Homemade pizza calzones, all things pizza stuffed into homemade pizza dough and baked. It’s the best handheld pizza package!
One of my earliest posts on SS was my favorite childhood pizza dough recipe.
It’s my Mom’s recipe that she’s made for YEEEARS. And for some reason I was always hit or miss with it. Sometimes the yeast would totally fail me and just sit there, doing nothing. Sometimes it would double wonderfully, other times, not so much.
Researching all my past attempts I finally figured out what I was doing wrong. The water temperature. To be honest, I was being lazy and I never really measured how hot the water was or wasn’t. I just sort of guessed how hot it was. That was the moment I realized the trick to yeast, is a) make sure it’s not expired and b) the temperature of the water. Ever since then I’ve been taking my waters temp like a baby and turning pizza’s out like Little Caesars.
This pizza dough recipe is fool-proof and my go to for anything pizza. Follow the steps and then cover with a clean tea towel and stick the bowl in a warm draft-free area to rise for 40 – 60 minutes.
TO Make These Homemade Pizza Calzones You Will Need:
- 1 recipe for homemade pizza dough (above)
- ground Italian sausage
- yellow onion
- mozzarella
- sandwich pepperoni
- grated sharp provolone
- egg
- tomato sauce
- italian seasoning
- dried basil
- garlic powder
- red pepper flakes (optional)
- kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
Meanwhile get going on the toppings…err fillings. First I cook up a half pound of ground Italian sausage.
Slice the onion into strips from root to tip.
Saute them in the remaining sausage fat until soft and golden.
The Sauce Is Simple.
In a small saucepan add 1 (8 ounce) can of tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, salt and black pepper. I even add a pinch of sugar, I counteracts the acidity. Alternatively, you could use this other homemade pizza sauce recipe.
Next quarter a few pepperonis.
Then grate the cheese.
On the left you have a half a half cup of the very stinky {yet very delicious} sharp provolone. And on the right is a cup to cup and a half of the very creamy mozzarella.
Next, after about an hour in a warm dry place, your dough should have doubled in size.
And then “Punch” it down to deflate it a bit.
Then form the dough into a ball and cut in half. Then divide the halves in half, so you have for pieces.
Next, grab your rolling pin and roll each piece out to form an 8-inch circle. You may have to stretch it a bit with your fingers.
Then spread out a little sauce, leaving a little room around the edge. Top with Italian sausage and sauteed onions.
Next top with the pepperonis, a little mozz and then a little prov.
Then fold over, tuck and twist… or is it twist and tuck. Well you get the idea.
Next brush with a little beaten egg.
Then bake the Homemade Pizza Calzones at 375° until puffed, crispy and a deep golden.
All this hard work it’s so totally worth eating the whole thing.
These homemade pizza calzones have a crispy crust, soft gooey center. I bet your family will be giving you high fives all night long.
Enjoy! And if you give these Homemade Pizza Calzones a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Homemade Pizza Calzones
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH:
- 2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
- 1 cup warm water, 115-120 degrees
- 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for oiling bowl
FOR THE PIZZA SAUCE:
- 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes, optional
- kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
FOR THE CALZONES:
- 8 slices sandwich pepperoni, quartered
- 1 medium onion, sliced root to tip
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1-1/2 cups freshly grated mozzarella
- 1/2 cup freshly grated sharp provolone
- 1 large egg, beaten
Instructions
MAKE THE SAUCE:
- In a small sauce pan over medium low heat combine the tomato sauce, herbs and spices. Stir until hot then remove off of the heat to cool.
MAKE THE CALZONES:
- In a skillet brown the sausage, drain and set aside. Over medium heat cook onions until soft and golden.
- Divide the pizza dough into 4 equal portions. Roll out to about 8 inches in diameter. Smear a couple spoonfuls of cooled pizza sauce.
- Top with cooked Italian sausage, pepperoni, cooked onions and cheeses. Stretch and pull the dough over the top of the filling and twist and pinch the two seams together.
- Beat the egg and brush it over top of the entire calzone. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20-minutes. Let cool before eating. Use any leftover pizza sauce to dunk your calzone in.
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THANK YOU in advance for your support!
these look gorgeous and so delicious! homemade dough is the best and there's just nothing that compare! I love all the filling you stuffed in there, delicious!!
