Calzone Pizza

<h2>How to make calzone pizza</h2>
Learn how to make a classic Neapolitan Calzone pizza with this easy-to-follow recipe. Calzone Napoletano is a pizza folded in on itself, stuffed with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, Italian salami and baked in a wood-fired oven. The result is a wonderful crisp-edged pizza with an oozing creamy centre. Now this is Italian street food at its best!

Preparation time

2hr and 30 mins + 24hr proving

Cooking time

3-4 mins

Serves

6 people

Ingredients

6 x 250g pizza dough ball, already proven or 6 x 250g ready made pizza dough balls
400g Italian tinned plum tomatoes
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar
½ handful of fresh basil
6 tbsp of freshly grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
150g fresh buffalo mozzarella or fior de latte cheese, cut into small cubes
150g ricotta cheese
300g salami Napoli, finely sliced
Extra virgin olive oil
3 basil leaves for each calzone

Method

Pre-heat your oven at 400°C.
To make the tomato sauce, just blitz the tinned tomatoes with a pinch of salt, sugar and the basil, keeping a bit of texture.
Lightly dust a clean surface with some flour or semolina flour and place your dough ball in the centre. Leaving one inch on either side of the diameter of the dough ball, press the dough with all fingers to flatten, turn to the other side and repeat the process. Turn back to the original side and repeat the process one more time.
Use your right hand to hold the flatten dough one inch in to keep the edge puffy and place your left hand’s thumb and index fingers on the top side of the dough and the rest of fingers below and pull the dough to stretch. Flip the dough over to your forearm with your palm open and flip back to the bench. Repeat the process a few times to stretch the dough evenly.
Start by spreading a thin layer of ricotta cheese, on one side of the calzone base leaving 2.5cm around the edge so you can seal the calzone. Sprinkle over some sliced salami Napoli, then add some cubes of mozzarella cheese and a couple of basil leaves slightly ripped into smaller pieces and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Now fold the calzone by taking the edge of the dough without the toppings and fold it over the one with the toppings. Press the edges together, pinching them on both sides to ensure the calzone is well sealed. Be careful not to break the dough at this stage, as this will spill all the filling out. With a sharp knife, cut a hole in the top centre part of the calzone, so the steam can escape during cooking. Now spread on the open cut a tablespoon of the tomato sauce all around, top with some grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese and a few cubes of fresh mozzarella. Finish with one basil leaf dipped in water (so it doesn’t burn) and place on top of the open cut.
Carefully transfer your calzone onto a pizza peel which is also lightly dusted with semolina flour and slightly stretch the edges of the calzone, so it’s fully laid out.
Using your pizza peel, slide your calzone into your Fuego oven. Using a turning pizza peel pick the calzone from the side, bring to the front of the oven and turn it round. Do not turn your calzone inside the oven, as it will pick too much ash. Keep your eyes on the calzone, as failing to turn regularly will result in very charred black edges. Calzone does take slightly longer than standard pizza to cook because of the folded dough, so allow a couple of extra minutes. Once you have a puffed crust which is darkly charred in spots, remove from the oven with your turning peel and slide into a serving platter. Watch out, the calzone will be extremely hot once removed from the oven; you may need to leave it a minute to cool.

Calzone Pizza

Perfectionists in the Art of Wood-Fired Cooking.