Calzones & handpies
Ingredients for crust
2 teaspoons (1 packet, ¼ oz) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (not hotter than 110F)
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ cup whole wheat flour & 1 cup white flour, mixed
2 tablespoons honey (to offset some whole wheat bitterness)
1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt, for egg wash
Making the dough
In a mixer bowl, dissolve the sugar into the water, and bloom the yeast for a few minutes until it’s foamy to ensure it’s alive. Add salt and olive oil, then 1 cup flour, and beat well until smooth. Mix in honey. Gradually work in remaining flour, eventually moving to a dough hook in the mixer. Knead until the dough is elastic, maybe 5 minutes. Dough should be sticky to the touch, but not pull away and stick to your fingers; add more white flour or water as needed.
Remove dough (it’ll be sticky, but should hold together and not leave behind any pieces), drop in another tablespoon of olive oil, then replace dough, coating on all sides. (You can use a clean bowl if you like doing dishes.) Let rise for an hour in a warm place.
Thoughts on filling
You can use pretty much any filling combination, really. What works best is something that melts & holds together (like cheese) and isn’t too liquid (like tomato sauce). Here’s what we used the first time:
1 pound ground beef, quickly sautéed until browned but not overdone, drained of fat
1 cup coarsely chopped raw mushrooms
2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
1 overflowing cup chopped fresh basil
salt & pepper to taste
Other possibilities: toasted pine nuts for crunch, sun dried tomatoes, spices for international flair, heartier cheese for more flavor
Mix all filling ingredients together and store in fridge until ready.
Forming the calzones
Preheat oven to 375 F. Punch down dough and divide into pieces: 4 for medium-large calzones, maybe 6 for smaller handpies. (I don’t know where the technical definition of a calzone lies.) For each piece, roll out on a floured surface for a thin circle, about ⅛ inch thick. The dough will start to retract when rolling, so take a few minutes pause to work on another one. Thinking of a semicircle, fill one half of it with the mixed filling, leaving ½ inch crust bare along the edge. Gently wet a finger with water and run along the bare dough edge of the filled half to form a glue. Fold over dough, press gently to push out air from the center and seal the edge, then crimp with a fork. Brush the top with the egg wash.
Bake around 40 minutes until they look delicious. They microwave well for lunches throughout the week.