These look delish! Love the pizza dough from scratch. Never made it before but generally am scared away by yeast and rising and all that jazz. You made it look so simple! Will definitely be giving this a try this coming weekend. Thanks so much!! Keep em coming!!
The color on those calzones are perfect!
OOOO.
MMMM.
GGGG.
yummy calzones…I too have a recipe in my blog..
This dough sounds delicious. My husband loves pizza and calzones and I always love trying new dough recipes. We'll try this one out. Love it!
I make calzones pretty often too. But yours look delicious! Adding salt directly to the yeast mix can also kill it a little, so maybe try adding it the the dough when the flour is mixed in? Loving all of the cheeeese 😀
Oh yummy. This reminds me of my childhood! Dad used to make these all of the time.
These look so delicious and portable. Something about portable food makes my skirt just fly up!
Looks WONDERFUL!
Mmm such a great idea! Love it!
These seriously couldn't look more perfect! I LOVE calzones!
Come to mama! These look perfect.
They look delish! If I ever need to order pizza, I'll be sure and call you, not Domino's 🙂
Those are some amazing look calzones! Nicely done! So hearty and your pictures are just stunning
Can I come over for dinner? these look PERFECT.
those calzones look profressionally made…I guess they are! You have cooking talent for sure.
Oh my goodness, these are truly drool-worthy…beautiful photos and awesome step-by-step directions. This will be something I will be trying in my kitchen for my family!
A woman after my own heart. I HATE cleaning the food processor. Hand kneading is rather satisfying too! Nothing like home-made dough….your calzones look amazing!
These look perfect! It has been way too long since we have had calzones! They are going to have to make the menu soon!
I love calzones! Making a yeast dough scares me, but I may just have to get over that fear and bake some of these up soon. Yum!
Could you make up the calzones in advance put them in the fridge than take them out alittle bit before baking them?
Hi~ I don't see why not. As long as the filling is completely cooled before assembling. It should work! 🙂
Laurie- which pizza dough is better for pizza making- this one or the earlier favorite pizza recipe from earlier? We are looking for a great pizza dough and also need to know what temperature and the amount of time to cook it at (when it's not a calzone). Thanks!
I love making calzone and these look delicious!
These sound absolutely delish! Love your pics!
Calzones was one of my favorite dinners as a kid!
Oooooo, yummy!
Me and Yeast had a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship going on for a long time, too. It was all in the water. Stupid finicky water temps. Once I broke down and spent money on the instant read thermometer – yeast and I were friends again. Frienemies no more! ~M
Gorgeous! These look delicious and I love your step by step photos. Well done.
I am a huge fan of calzones and yours look amazing! I now have a huge cheesy carb craving!
Which dough recipe is better for pizza. This one or your favorite pizza recipe? Also, if I want to make a pizza with this recipe (or whichever one is better) what temperature and for how long should I cook it? Looks yummy!
Thanks!
Anonymous~ I'd bake the pizza at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Both recipes are virtually the same… I use less flour in the hand kneaded version and add more while kneading to ensure a non overly floured dough.
Anne~ I like the hand kneading better because I like to knead, but it depends on if you have or like using a food processor. But other wise they produce the same results. Hope
You totally just brought me back to home economics in high school – I learned how to make these and then made them every friday at home! Thanks for the great memory and delish updated recipe.
Your calzones look incredible! I love that you made the dough from scratch… I have featured this post in today's Friday Food Fetish roundup. Let me know if you have any objections and thanks for the inspiration
Fantastic color on the calzones! I love dishes like these that are awesome the first time around, but freeze well in case of emergency.
1 cup of water is 240 ml? And 2-1/2 flour are 300 gr? Please answer me. Love the recipe and want to try.
Teodora
Hi! 1 cup of water is 235mls and 275 grams of flour, plus more for dusting of course.. hope this helps!
