Kevin: Calzone
We had planned on a round up of pizza making hints today, but all three of us were side-tracked with other things that needed taking care of and, because we failed to decide on someone to blame if it didn't get done, it didn't get done. So I thought I'd post a brief note on a pizza alternative: calzone.
In this case I rolled out about a quarter of a dough recipe into a circle. Although I usually shape pizza by hand, I wanted a disk that was more uniformly thick than I can make by hand.
Then I sautéed some Italian sausage, red bell pepper, and onions. Note: I always precook Italian sausage because I'm concerned it won't cook all the way through during it's short stay in the oven. Also, this renders out most of the fat making a less greasy pizza (or calzone, in this case).
I mixed up my usual cheese mixture and then tossed all the ingredients together in a bowl.
I placed about 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) on the dough round, moistened the edges with water using a pastry brush, and then folded the dough over and sealed it by pinching the edges with my fingers. I also cut a couple of slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
As with pizza, it went on a hot stone (475F, 245C) until browned.
Technorati: Food | recipe | baking | bread | artisanal | artisan | bread baking | pizza | calzone
posted by Kevin at
9:29 AM
Click here to see A Year of Bread in pictures."
23 Comments:
That looks great Kevin. I have two pizza doughs in the freezer, I might try this for the weekend, since we just had one of the frozen pizzas last night for supper. I had wondered if the pizza dough was suitable for calzones, which I have never tried. I'll let you know how they turn out when I make them. It is your recipe for pizza dough that I have frozen.
judyinktown
Great minds and all! I made chicken calzones last night from leftover dough (Susan's) and they were wonderful. The final piece of leftover dough is going into a batch of baguettes today as a pseudo-pate fermentee (sp?) since I have to have them made in six hours and haven't started yet.
Beth,
At last someone recognizes my great mind.{g}
I'm thinking about trying a breakfast calzone for the weekend. Or would that be too odd? I always have some caramelized onions in the fridge so I'm thinking if I add some diced honey ham or some smoked salmon to softly scrambled eggs, toss with some cheese I might have something.
Artemis,
That's a great idea!
I agree with Kevin, this is a great idea. Let us know how it turns out and what ingredients you used. I am voting for the onions, honey ham, and cheese, simply because I am not sure if the eggs might end up overcooked. I love salmon and eggs, my mother fixed that for supper sometimes in the winter when I was little; she always just scrambled them together, and the eggs were a soft scramble. Yummy! My mother always worked and that was a quick, nourishing meal with something green or fruit.
I hope you all don't mind if I say a word or two honoring my mother. She will be 89 in July, and she is an inspiration to me. She still takes care of her home, fixes her meals, and still drives. Even though she worked, we always had nourishing meals, and things like homemade cookies. Cookies are still one of my favorite things, because she took time on Saturdays to bake with us. She made most of mine, and my sister's clothes, and most of the time without a pattern. I am thankful for all the things my mother taught me.
She recently sent me this recipe, which is very rich and very good and very quick.
2 cups Bisquick (I used Heart Healthy, ha)
4 ounces, grated fine, extra sharp cheese
1 cup sour cream
7 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
Mix all together and spoon into a muffin tin (I spray mine lightly). This makes 12. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Just try this. Bet you can't eat just one!
judyinktown
What a beautiful post about your mother Judy. I don't have Bisquick in the house--here's one of many Bisquick sub recipes on the net:
1 cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon shortening
I was going to get up early and make breakfast calzone this morning and completely overslept. Maybe next week.
I made my second batch of Susan's oatmeal toasting bread today. I think this will become our basic bread around here. While it was in the oven the idea of adding bananas popped into my head. Susan (or others), do you think that could work? Any tips are welcomed. Otherwise I'll just start playing on my own next weekend.
I am going to have to try that oatmeal toasting bread. I have made a banana yeast bread that was great, so bananas might work, maybe you would have to adjust some of the wet ingredients?
Thank you for the recipe for the bisquick sub. I don't usually have bisquick either, but bought it to try the cheesy biscuit recipe. I may try it with the substitute recipe and see if it comes out the same.
Everybody I talked to today slept in this morning, including me. I didn't get around to trying the breakfast calzones either. Beth's chicken calzones looked great. I love looking at the flickr site to see what others have made.
judyinktown
Judy,
Do try the oatmeal bread. We love it. Tonight's dinner was toasted oatmeal bread with still warm egg salad. Wow. Simple perfection. Adjusting the wet ingredients will be tough because the water is absorbed by the oats before mixing in the flour. But I'll figure out something. Banana and oats just seem like a good combo to me.
I'll try your Mom's biscuits next weekend. My Mom cooked a lot when I was growing up, but her baking was limited to special occasion and thank you pies and cakes (which were incredible). Now, though, she is quite the sweets baker. Last year on one of my visits, I went to bed late one night after a lovely conversation with her. By the time I got up the next morning, she had made cookies and a cake. Two months ago, just a couple months into my efforts to really incorporate baking into my life, Mr. Oopsydeb looked at me in my zipped up robe covered with flour, hands on my hips, and said "You really are your mother's daughter." It was about the sweetest thing he could have said to me.
I
I too love the flickr site. Have you been able to post yet?
I am inspired and on a bit of a kick. Thanks for making this site.
Help Susan! Is the "old dough" in your oatmeal toasting bread recipe like putting starter in your bread? If you don't have it, will the bread be as good? I do have some of Kevin's pizza dough in the freezer, would that work. I don't have a scale here in the house, can I measure it some other way?
