Calzone - A Recipe From Omaha's Little Italy

I posted this on the old site but now I can't locate my photographs, they may have gone down the Photobucket black hole.

It makes four.

Calzones and Stromboli are usually made with pizza dough.  This recipe is for pretzel dough—slightly sweet like the mall pretzels.

Calzone Filling

You can fill a calzone with whatever you want, including vegetarian fillings or just cheese(s), but you should be certain to include some sort of cheese.  Start here if you are unsure.

Ingredients
3 cups ricotta cheese
2 eggs
½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
½ cup diced Italian sausage (or so)
½ cup diced deli ham (or so)
½ cup chopped broccoli
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
(some vague amount) minced garlic*
(some vague amount) red pepper flakes*
(some vague amount) diced roma tomato*

* This is more or less to taste.  Two or three tomatoes.

Directions

• In a little olive oil sauté the sausage and ham until well browned.  Remove to a plate with paper towels to absorb the oil.
• Sauté the broccoli, minced garlic and red pepper flakes in a little olive oil.
• Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir.

Pretzel Dough

Ingredients
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
1¼ cups warm water (110 degrees F)
5 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup white sugar
1½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Egg Wash 
2 eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons water (Used to provide a pleasant exterior color.)

Directions

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water.
• Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, mix together flour, ½ cup sugar, and salt.
• Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture.
• Mix and form into a dough.  If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water.
• Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven, smoker or kamado to 400°F.
• To make 4 calzones, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.
• Roll out one round at a time to a 10-inch circle.
• Place ¼ of your filling mixture onto the bottom half of the dough circle.
• Fold the top half of the dough over the filling to form a half-moon.
• Seal the edges well by squeezing them together with your fingers.  To insure a tight seal, fold the edge of the dough back toward the filling, pressing to seal.
• Brush the raw calzone with the egg wash before transferring to the cooker.
• Repeat this procedure for the remaining pieces of dough and filling.

Bake the calzones for 20 to 25 minutes at 400°F, or until the crusts are golden brown.

Serve with marinara sauce or traditional tomato sauce. 

EDIT:  Spelling