Calzones Class

One of the new favorite classes in the storefront kitchen is Calzones and Stromboli. With homemade dough and fresh ingredients, everyone gets to make their own according to their taste. Rolling and shaping the dough is a fun hands-on activity, and using a pizza peel and baking stone helps make them perfectly crisp.

A few pointers: make sure to use plenty of corn meal on the pizza peel so the calzone doesn't stick and will slide onto the pizza stone easily. For an even crispier, more flavorful crust, brush the top with garlic-infused olive oil.

Pizza Dough

¾ cup warm water

1 envelope or 1 tsp active dry yeast

1 T. sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 t. salt

Add the warm water to stand mixer bowl and add the yeast and sugar. Stir with the dough hook to dissolve the yeast into the water. Once dissolved, add the flour and salt and mix with the dough hook until the dough comes away from the sides of the mixing bowl and forms a ball on the dough hook. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead a few times. Put the dough into a greased bowl and cover with saran wrap or a damp towel. Allow to double in size, then punch down and place in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

Tomato Sauce

1 T olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

28 ounce can tomato puree

1 t dried basil

1 t dried marjoram

Salt and pepper to taste

1 t sugar, if too acidic tasting

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan; cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, lower heat, and simmer 30 minutes.

Spinach/Ricotta filling

2 T olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bag frozen spinach, thawed, and as much liquid as possible squeezed out

Salt & pepper to taste

16 oz container ricotta cheese

Heat olive oil in large sautee pan. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion starts to soften. Add spinach and sautee until warmed through and fragrant. Set aside and allow to cool; mix with ricotta and use for filling in calzones or manicotti.

Strawberry Cheesecake Calzone filling

½ pint strawberries, hulled and cut up

1 8-oz package cream cheese

2-3 T powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

Mix all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use as filling for a calzone; brush the top with a little oil or melted butter, and dust with cinnamon and sugar before baking as usual.