This is not a calzone but more literally “stuffed bread”. Robin and I found this recipe in an Italian Cooking magazine and tried it. We’ve adapted it and tried different fillings like anchovies, basil and turkey Italian sausage crumbled. We like to have extra sauce on the side to dip the bread into.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- 4 – 5 cups flour
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 heaping tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
Filling
- 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 28 ounce can, Italian plum tomatoes, crushed
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- To make the dough: Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water.
- Mound flour on a clean, flat surface and make a well in the center. Add yeast mixture, salt, honey, vegetable shortening and rest of the water to the well. Carefully, mix ingredients into the sides of the well and knead into a soft dough.
- Split the dough into two pieces and place each into a separate greased bowl; cover with dish towels. Put in a warm place to rise for about one hour.
- To make the filling: In a large skillet, saute garlic in olive oil until just golden. Add tomatoes and cook over medium-high heat until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat and stir in basil and cheese. The mixture will be fairly thick.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll one piece of dough out into a rectangle approximately 1/2 inch thick. Generously spread the tomato mixture over dough, leaving about a 1-inch border around edges. Fold top and bottom edges in 2 inches towards the center. Then fold left and right edges into the center, until they just meet. Spread the remaining surface with sauce. Fold the left side over the right, as if closing a book.
- Repeat with the second piece of dough. Bake on an oiled baking sheet for 30 to 40 minutes until crusty and browned. Serve both or freeze one for later. One loaf serves 8.
