Roasted Tomato Chicken Calzones
Ingredients
For the Calzone Dough:
- 3 – 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. instant yeast
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1-¼ cups lukewarm water
- ½ tsp. sea salt
For the Roasted Tomato Jam:
- 6 large vine ripened tomatoes, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1-½ tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. brown sugar
For the Fillings (your choice):
- Grilled chicken, sliced
- Red onions, sautéed
- Red pepper
- Black olives
- Parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses
- Bacon, crisply cooked
Instructions
To prepare the calzone dough:
- In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients together except for one cup of the flour.
- Add the warm water; using a wood spoon, mix very well for about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining flour, a little at a time, until a soft dough forms; it might not be necessary to use all of the last cup of flour; use only enough flour to make the dough soft enough to handle without being too sticky.
- Remove to a floured breadboard or your counter top; knead for an additional 5 minutes.
- Allow dough to rest for ½ hour, covered, and placed in a warm place.
- Knead again for 5 minutes and split dough into 6 to 8 portions; allow to rest again for 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough into the desired size; about 10-inch circles for calzones (see notes).
To prepare the roasted tomato jam:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
- In a shallow baking dish, toss together all ingredients; mix well to combine.
- Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for about an hour; stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has reduced and the tomatoes are the consistency of jam.
To prepare the calzones:
- Pre-heat your pizza stone, in middle rack of the oven, for half an hour at 500°F.
- Stretch or roll your calzone dough into 10-inch rounds; place on a wooden pizza peel that has been sprinkled with cornmeal; the cornmeal will allow the calzone to slide off the peel; ensure the dough round is sliding on the cornmeal base before adding toppings.
- Spread roasted tomato jam over half the round leaving a 1-inch border.
- Top the tomato jam with the other filling ingredients, ending with the cheese.
- Fold the dough over the filling; pinch the edges together by folding the bottom layer of dough slightly over the top crust and pressing to seal.
- Brush the tops of the calzones lightly with a simple egg wash of 1 egg whisked with 2 tbsp. water; you will only use a little of this egg wash.
- Shake the pizza peel to make sure the calzone is not stuck.
- Slide the calzone onto the hot stone, shaking it slightly in a back and forth motion as you slowly retract the wooden peel.
- Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 10 to15 minutes or until top crust is evenly brown; cooking times will vary depending upon the oven; bottom and top should be nicely browned.
- Remove from the oven and allow the calzone to sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
The dough can be made the day before; brush the individual portions with olive oil and store in a covered container overnight.
The dough can be used immediately after removing from the refrigerator.