Ham Calzones

HeliWif's Note:

Not your usual red tomato sauce calzone. This recipe came from my mother who had clipped it out of a magazine eons ago. This has been a family favorite since I can remember! With simple alterations to recipe, I'm sure you can add any of your favorite ingredients!

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 10 Calzones

• 2 2⁄3; cups ricotta cheese
• 10 ounces boneless ham , chopped
• 6 ounces mozzarella cheese , shredded
• 1⁄8; teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less for taste)
• 2 loaves frozen bread dough , thawed and risen
• vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Stir ricotta cheese, ham, mozzarella cheese, and pepper until well blended.
3. Take each loaf of bread and either tear or cut into five pieces.
4. Flatten each piece of bread into a 5" circle.
5. (This part is tricky and with practice, it gets easier. I usually just use my hands to stretch the dough into a circle).
6. Place about a 1/4-1/2 C filling in center of bread and fold to one side.
7. Seal edges together by squeezing.
8. Place calzones on cookie sheets and brush with vegetable oil.
9. Cook for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.
10. Enjoy!

Reviews

[Benthe (Danish)]

Made for Freezer Tag 2008, Ham Calzone, “Ham Calzones�, Since I live in Denmark, frozen dough is not an option, Danes pride themselves on making things from scratch, so I made my usual Calzone dough, from “Easy Calzone Dough (Bread Machine)�. Followed the filling recipe exactly, and what a wonderful filling. First batch I filled with the ham, second batch filled with Italian sausage, mushrooms, and black olives. I had made a double batch, thinking there would be plenty to freeze. Think again. Just shows how good it was. I froze them wrapped individually in plastic wrap and placed them in a plastic bag. I also put about 1/3 cup of pasta sauce in sandwich sized ziploc bags and put them in with the calzones. I tried reheating a couple of ways--the best was to wrap it in a paper towel and put it in the microwave on defrost for 2-3 minutes and then on high for another 2-3 minutes. You do loose the fresh bread / crust, but the filling is still wonderful. Thank you for posting.

[ladypit]

These were very good. I used Homemade Buns for the dough so mine were whole wheat. I also used a little less ricotta and a little more mozzarella. These would be good with all sorts of fillings. I made 14 calzones and was able to get three meals out of it. Thanks.

[Maggie, Cooking]

Absolutely wonderful taste if you love ricotta like I do (if not, it can be a bit much). I had some trouble with these getting soggy on the bottom (my first attempt at any kind of calzone), and after reading some ideas, I might try putting some slits or fork holes on top for steam escape, may try a little cornmeal on cookie sheet, and will definitely remove and put on cooling racks right away. Still, the recipe itself is truly delicious and such a treat! Thank you for posting this great recipe that I will make again (and freeze some, too).