Hi, Just want to say that I stumbled on your site last night and then proceeded to print out about 30 of your recipes. Everything looks so good! And in my opinion, "from scratch" is the only way to go! Tonight I made your calzone crust (I used a different filling since I had already planned to make a ham/bbq sauce/red onion pizza) and my family loved it! The 4 smaller calzones were
Hi there! I randomly found this blog post by searching for “easy pizza dough recipes” and I have to see, this recipe really is fool proof! Up until trying this recipe, I had absolutely ZERO experience making my own pizza dough, pie crusts, or breads. I was really intimidated by the process, but I finally had a moment of, “I have to try!” So I used this recipe for our weekly calzones (I normally used store-bought crust) and my my! This recipe is PERFECT! The dough came out EXACTLY right and my husband loved it! While eating his calzone he even said, “Is there honey is this dough?” Delicious. Thank you so much! I’ve saved your blog on my google reader and will be attempting my first ever real BREAD this weekend with your easy dinner roll recipe. You are fantastic, thank you so much!
Hi! I am not sure how I found your website, but I am glad I did! Thanks for the great calzone recipe. I made them tonight and they were a hit! I will definitely use your dough recipe for a homemade pizza as well!! Thanks again! Perfect calzones!! I will be browsing your site for more goodies to cook… 🙂
Thankyou, thankyou….these were so delicious and alot of fun to make. I have retired my mixmaster and using my hands to make dough once again. You have a great site, awesome step by steps and the end results are a real treat.
That’s great! It’s so much fun to get your hands dirty right!?
We just tried this recipe today and it turned out beautifully! My sister & I impressed our family and they asked for us to make more next week. Thanks for the great recipe!
These are fantastic. I’ve made this atleast 6 times now since I found this recipe in January. Even my picky 2 year old loves them! I’m making them again this week. These are so simple but so delicious. I love that you can top each one differently. My daughter loves just cheese and pepperoni, whereas my husband loves when I throw in some bell peppers and olives. It’s a win win in our house. =)
Wow I made this last night and I could not believe how good it was! Not to mention easy too. Thanks so much for the recipe it will be the only one I use now 🙂 the only change I will make will be to omit the egg wash and use a combo of garlic and olive oil. Thanks again!
I tried this recipe and I now know I will never need to eat out again! they are amazing and the easy to follow instructions are wonderful! thanks so much 🙂
I’m so glad! Thank you!
This looks amazing and I’m planning on making tonight!! Just wondering, can I make the dough this morning, let it rise and then stick it in the fridge till I’m ready to put the calzones together tonight? Or should i make the dough, stick it in the fridge and then take it out to rise an hour before I make them tonight?
Thanks!
Hi Ariel! I would make the dough, stick it in the fridge and pull out to rise before making. Just give the dough a little extra time to rise 🙂
Awesome! Thanks so much! I’m excited to try this out!
Made this today, fabulous for Easter lunch. 🙂
I made the filling yesterday and so assembling and rolling was pretty easy, plus since the filling was in the fridge it didn’t become soggy. I didn’t use the sauce, the cheese and mixture was moist enough. This is a keeper.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them, Pam!
Mine turned out lovely! Thanks for a great recipe 🙂
Laurie,
Your calzones helped me get laid. Thanks.
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Made these tonight. Was looking for a simple dough recipe. This sure was tasty and the texture was perfect. Mine did not want to stop rising. Thank you!
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I have made these so many times that I thought the recipe deserved a comment and a big thanks to you! By the way, I really enjoy your blog because of your personality, wonderful photography and recipes that actually work! 2 thumbs up!!
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I am currently out of active dry yeast and want to make these tonight. How would you adapt the dough recipe to use rapid rise yeast (I have that on hand). Do I just follow the same directions, but use the other yeast? I noticed in the top photo you have rapid rise yeast pictured, but in the recipe at the bottom it is active dry.
Hi Sarah!
After trial and error I found active dry yeast to be best for pizza dough. You can of course use rapid rise, but the taste and texture of the crust will/could be different.
From what I know, you can mix the yeast right in to the flour/water without first proofing the yeast in the 110-115 degree water. I’d still have it rise in an oiled bowl {but that’s just me} before preparing the calzones.
Good luck and let me know how it works for you! 🙂
Love these! Have made them twice so far with great results both times. Thanks for a great website. Your site is my go-to for consistently good and “normal” recipes (ie, no weird, hard to find ingredients!).
Can you make these with your whole wheat pizza dough recipe? Do I bake it at th same temp. and time? Thanks.
Yes and yes!!
