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Pepperoni calzones are a great option for pizza night! This family favorite can be easily customized to suit everyoneโs tastes.
This recipe has been retested and updated since first publishing February 2015.
As the mom of a teen and a pre-teen, pizza is a near constant in our house. I get it, but I also do what I can to make pizza night interesting, whether that means cheeseburger pizza, pizza bagel bites, or these pepperoni calzones.
Calzone popularity seems to depend on where you live in the U.S. When we lived in Texas I almost never saw them, but we have a calzone-dedicated restaurant where we live now in the Midwest!
We enjoy them as an alternative to classic pizzas. Donโt be intimidated โ theyโre just as easy to make!
Ingredients for pepperoni calzones
Full list of ingredients including quantities is located in the recipe card.
Youโll need:
- All-purpose flour
- Instant yeast – While you can use active dry yeast instead, I like to use instant yeast for many recipes because you can add it right to the dry ingredients.
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Pizza sauce – Use your favorite brand, or make your own!
- Pepperoni – If you use regular sliced pepperoni, youโll want to slice it into quarters (or smaller) to evenly distribute it in the calzones. Diced pepperoni, which is in small chunks, is also a good option.
- Mozzarella cheese – Use low-moisture shredded mozzarella, not fresh mozzarella balls.
How to make this recipe
Make sure youโve got enough time to prep this recipe, as youโll need at least about 1 hour for rising time.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Combine the water and olive oil in a liquid measuring cup, then stir into the dry ingredients using a wooden spoon or whisk (a dough whisk is perfect for this).
Continue to mix until a shaggy, cohesive dough forms. Dump out onto a floured surface and knead with floured hands until the dough is smooth. It should be a bit tacky, but not overly sticky, so if you need to add flour as you knead, only add a small amount at a time.
Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled. This will take around 1 hour, but if your kitchen is cold it might take longer.
Many ovens now come with a Proof setting thatโs perfect for rising doughs. It will keep the oven around 80-100ยฐF, the ideal temperature for rising. You can mimic this somewhat by heating a cup of water in the microwave for 1 minute, then placing your dough in the warm microwave.
Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 450ยฐF and line two baking sheets with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
Deflate the dough and divide into 6 equal portions. Roll out into circles about 8 inches in diameter.
On one half of the dough, spread a spoonful of the pizza sauce, then layer on pepperoni and cheese. Make sure to leave a 1/2-inch border around the edge for sealing and crimping.
Brush a bit of water around the edge of the dough, then fold over. Pinch the edges to seal and add a decorative fold or crimp with a fork, if you like. Use a spatula to transfer the calzone to the baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining ingredients until all the dough is used. You might need more or less of the fillings, depending on how much you want them filled. Try to not overfill, as they can leak out during baking.
Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for about 12 minutes, until golden brown. Make sure to rotate the pans halfway through for even baking.
Serve with extra pizza sauce, marinara sauce, or ranch dressing for dipping.
Recipe suggestions
In place of the pepperoni (or in addition to!) you can use cooked Italian sausage. Make sure youโve drained the sausage of any excess grease.
Any of your other favorite pizza toppings will work as well, such as mushrooms, diced green bell pepper, or onions. I recommend sautรฉing the vegetables first, as they wonโt soften the same inside the calzone as they would on top of a pizza.
Prefer to not make your own pizza dough? Swap in your favorite store-bought dough. Make sure it is raw dough, not a parbaked pizza crust.
If you like, you can brush the top of each calzone with melted butter or a beaten egg and top with shredded parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning before baking to make them extra special. I like to keep them simple and serve with extra pizza sauce on the side for dipping.
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It means so much when you enjoy my recipes, so let me know how it goes and leave a comment if you have any questions.
Pepperoni Calzones
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (11 1/2 ounces), plus more if needed
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup warm water, about 100-110ยฐF
- 1 cup pizza sauce
- 1 cup diced pepperoni
- 2 cup shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Combine olive oil and water and whisk into dry ingredients. Continue to stir and mix until a cohesive ball of dough forms.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and only slightly tacky to the touch. If dough is overly sticky, knead in 1-2 tablespoons flour.
- Place dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 450ยฐF and line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking liners.
- Deflate dough and divide into 6 pieces. Roll out each piece to about 8 inches diameter.
- On one half of each dough, place a spoonful of pizza sauce, then some pepperoni, then some cheese, making sure to leave 1/2 inch edge.
- Brush water around the edge of the dough. Fold other side of dough over and pinch edges to seal, creating a decorative fold if you like. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Use a spatula to transfer the calzone to the baking sheet.
- Bake calzones for about 12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.
Notes
- Use more or less fillings as desired.
- If you like, brush the tops of the calzones with egg wash before baking and sprinkle on parmesan cheese and/or Italian seasoning.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate based on online calculators. Any nutritional information found on Stetted should be used as a general guideline only.
Disclaimer: This post is part of my ongoing partnership as part of the Netflix Stream Team.
About Megan
I learned how to cook by exploring seasonal ingredients, and you can too! Meal time shouldn’t be stressful or complicated, and with fresh ingredients and easy methods, Iโm here to help you enjoy the time spent in the kitchen.ย Read moreโฆ
Yum! Totally going to make these Saturday night for my husband and me when we binge-watch the new season of House of Cards!
@Mary I like your thinking! I can’t watch House of Cards until Tuesday so I hope I can manage to avoid spoilers!
It’s on the DVR. I almost can’t bare to watch. Having worked with state government, I’ve loved that show since the first minute of the first episode. Haha! I haven’t made calzones in forever. These look so good!
So sad that my favorite show is over now, though I’m not sure how I felt about last night’s finale. I love calzones (and Ben!), so these look fantastic. And…might need to watch some old episodes of Parks tonight!
We puffy heart love Parks & Rec and are slowly making our way through all the seasons on Netflix right now. And yes, bring back calzones…I puffy heart love those too!!!