By Jessica Battilana
- Total Time
- 1½ hours, plus rising
- Rating
- 4(391)
- Notes
- Read community notes
The secret to crispy calzones: Bake them in a very hot oven, and use drier ingredients in the filling to prevent the dough from becoming soggy. Slow-roasting the tomatoes for the filling concentrates their flavor and pulls out their juices, while pesto adds punch without contributing too much moisture. Fresh mozzarella is just right for many things, but it’s too wet for a calzone, so use drier whole-milk mozzarella instead. If you prefer to use store-bought pizza dough, you’ll need three (8-ounce) balls for this recipe.
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 1cup/240 milliliters warm water
- 1tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1½teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3¾cups/480 grams all-purpose flour
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 2pounds/905 grams small tomatoes, halved
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 2garlic cloves, slivered
- Kosher salt
- ½cup plus 1 tablespoon basil pesto
- 1pound/455 grams whole-milk mozzarella (not fresh mozzarella), shredded
- 1large egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for egg wash
- Flaky salt, such as Maldon, for sprinkling
For the Dough
For the Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
734 calories; 36 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 73 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 29 grams protein; 916 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment (or in a large bowl with a wooden spoon), combine the water and sugar. Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand 5 minutes until foamy. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour, salt and olive oil, and mix until combined. Increase speed to medium and mix until the dough comes together in a smooth ball. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Step
2
While the dough rises, prepare the tomatoes: Heat oven to 300 degrees. Arrange tomatoes cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, scatter with garlic and season generously with salt. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tomato skins are wrinkly. Let cool slightly, then use your fingers to pull the skins off each tomato. (Count the number of tomato pieces now, then you’ll have an easier time dividing them among the 6 calzones.) Discard skins, then transfer tomatoes and garlic to a strainer set over a bowl. (You won’t need the accumulated juices for this recipe, but save them — you can whisk them with a bit more olive oil and vinegar for a vinaigrette.)
Step
3
Gently punch down the dough and transfer to a not-floured work surface. Divide into 6 pieces, each about 4¼ ounces/120 grams. Working with one piece of dough at a time, cup the dough ball on a work surface (almost as though you were forming a cage around the dough). Rotate your hand in clockwise circles, exerting a bit of pressure on the top of the dough ball, until it’s a smooth sphere. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough and let stand 15 minutes, loosely covered with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel. (The dough can be prepared up to this point, transferred to a baking sheet, covered with greased plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight. Let come to room temperature before proceeding.)
Step
4
If you have a large pizza stone, place it in the oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. (If you don’t have a pizza stone, lightly oil a rimmed 13-by-18-inch baking sheet). Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll into an 8-inch circle using a rolling pin. Spoon 1½ tablespoons pesto in the center of the dough and use the back of the spoon or an offset spatula to spread it in a thin, even layer, leaving a 1-inch border. Pile ⅔ cup mozzarella on half of the dough, then top with some of the tomatoes. Fold the dough in half, over filling, then roll and crimp the edge of the dough together to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough, pesto, mozzarella and tomatoes until all 6 calzones have been formed. Brush each calzone with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Step
5
With a large spatula, transfer the calzones to the pizza stone (or baking sheet) and arrange them diagonally to fit. Bake until puffed and deep brown, 18 to 23 minutes. (Tent with foil if the tops become too dark before the rest of the dough is browned.) Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Ratings
4
out of 5
391
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Cooking Notes
Deborah
I used a cast-iron skillet and a lid on the stove top to do my tomatoes in a lot less time (15 min, maybe) and energy than 40-45 in the oven. I also find it unlikely that, even with a stand mixer, this dough would have come together without the addition of more water. I subbed feta for mozzarella, which I find boring. At first, until I took my first bite, like a second ago, I was inclined to agree with Charley (two hours, too much) but now, wow. Worth every second.
Ariana
Despite the dough being very sticky and requiring lots of flour to handle, these calzones came out delicious. I used Violife vegan mozzarella and couldn't tell the difference from regular mozz.
Lysa Willams
Loved it! Though my dough was a little overworked due to the aforementioned lack of smoothness, and it did split a bit in the oven, it was delicious. I made the pesto with arugula, used Parmesan instead of mozz and ended up adding some sun dried tomatoes because my fresh were a bit small. I also brushed the crust with Dijon. I honestly don’t think this is really all that labor-intensive, I mean it’s not a PB&J, but there’s not a whole lot of steps or finagling involved. Well worth it!
Vicky
This felt like too much dough, not enough filling. Next time I would decrease the dough a little, maybe divide it into 8 pieces instead of 6 and roll them thinner. Then add more veggies or whatever else. They get so big and there's really not much inside. The flavor was good though. I'd probably serve it with a marinara sauce.
