Mama Steph’s Calzones

I don’t make traditional calzones, I make them how we like them, there is a little bit of sauce, and I use homemade pie crust rather than pizza crust as I like it thinner. They are delicious, and lower in fat than traditional fare. The great thing about this is, you control what’s in there, and how much, so you can pick all your own fillings! I use onion, green pepper, mushrooms, black olives, and part-skim mozzarella cheese, and I either make my own marinara or use an organic one with no sugar or sweeteners. I also serve warmed marinara on the side for dipping. I made 4, for 5 people, and we had leftovers, they are hearty! Yummy!

For the crust:

2 cups flour, I use unbleached

1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional) helps with browning process

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3-4 Tablespoons coconut oil

ice water

lemon juice

Directions for one crust: Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, add coconut oil. I use a potato masher to mix together until the consistency is mealy. At this point add a tablespoon of ice water, with your lemon juiced squeezed into it, and mix gently with a fork, you will need to repeat this about 3 times, after 4 tablespoons have been added I add a few drops at a time until it can be formed into a ball.

After it is thoroughly mixed, the less it is handled the better, excessive handling will make your crust tough. I place the ball of dough on wax paper, then cover with more wax paper, and flatten slightly. The wax paper should be large enough to roll out your dough. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. When you’re ready to make your calzone, bring the dough to room temperature and roll out to desired thickness with a rolling pin, remove top waxed paper, add a small amount of sauce (1 or 2 Tablespoons, a small amount of cheese, filling as desired, more cheese, using the bottom sheet of wax paper fold over in half, crimp edges, and bake at 400 degrees F until crust is golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Serve with warm marinara if desired. Enjoy!