Sourdough calzone can be stuffed with your favorite pizza toppings. They make a savory treat for any time of the year.
“Melted cheese stuffed inside dough is for all seasons, even the swelteryest days of summer.”
~ Pat D.
Calzones are a wonderful thing. We are so used to having pizza, and most don’t think of the stuffed version. In Italy, sandwich-sized calzones are served at lunch counters and by street vendors. They are easy to eat while standing and walking. Usually, they do not have tomato sauce inside. Strombolis, an American invention, often has tomato sauce and is shaped in a cylinder. Calzones, often confused with stromboli, are in a half moon shape.
What is a Calzone?
Calzone, meaning stocking or trouser in Italian, originated in Naples in the 18th century. One theory is they were named this because they were easy to eat for travelers, who might be wearing stockings or trousers.
In Italy, sandwich-sized calzones are served at lunch counters and by street vendors because they are easy to eat while standing and walking. Usually, they do not have tomato sauce inside; stromboli, an American invention, often has tomato sauce and is shaped in a cylinder. Calzones, often confused with stromboli, are in a half moon shape.
Source – WikiPedia
Sourdough Calzone
Traditionally, calzones are made from pizza dough. But what could be better than pizza dough made from the sourdough starter? One of the reasons why these calzones have tomato sauce inside was to offset the bit of sour flavor of the dough. The sourdough starter also made a sturdy dough that easily holds up under the weight of its filling.
They are Kid-Friendly
Think about what you and your children like on their pizza. Maybe one person wants a lot of meat, while another likes just vegetables, and God forbid, someone likes ham and pineapple. Well, that’s the good thing about calzone. You can separate the dough into smaller pieces and make individual calzones. They travel easily and can be put in lunch boxes.
Have a look at some of my favorite pizza toppings, like the Red Sauce and Tomatoes, or White Sauce and Sausage, Goat Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomato, or even the Alsasion Caramlezied Onion with Ham and Swiss pizza for some ideas.
When I made these calzones, I had little meat scraps in my deli drawer. So I had some pastrami, and I had some swiss cheese. That’s a winning sandwich. I also had fresh mozzarella, mushrooms, onions, and mini bell peppers. Onion and mushroom are my favorite pizza topping.
Extra and Leftover Sourdough Calzone
You can freeze the calzones before baking them or afterward. If you decide to freeze them before baking, let them thaw and rise on your counter for about an hour before baking. For leftover calzones, you can put them in a lunch bag frozen in the morning, and they will be defrosted by the time lunch arrives.
Email Me the Recipe
Sourdough Calzone Two Ways
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 227 grams sourdough starter, (1 cup) unfed/discard
- 141 grams Water, lukewarm to 170 g (1/2 plus 2 tablespoons to 3/4 cup)
- 300 grams Bread flour, 2 1/2 cups
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon *olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Yeast, instant or active
~~ Sauce ~~
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Penzeys roasted garlic
- 1 teaspoon *Penzeys frozen pizza spice
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
~~ Filling One ~~
- 4 oz Pastrami
- 4 oz Swiss Cheese
- ½ cup Onion, sliced
- ½ cup Bell pepper, chopped
- ¼ cup Spinach, fresh leaves
~~ Filling 2 ~~
- 4 oz Fresh mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup Mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup Onion, sliced
- ½ cup Bell pepper, chopped
~~ For the Crust ~~
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
Instructions
To make the dough
- 227 grams sourdough starter, 300 grams Bread flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon YeastPut the starter, flour, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. If you are using a very healthy starter, and not Discard, you can omit the yeast.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, 141 grams WaterPut the smaller amount of water in the bowl and stir until all the water is absorbed and the dough has started forming a ball. Add the oil, If you don't have a ball, continue adding water a teaspoon at a time until the ball forms and there is very little residual flour on the sides of the bowl.
- Put the machine on 2 and knead for 7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare a bowl by putting some oil in it. Remove the dough from the machine and put it in the oiled bowl. Cover it and keep it in a warm place until it doubles in bulk, about 90 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 500 °F (260 °C). Break off a piece of parchment paper large enough to fit your pizza peel or baking sheet. If you have not already done so, put your pizza stone in the oven. Do this about 20 minutes before the dough has doubled.
Make the Sauce
- 8 ounces tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon Penzeys roasted garlic, 1 teaspoon Penzeys frozen pizza spice, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepperWhen the dough has risen enough make the sauce by combining the sauce ingredients in a small pot. Taste for seasoning and let it just come to a boil then turn off the heat and set it aside.
Make the Calzones
- Form dough into two balls. Roll one of the balls into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.
- 4 oz Pastrami, 4 oz Swiss Cheese, 1/2 cup Onion, 1/2 cup Bell pepper, 1/4 cup SpinachSpread some of the sauce in the middle of the dough, leaving about 2 inches uncovered on the edge. Put the filling in the center. Pull the sides up and press them together, then bring up the ends and press them into the sides to seal them.
- 4 oz Fresh mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Mushrooms, 1/2 cup Onion, 1/2 cup Bell pepperDo this for the other ball.
- 1 egg, 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon sesame seedsBefore putting the calzones in the oven, mix the egg with the water and paint the calzones. Sprinkle them with the sesame seeds, the black for meat, the plain for vegetables.
- Bake the calzones for 20 minutes or until the crust has deeply browned. Let them sit for about 10 minutes before cutting into them.
- Put any remaining sauce in a bowl for dipping and serve. Enjoy!