Suzanne
“Warm water” is such a nebulous term. I had to throw 2 batches out because the yeast didn’t bloom properly! I researched elsewhere and found that the water should be 110 degrees, which is really more than “warm”. It also took longer than 5 minutes to fully bloom.
Mike N
Followed the recipe exactly and without a doubt it was a lot of work, but it was worth it!The combo of the oven roasted tomatoes with the pesto was wonderful. And of course the mozzarella didn’t hurt!Not an everyday dish but will certainly make it again.
Niamh
The bottom of the calzones burned after 20 minutes (fire alarm hell) so I'd recommend either lowering the heat or flipping during cooking. Or probably both. I used a grated cheese mix and added onions to the tomatoes. We liked this a lot but I think I'd cheat next time and buy pizza dough!
Emily
These turned out great. Decided against the tomatoes and stuffed them with homemade pesto, mozzarella, mushrooms, and sausage. Cooked them on a baking sheet but they only needed about 11 minutes - they were perfectly browned.
rachel
Loved this, thanks to the commenters! Made into eight, cooked for 15 minutes on a pizza stone at 425– perfection. Kids couldn’t get enough.
C Kelly
May 2023: I made the recipe as written and they looked lovely. When a guest cut into one, there was hardly any filling! It looked like a skimpy piece of pizza covered with a dough dome. I used 2 lbs of tomatoes and 1 lb of non-fresh mozzarella. Any ideas? Yes, some filling on some calzones oozed out, a bit, during baking. This shouldn't account for the meager filling in the final products, though. Unfortunately, all calzones were skimpily filled.
Ally
I made this for the second time today, and I definitely overstressed the dough. Turned out more like tacos after they all popped open in the oven. Still delicious though!!
Katie
Very tasty - I followed another reviewer’s suggestion and made 8 calzones instead of the six, and agree with another that a mix of mozzarella and some other cheese would have been better. Mine were done at 15 min - on a pizza stone and a pan. Overall, very good, and will definitely try again!
Colinda
My family gave this a thumbs up. The crust was fantastic and not soggy at all. I used grape tomatoes whole — which ended up being steaming bombs of tomato juice. Still delicious but burnt tongues! I didn’t take off skins because when I did I just ended up eating them. They were tasty!
RHB
These are phenomenal, good flavor from simple ingredients. We didn’t modify the ingredients, but finished with some suggestions from other comments:- Used egg wash around the border before folding and crimping w/ fork- Baked at 445 for 12 minutes. Pizza stone w/ parchment.- Poked each with a small hole at the 8 minute mark.The above adjustments had these come out perfectly. 500 at 20 minutes would have burnt the calzones to no return in our 24x23 oven. Baked 3 and froze the other 3.
Baconschniffer
I made this recipe and loved it. While thinking about a fairly low effort weekday meal, I thought why not roast the tomatoes and garlic, dice them roughly, and toss with rotini or fusilli. It was spectacular topped with fresh Parmesan.
Lauren
The calzones are delectable. Definitely make 8 from this recipe, not 6. I also wonder if it's absolutely necessary to skin the tomatoes. This recipe is a lot of work, especially if you make your own pesto, but the smell alone is worth it.
Alayna
Sooo yum! I followed a commenter's suggestion to make this in 8 portions, and was glad I did. I also added a red wine salami that was delicious. One comment I read said the dough was really wet, but I found the opposite (I weighed the flour on my scale). I used heirloom tomatoes cut into chunks and they were great, though maybe I would pick a drier tomato next time.
Lillu
Add more blueberries for the love of gosh
Emily
Excellent. Made vegan with chao vegan mozzarella and olive oil instead of egg wash. Great cooking project!
Jen
honestly hate working with pizza dough so I bought pre made dough,The bottoms of mine still came out soggy but I thought the flavor was excellent and definitely a recipe I will be making again. I did the tasks throughout the day to not make the final steps seem as long.I agree with some that 500 degrees may be too high and blacken the bottom, so consider lowering the temperature of protecting the bottom with a few pieces of parchment paper to insulate.
Ashley
I saw a lot of comments about the dough being too sticky, but my iteration seemed way too dry. I had to add extra liquid when mixing for a ball to form, and it was still a bit dry after mixing. Actually, the texture of the baked dough was pretty spot-on. But, I agree with the comments about it being bland.
Ben G.
Instead of counting, just group everything into the equal-sized piles you'll need on the sheet. I do the same for the mozzarella. If you're like me, the dough balls will not all be the same size, but you can just shift the piles appropriately, with slightly more cheese and tomatoes for the larger pieces of dough.
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