This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)
For this calzone recipe, I tried two different versions, and I encourage you to test your favorite at home too.
Before calzone, we tried the homemade pizza, and it was delicious. If you love cheese and Italian food as much as I do, I’m sure that you’ll enjoy experimenting with these recipes.
If you have tried calzone before, you may not know the differences between the traditional calzone and other recipes. So, let’s start by explaining some basic calzone information.
What is a Calzone?
A calzone is a type of folded pizza. It is usually made with dough, baked in an oven, and stuffed with various fillings with mozzarella cheese, such as spinach, basil, or salami.
This pizza alternative is great to eat on the go, which was the original idea: a more portable pizza.
Traditional Calzone Recipe vs. American
The traditional Italian recipe for a calzone is different from what most people know. Instead of having marinara sauce inside, Italians serve it in a separate little bowl to dip the calzone in the sauce, bit by bit.
Additionally, the traditional recipe uses a 24-hour fermented dough. Thanks to its dough, the calzone’s crust feels lighter and has delicious, smooth crispiness. The dipping makes the eating a bit slower but richer, as you can play with how much marinara sauce you want for each bite. Needless to say, eating the calzone in this way is a bit ceremonial.
The American adaptation of the calzone is better known internationally. It is a folded American-style pizza with all the ingredients inside, including the sauce. Besides, the dough ferments only for 1-hour, using a different recipe, with significant variations in flour, water, and yeast.
As a result, the American-style calzone feels different moist inside, thanks to the marinara sauce. Adding to sauce requires extra caution since you don’t want to overfill the calzone. Using two well-spread ladles of marinara covers a giant calzone and makes for a tasty and juicy filling.
Combining the unbeatable taste and mozzarella and cheese is enough for a calzone. Still, many people like to add their favorite meats to the fillings. It’s worth experimenting with them, as you can play with the taste of the calzone as much as you want.
Calzone vs. Stromboli vs. Pizza
Pizza has several variations, but it’s a flat disc of baked dough with marinara sauce and mozzarella with endless toppings options. Still, every country has its adaptation of pizza. Indeed, the most traditional Italian recipe is the simplest, with strict standards.
Don’t get intimidated by food menus. As I said above, the calzone is a folded pizza with different fillings depending on the recipe. The traditional one hasn’t marinara sauce inside, but people serve it separately to dip calzone bits in the sauce. The American style is a folded pizza, similar to a giant empanada.
The most known stromboli recipe comes from Essington, Pennsylvania, where Nazzareno Romano created it. Stromboli, on the other side, is an Italian-American recipe. It consists of a turnover filled with marinara sauce, a mix of Italian cheeses, and sliced meats.
Romano, an Italian immigrant, experimented with different variations of stuffed pizza before getting the stromboli. Romano got the name for its invention from the movie Stromboli, a blockbuster with a controversial backstory at that time.
Calzone Fillings Ideas
Like any pizza, you can go traditional or experiment as much as you like. Find below some ideas to fill your calzone:
- Spinach and ricotta
- Italian cheeses: gorgonzola, mozzarella, pecorino, provolone.
- Pepperoni
- Salami
- Grilled chicken
- Mushrooms
- Sweet corn
- Peppers
- Chilly steak
Remember that all juices get trapped inside the calzone when choosing your favorite filling. So, if you’re using moist vegetables like mushrooms, corn, or peppers, remember this: it’s a good idea to stir fry them or roast them before putting them inside the calzone.
Otherwise, the water inside the veggies will wet the calzone by the inside, likely ruining it.
Now, below you’ll find the calzone recipes I tried at home. There are all the ingredients and detailed instructions.
Calzone: Authentic vs. We Bare Bears Recipe
Ingredients
Traditional calzone (24-hour fermentation)
- 11 oz flour (keep some extra for flouring and kneading)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 6½ oz warm water
We Bare Bears Calzone (1-hour fermentation)
- 1½ tsp instant yeast
- 16 oz of wheat flour (keep some extra for flouring and kneading)
- 1½ tsp salt
- 6 oz warm water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Dough
- Mix flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast. After the dry ingredients are well mixed, pour warm water slowly.
- Once you integrate the water and the dry ingredients, add olive oil and keep mixing for six minutes. As a result, you'll obtain a soft and wet dough.
- Transfer the dough to a clean and floured surface. Stretch the dough from the corners to the center to form a ball. Then, put in a bowl greased with olive oil.
- Before covering with plastic wrap, turn the dough ball inside the bowl to coat it with olive oil. Stick the dough in the fridge fermenting for 24 hours. If you're using the We Bare Bears recipe ingredients, you can ferment the dough in the fridge for just 1 hour.
Marinara sauce
- For the traditional calzone tomato sauce, process peeled tomatoes, garlic, onions, oregano, black pepper, and salt to taste. Instead of processing altogether at once, pulse several times to prevent adding too much air.
- In a pot, add olive oil and the tomato sauce ingredients. Mix and cook at medium fire for 30 minutes.
- Transfer to a bowl and serve in ramekins so that you can dip your calzone bits into the marinara.
Assembling the calzone
- First, knead the dough. It's usually a generous amount of dough, so it's better to split it in half. Then, flour the dough thoroughly on each side.
- Stretch the dough by pressing it with your fingertips. Then, flour a rolling pin and stretch the dough thin. Remember to make it as round as possible.
- You can use a wide assortment of ingredients to fill a calzone. However, remember that the traditional calzone doesn't have marinara sauce inside. Start filling the calzone with shredded mozzarella to make a bed of cheese, and then add ricotta—season with black pepper, fresh basil leaves, and spinach. Then, top with mozzarella cheese to seal all the fillings inside the calzone.
- Close the calzone folding the dough, and covering the fillings carefully. Press the border with your fingers and cut the excess with a pizza cutter.
- Crimp the edges with the handle of a pizza cutter to get that pretty and authentic look.
- Sprinkle cornmeal in a tray lined with parchment paper for a crispier and more genuine crust. Now, carefully transfer the calzone to the baking tray and brush the calzone with eggwash.
- Put the calzone in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until it's golden.
We Bare Bears Calzone Recipe Steps
- Besides the dough, the filling is quite different. You can knead and stretch the We Bare Bears Calzone dough just like the traditional one.
- Add marinara sauce and spread using the ladle—season with black pepper and top with mozzarella cheese. Then, add a layer of salami slices and cover with mozzarella.
- Just like the traditional calzone, fold it, cut the dough excess, and crimp the border.
- Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper and floured cornmeal. Then, brush the calzone with egg wash and cut three openings at the center. Now, put in the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, or until it's golden.
Video
If you liked these homemade calzone recipes, you might like some of my other recipes too.
And remember, if you try this recipe and want to share your pictures, tag me @lacooquette on Instagram. I’d love to share your photos on my IG stories.
Good page, i speak spanish but i know you dont have a lot of time and you do a great job.
Aww, thanks! There are some videos on my channel with English subtitles! 🙂 The most popular ones all have subtitles!