Calzones & Basic Dough {recipes}

Last Thursday I made Calzones for dinner... They came out beautiful (even if I do say so myself), and tasted fantastic!

I had gotten this idea from Pinterest (of course).  {Here} is the link on how braid the dough.

I made homemade pizza dough (recipe below) and used store bought pizza sauce topped with mozzarella and pepperoni.  Real easy and looks like you spent a lot of time making it (which I didn't).

Here is the basic dough recipe that you can use for this, regular pizza, and even breadsticks!  I made it in the KitchenAid mixer, but left the directions as is if you need to make it by hand.  And - I used the whole batch to make one calzone.

Basic Dough
(Recipe from Parents Magazine November 2008 issue)
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided  (I used half whole wheat flour)
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil

1.  In a large bowl, mix 1 1/4 cups flour with yeast with salt; add warm water and oil.  Beat with a whisk for 3 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in another 1 1/4 cups flour, or enough so mixture holds together.  Place dough on a lightly floured surface.  Knead in 1/4 to 1/2 cup more flour - stop once it is lump-free.  Wrap half the dough in plastic and freeze for a later use; cover remainder and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
2.  Heat oven to 425 degrees.  On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 4 portions and roll each into a 6-inch circle.  Transfer to a greased baking sheet.  Build up edges slightly; prick bottom of crusts.  Bake about 8 minutes.  Spread sauce and toppings onto crust and bake for another 8 minutes.  Makes 4 mini crusts.

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