Pepperoni Calzone

So I mentioned the other day the super duper cute apron Brandy got me, here it is!

I just love it. And I felt inspired to bake so at around 2am or so I started making an apple pie.

It turned out really well! Then I decided to bake some more so today I made calzones again. Here's what that little process looks like.

Here's the recipe for you, as usual adapted from allrecipes.

Pepperoni Calzones

Ingredients
(makes 4 large calzones/8 servings)

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzerella
1/8 cup grated parmesan
1/2 cup sliced pepperoni
1 cup marinara sauce
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 egg, beaten

Directions

Dough:

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water, let sit 10 minutes.
2. Add salt and 1 tablespoon oil. Mix in 1 cup of the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the rest of the flour, until dough is smooth and workable.
3. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, or until it is elastic. Lay dough in a bowl containing 1 teaspoon olive oil, then flip the dough, cover and let rise for 40 minutes, or until almost doubled. While dough is rising, make filling.

Filling:

1. Combine the ricotta cheese, mozzerella, oregano and basil leaves in a large bowl.
2. Mix well, cover bowl and refrigerate to chill.

Calzone:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. When dough is ready, punch it down and separate it into 4 equal parts. Roll parts out into thin circles on a lightly floured surface.
3. Spoon a layer of marinara (you can use store-bought, I won't judge) onto the entirety of each circle, leaving about a 1/2 inch margin at the edge. Reserve the remainder of the marinara for dipping later. Fill 1/2 of each circle with 1/4 of the filling. Add a double layer of pepperoni on top of the filling, sprinkle a bit of parmesan on top of the pepperoni. Brush a bit of the beaten egg onto the naked 1/2 inch edge of each calzone.
4. Fold over, securing edges of calzone by pressing with a fork. Brush the top of each calzone with egg and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Serve hot.


Why the cute new apron baking? Because I just started watching Mad Men (yeah, I know I'm officially the last person in the world not to have seen it) and I'm completely addicted and love it. I don't know how they made 50's/60's fashion look super cute but they certainly managed.