This really sounds good and even though there are just two of us at home now, I like to share with others when I have extra, so I like that this recipe makes three loaves.
judyinktown
Amity,
That was our nefarious plan.
Hi Susan: I found the answer to some of my questions, I guess the only one I have now is "Does it make a difference in the taste?"
I bit the bullet and it is in the 20 minute rest. Again I am finding the dough stiffer than I thought. I am using Bob's Red Mill organic unbleached flour, and am wondering if that makes a difference? I have had really good bread from this flour, but I am thinking it is a little heavier than some other that I have used. I think it said it was a hard winter wheat. I know that White Lily Flour which is located here in Knoxville was known for its soft winter wheat, which was supposed to make a lighter biscuit. So, is this where the difference is? The dough for the oatmeal toasting bread feels really nice and I am looking forward to the first slice; the heel, my favorite piece!
Oopsydeb, thanks for putting me on to this and continuing to encourage me. Your supper sounded great, and I know from what you said your mother is a jewel. We are two blessed women to have wonderful mothers who were good examples to us. Let me know about the bananas when you get it figured out. I think you are younger than me, so I'll let you do the math. lol
judyinktown
judyinktown
Oopsydeb:
That would be "who are good examples to us."
And as you can see from the two signatures, it is best for you to do the math. Still laughing so I won't cry.
judyinktown
I have it in for the first rising. I did not put the "old dough" in it, because I would have to wait until tomorrow, and I couldn't wait. lol I sprinkled the salt over it and kneaded it another 5 mins. The flour is actually hard red spring wheat. I think I will do a search on it.
I know everyone is enjoying my blow by blow account of my breadmaking, so I am bowing out now until it comes out of the oven. I'm cutting the cord, and I'm going it alone. It's a hard thing, but I think I have my courage up to go the last mile by myself now that I have it mixed and kneaded. Okay, I'm taking a deep breath and I'm going in for the final bake. ha
judyinktown
ps~ please don't ban me. I'll try to be good from now on.
Oopsydeb,
I keep a bag of White Lily around for biscuits and pancakes and such, but I wouldn't use it for bread. But there is lighter bread flour that I found was perfect for making croissants many years ago. I'll try to remember it.
Judi,
"I know everyone is enjoying my blow by blow account of my breadmaking, so I am bowing out now until it comes out of the oven."
Oh sure, you tease us and then disappear. You're probably the reason my next Spot-On column has taken on it's current tone. If I lose that gig I'm holding you responsible. Those shimmying hips as you knead bread and me a dedicated bachelor of 25 years. For shame woman!
Okay Judy, that bread must be out of the oven by now! How did it turn out? I've been using King Arthur bread flour. I didn't use old dough the first time, but did save back 10 ounces and used it this second time.
I also have found that kneading this dough is giving me quite the work out. For one thing, there's just so much of it. I have a hard time working with it all, but I did better with it on the second batch than the first.
Looking forward to your report, and off to have a piece of toast with butter and honey.
Okay Kevin, I'm looking for you a Chefett because I don't think you are really a dedicated bachelor. I thought your Spot-On was good, your latest Spot-On is very informative, and I encourage everyone to go and read it. So there, the ball is back in your court Kevin.
My bread smelled incredible baking and is very flavorful. I don't think it rose enough the second time, even though I gave it the right conditions, and enough time. So what could have happened? Is it because I didn't use the "old dough"?
judyinktown
Just saw your post oopsydeb, the bread smells wonderful and tastes wonderful, but is not as light as I expected, so something must have gone wrong with the last rise. Just a little more dense than I thought it should be from the pictures in the recipe. It will be eaten because the flavor is great, and I will try it again.
judyinktown
You all are amazing, you have made it from calzones to tender moments with mom to shimmying hips to oatmeal toasting bread - and all on a single post!
Judy, I've been making Susan's oatmeal bread for a while and it's still touchy to get it to rise correctly. It is dense and has little to no oven spring so you have to grit your teeth and let it rise on the counter for every last minute you can bear. I still haven't perfected it, but I am getting better. I am also debating using a smidge more yeast.
The old dough shouldn't make a huge amount of difference in the rise, it's more about flavor. I've made it with and without the odl dough and it isn't a huge difference, so I wouldn't worry about that.
Oopsydeb, I am not sure how I'd adjust for the bananas other than by feel, but it sounds delicious! You might want to keep in mind the rise/density equation and add a bit of yeast...pplease keep us posted, I am really curious about how it goes.
I have to say the bread is as good this morning as last night when it was warm. Even though this is dense, I am thinking it would make a good sweet bread pudding. I may have to try it.
judyinktown
I'm glad you liked the bread Judy. I wouldn't describe mine as dense. One thing we've loved about it is that when we toast it the center is nice and soft and airy. Are you making sure you are cooling the oatmeal/bran/sugar/water mixture enough? It's taken mine MUCH longer than the 30 minutes suggested in the recipe to get down to 80 degrees.
I won't have a chance to do the banana experiment until Saturday, but I'll be sure to report back.
I did let mine cool longer than 30 minutes, but I did not check the temp with a thermometer. I certainly will the next time. I made french toast with some this morning. It was very good.
I feel certain that it did not rise like it should, so I will take some precautions next time. I did buy some organic KA. Had to get it in 2 lb bags, but I figured it up and it was just as cheap as the Bob's Red Mill 5 lb, and I got 6 lb.
judyinktown
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