Stuffed Calzones Two Ways

One of the most loved pizza styles, a calzone – that deliciously sealed and stuffed portable pizza – often begins, for home pizza makers, as a pizza that didn't quite make it. And while it’s a great way to recover a seemingly failed pizza, calzones don’t only have to happen by mistake. If you want to add some variety to your pizza game while impressing guests with that surprise first bite of a tasty calzone filled with savoury ingredients, Calabria, Italy-based Ooni ambassadors, Cristiana and Giuliano of @vuoiassaggiare, have you covered with not one, but two options. 

From creamy ricotta and provolone cheese to savoury ground beef and ham to fresh basil, these calzones are basically hand-held gourmet meals. For their calzones, Cristina and Giuliano like to begin with a biga – a type of Italian dough starter. Biga dough has a low hydration, which means it uses less water, leading to a slower fermentation, firmer texture and nutty flavour, the perfect compliment for your favourite fillings. For this recipe, they baked their calzones with a wood-fired Karu 16 oven for that unmistakable wood-fired aroma. You can also use any Ooni oven for this recipe. Now, get ready to make a calzone so good, you might just have to make another.

Difficulty

Servings

6 calzones (6.17 ounces; 175 grams each)

Prep Time

15 hours, 40 minutes

(including biga and dough proofing time)
Cook Time

1 minute

By Cristina Bruno & Giuliano Bronzi

Stuffed Calzones Two Ways

Note

You’ll need at least 13 hours for the biga to ferment, plus another 15 for the final dough, so be sure to prepare both in advance of cooking. Cristina and Giuliano also like to use diastatic malt (germinated, dried and finely ground barley), to help feed the yeast and make the dough softer, but if you can’t get your hands on any, don’t worry; your calzones will still taste excellent. Store-bought basil works well for this recipe; however,  if you want to make it from scratch, be our guest!


For the biga

1. In a medium bowl, dissolve 3 grams of fresh yeast in 250 grams of room temperature water.



Tip: crumble the yeast with your hands and use a fork to mix, so that no lumps will form. If using active dry or instant dry yeast, follow the instructions on the packet.


2. In a separate bowl, pour in 500 grams of flour and add the yeast mixture a little bit at a time, mixing with a fork.

3. Carefully pour the mixture into a large, shallow container and let it proof for 13 hours, ideally at a temperature between 16-18° C; Cristiana and Giuliano use a mini-fridge at a stable temperature for this step.

For the dough

1. Once the biga is ready, weigh out 120 grams of flour, 134 grams of cold water to use immediately and another 50 grams of cold water to use later.

2. If using a mixer: In the bowl, add the flour, optional malt, biga (broken into pieces, so that it’s easier to mix in with the other ingredients) and 134 grams of water.

If using a mixer: In the bowl, add the flour, optional malt, biga (broken into pieces, so that it’s easier to mix in with the other ingredients) and 134 grams of water. 

Tip: use a measuring bottle with a narrow spout to pour the water into the bowl of the mixer a little at a time.



3. Turn the mixer on to the first rotation speed for 5 minutes.

Add the salt and switch to the second rotation speed, using the measuring bottle to add the additional 50 milliliters of cold water little by little.

4. When the dough is ready (about 25 minutes) turn off the mixer and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Turn it on again and spin 3 times.

5. If mixing by hand: Add the flour, malt, biga and 134 grams of water to a bowl, then stir with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes.

If mixing by hand: Add the flour, malt, biga and 134 grams of water to a bowl, then stir with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes. Add the salt and 50 grams of cold water, little by little, continuing to stir until a dough starts to form. Continue mixing by hand until the pizza dough comes together in a ball. With moistened hands, take the dough out of the mixer or bowl and place it on your lightly-floured work surface. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then make three folds. Wait another 10 minutes and make three folds again: this will give greater strength to the dough.

6. Let the dough rest in a sealed container for 1 hour at room temperature and then place it in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

7. Divide the dough into six 175 gram pieces and make three folds each.

Drizzle the bottom of your Ooni glass containers with olive oil, place one ball inside each, and let them rise for 3 hours at room temperature.

For the fillings

1. Preheat your Ooni oven, aiming for 400° C on the baking stone.

You can check the temperature quickly and accurately with an infrared thermometer.

2. While the oven is warming up, pour a drizzle of olive oil, 100 grams of beef mince, salt and pepper to taste, and 240 grams of water into a non-stick pan and cook for 10 minutes over low heat.

3. Cut 200 grams of provola (or provolone) into slices, and then into 1-inch (3-centimeter) cubes.

4. Pour 50 grams of fresh ricotta into a bowl with 30 grams of basil pesto and mix until you get a creamy consistency.

5. Roll out the first dough ball onto a floured surface, pressing from the center towards the edges.

Turn the dough upside down and repeat. 

6. Place 100 grams of cubed provola (or provolone), 2 slices of prosciutto cotto (or ham), 2 basil leaves and a spoonful of tomato sauce in the center of the dough; brush the edges of the dough with water and fold dough in half into a crescent shape, pinching the edges together to seal in the filling.


7. Sprinkle some semolina on your pizza peel and place the calzone on top; launch it into your oven.

8. Cook the calzone for about 1 minute, rotating it with the help of a turning peel every 30 seconds, until it is well cooked and the crust is firm.

9. Remove from the oven and eat as is, or slice in half.

Enjoy right away, or fill a second calzone with 100 grams of cubed provola (or provolone), 30 grams of beef mince and 20 grams of fresh ricotta and basil pesto.

10. Repeat the previous steps to bake the second calzone, serve and enjoy your calzones two ways!.

Repeat the previous steps to bake the second calzone, serve and enjoy your calzones two ways!

Cristina Bruno & Giuliano Bronzi

Based in Calabria, Italy, Ooni ambassadors Cristina and Giuliano’s love for cooking has evolved over time, focusing more and more on the world of pizza. You can find their recipes, culinary advice and more @vuoiassaggiare

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