Born in Napoli during the 18th century, calzone is a stuffed, half-moon pizza shaped much like a turnover. Unlike traditional Neapolitan-style pizza, which requires a fork and knife, it was invented as a portable snack to enjoy while walking around town. In fact, the Italian word calzone means "pant leg." Traditional round pizza dough is folded over, stuffed with cheese, vegetables and sometimes meat, then baked until perfectly golden and crispy on the outside. The most traditional fillings are tomato sauce, mozzarella and ricotta, but calzone can also be stuffed with meat like sausage or, as in this recipe, prosciutto cotto.
Ingredients for 2 people
For the Calzone
- 1 recipe Basic Pizza Dough (see recipe below)
- ½ cup fresh ricotta
- ⅓ pound prosciutto cotto, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano DOP
- Extra virgin olive oil, for the crust
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup canned whole San Marzano tomatoes, in their juices, finely crushed by hand
For the Dough
- 400 milliliters (400 grams) room-temperature water
- 5 cups (650 grams) type 00 flour
- 1½ tablespoons (15 grams) fresh yeast
- 1½ tablespoons (25 grams) salt
How to make Calzone with Ricotta and Prosciutto
To prepare the dough
- Mix. Pour the water and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on high for 1 minute. Crumble the fresh yeast into the liquid and let it mix for another 60 to 90 seconds. Turn the mixer down to medium and slowly add the flour. Finally, let the dough mix on a medium to low setting for 11 to 14 minutes.
- Rest. With floured hands, take the dough out of the mixer and place it into a lightly floured bowl. Form the dough into a ball, cover the bowl and let it sit for 45 to 60 minutes.
- Divide and rise. With floured hands, remove the dough and break it into 250-gram pieces (about ¼ of the dough each). Using your hands, roll the pieces into round balls. Cover the balls of dough and let them rise for another 45 to 60 minutes.
To prepare the calzone
- Preheat. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Oil the pans. When the dough has risen, oil four (12-inch) baking pans.
- Open the dough. Dust the dough with flour and begin to knead it open with your hands.
- Fill. Lay the opened dough out in the baking pan. You now have the base for your calzone. In the center of the opened dough, add the ricotta, mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, Pecorino Romano, salt and black pepper to taste.
- Fold and top. Fold each round over itself to make a half-moon shape. Using your fingers, crimp the edges to seal the calzone. Coat the top with the San Marzano tomato, salt to taste, Pecorino Romano and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
- Bake. Place the calzone in the oven and bake until the dough is cooked through and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cut into 4 pieces and enjoy.