I made these Sunday… No leftovers! My kids adored them so I made them again tonight (Wednesday)!
I’ve never made my own dough, but you made your method so approachable that I just had to try and guess what? It rocked! Thank you so much for sharing your awesomeness (and your mothers!) We’re having calzones again tonight!
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A tip I from my Culinary teacher, is to sprinkle salt on the first layer of flour. So the way it’s layered is, yeast Flour, salt flour and mix briskly. Salt can defuse the yeast and can become dense. With adding water I add 1/2 cup of cold and 1/2 boiled together in one measuring container then wait a few seconds, and whisk quickly to yeast. Hope these tips are helpful.:D
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I’m planning on making it next week. Because of lack of time I plan on preparing the dough a day before I plan on using it, store it in the fridge in a container covered with plastic lets say,
could you tell me please if that somehow affects the end result?, Im afraid that the prepared dough stored in the fridge for about 24hrs may get spoiled? Thanks in advance
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This worked great! I didn’t have yeast so I used baking power and lemon juice instead. It worked out great. Thank you
Thank you! These turned out delicious!!
I love this recipe and i use it all the time even for pizza rolls! But i was wondering can i freeze this dough?
I made this dough today and it is honestly the best dough I’ve ever made. I’ve made Calzones before, but the dough always would be undercooked inside. This dough was easy to work with, baked up crispy on the outside and cooked on the inside. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
So glad, Lisa!! Thank you for leaving a comment! <3
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Looks great! Trying it tonight with a bit of whole wheat in the dough and spinach filling. I like that you named your rolling pin. We name things too! My roller is Betty! My daughter named her violin Linny. Fun stuff!
That’s hilarious! I’m so glad I’m not alone and others name their things! Love it!
What’s the purpose of the egg and honey? If I don’t have yeast, what can I use instead? Can I make it without the garlic powder and what does the Italian seasoning include? Thanks in advance
Hi Marie! The purpose of the egg is to give the outside of the dough a glossy shine when it’s baking. The yeast needs sugar or in this case honey, to help it grow. If you don’t have yeast, then you’d need to find a yeast-free pizza dough recipe, and I can’t guarantee the results since I’ve never tested this calzone recipe with a yeast-free dough. You can skip out on the garlic powder, but it does add a lot of flavor to the sauce. Italian seasoning is a blend of different herbs. In my cookbook, I make a homemade version that includes dried marjoram, basil, oregano, parsley, sage, thyme and oregano. I hope this helps answer your questions!
Would I be able to make the dough the night before??
yes!
I wanted to thank you for this recipe. I made them and they turned out awesome! So great to be able to make them and have my kids add their own toppings, watch them bake, and then smash a healthy hearty meal. fantastic, easy to follow directions. So much appreciation.
Hi Scottie! I’m so glad! Thank you for taking the time to make this recipe and come back to leave a review!
I really want to say thank you. This recipe is amazing! The dough was fluffy and light and had this really delicious taste not comparable to any other recipes I have tried before. Everyone just try it!
I’m so glad, Desi!
Loved it! Came out perfect the first time making it. I was really impressed with myself on how well it turned out. Definitely a keeper recipe.
I’m so glad, Melissa!
hi, the yeast
what quantity is used , you just mention packet, I use from a canister so need quantity required in oz or grams
thanks
Hi Will! It’s 1/4 ounce or 2-1/4 teaspoons 🙂
LOVED it!!!
YESSS!
Hi… I just started grinding my own wheat and baking my own bread this past fall 2017 and I’ve been looking for a pizza dough… Deff going to do this recipe this wknd. Besides, I Have 4 new jars of yeast to use! Lol thank you and I’ll post back for sure..
Good luck!
Would there be a way to make this dough ahead of time like in the morning before work and put it in the fridge to use that night or would it mess with the dough?
I apologize, Baileigh! Somehow I missed your question/comment. Yes. You cold definitely make the dough the night or morning beforehand and immediately place it into the fridge. Pull it out and add a little additional time for it to rise. Enjoy!
This is Stromboli not calzone
Actually, this is a Stromboli. 🙂
I don’t know why the rest of my post didn’t go through. Which was, these look lovely but I always considered the difference between the two was the ricotta. To me this is Stromboli not Calzone.
Can pizza yeast be used as a substitute