Dough
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine the yeast, sugar, and lukewarm water. Stir and set aside for about 5 minutes to proof. When it starts to get bubbly it is ready to go.
- Add a cup of flour, the salt and cooking oil and mix with the dough hook to combine. The dough should start to look stringy.
- Add the rest of the flour, ½ cup at a time, and stir until it's all combined. Continue to mix and knead on low speed for about 2 minutes.
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest for about 30 minutes, or until about doubled.
How to Fill Calzones
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Punch the dough down and divide into 6 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, shape each piece of dough into a ball and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a 6-8" circle.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce onto one half of each circle of dough and spread it evenly, making sure to stay at least ¾" away from the edges. Sprinkle about ¼-1/3 cup of shredded cheese evenly over the marinara sauce, and then layer your pepperoni (or other toppings) over the top of the cheese.
- Fold the dough in half, over the filling, and press to seal the edges tightly. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving at least 2" between each calzone.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water and brush a thin layer of this egg wash over the top of each calzone using a pastry brush. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and/or garlic salt, then poke a couple holes into the top of each calzone to allow steam to escape.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Here are some other recipes made we pizza dough that we love!
- Homemade Cheesy Breadsticks
- Pull Apart Garlic Bread
- French Bread Pizza
- Homemade Stuffed Crust Pizza
- Grilled Pizza Dough
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There are so many things to love about these Homemade Calzones. Not only are they easy, cheesy and delicious, they are also super convenient. Using a simple pizza dough, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and your favorite fillings, you can make this portable pizza pocket for dinner, appetizers or snacks any night of the week.
Michelle
Tried this tonight very good! My daughter came across your site on your daughters you tube channel. Thank you for blogging your recipes.