A calzone recipe folds pizza dough around cheese and fillings, then bakes it until golden. The dish comes from Naples, Italy, where the name refers to the Italian word “calze,” meaning trousers or stockings. This page gives dough amounts, filling ideas, and bake times for both a home oven and a pizza oven.
The fold is what sets a calzone apart from an open pizza, because it keeps the filling sealed inside. Pizza ovens run much hotter than home ovens, so the bake time changes a lot between them.
What Is a Calzone?
A calzone is a baked Italian dish made from pizza crust folded into a semicircle and stuffed with fillings. It is essentially a folded pizza, closer to a turnover than to a flat pie.
The name comes from the Italian word “calze,” which means trousers or stockings. Calzones are made from the same basic dough as pizza, so a good calzone recipe starts with a dough you already know how to handle, such as the one in pizza dough with bread flour. If you are new to dough, our beginner pizza guide covers the basics first.
Because the filling sits inside the dough, it heats through gradually instead of sitting on top of the crust. The outside browns in the oven while the cheese and filling stay hot in the middle. That is why the cut vents and the seal matter more here than they do on an open pizza.
Calzone Recipe Dough Ingredients
This calzone recipe makes four calzones, using equal parts bread flour and all-purpose flour with 1 cup of warm water. The bread flour gives the dough more structure, so the walls hold the filling without tearing.
- 1 cup bread flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup warm water
Mix the ingredients, then let the dough rest for 15 minutes before kneading. Knead for 2 minutes, then divide the dough into 4 portions. Cover the dough balls with a damp towel and let them rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature.
Keep the water warm rather than hot. Warm water wakes the yeast gently, and the rest period gives the gluten time to relax, which makes the dough easier to stretch into a circle later.
If you need to plan around a busy week, the dough for this calzone recipe can be made ahead, as covered in the FAQ below. Shape the calzones on the day you bake, so the dough is not sitting folded and filled for a long time before it goes into the oven.
Filling Ideas for a Calzone Recipe
One published calzone recipe fills the dough with ricotta, pepperoni, peppers, onion, and mozzarella, then serves it with pizza sauce for dipping. That combination works well as a starting point for your first calzone recipe batch, because each ingredient is familiar and easy to portion evenly.
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced pepperoni
- 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup pizza sauce, warmed for serving (a simple option is homemade marinara sauce)
Other fillings work too. Common choices include prosciutto, grilled chicken, mushrooms, black olives and pesto. Some cooks use pineapple, or shrimp and anchovies for a seafood calzone. If you choose chicken, cook it first, as the BBQ chicken pizza recipe does, before it goes into the dough.
Keep wet ingredients such as fresh vegetables drained and patted dry. Extra moisture inside the dough is one of the main reasons a calzone turns soggy, so it helps to cook down very watery vegetables first. The prep tips in our veggie pizza recipe for draining and roasting mushrooms and peppers apply here too.
How to Shape and Seal a Calzone
Roll each portion into an 8 to 9 inch circle, fill one half, fold it over, and pinch the edges to seal. A tight seal keeps the cheese from leaking into the oven and makes the finished calzone easier to lift.
- Roll each dough ball into an 8 to 9 inch circle on a floured surface.
- Spread the filling over one half of the circle, then sprinkle mozzarella on top.
- Fold the empty half over the filling to form a semicircle.
- Pinch the edges together to crimp and seal. Press firmly with your knuckles to close any gaps.
Before baking, brush the top with beaten egg and sprinkle it with Parmesan and Italian seasoning. Then cut 3 steam vents into the top of each calzone with a knife, so steam can escape instead of splitting the seal.
Baking Temperature and Time
A calzone bakes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 13 to 15 minutes in a home oven, and at 370 degrees Celsius for 3 to 4 minutes in a pizza oven. The two baking methods in this calzone recipe are not interchangeable, so follow the one that matches your oven.
In a home oven, one recipe preheats to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and bakes until the dough is golden brown and fully cooked, about 13 to 15 minutes. Another home recipe uses 450 degrees Fahrenheit on a pizza stone or a large baking sheet for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown. If you bake on a stone, learn how to clean a pizza stone afterward.
In a pizza oven, the numbers are very different. One pizza oven method suggests preheating for about 30 minutes to 370 degrees Celsius, which is 698 degrees Fahrenheit, and baking for 3 to 4 minutes. Not Quite Nigella’s pizza oven calzone method notes that its overview gives a 2 to 3 minute range, so check the calzone early.
Heat varies a lot between pizza oven models, so check your manual, see how hot a pizza oven gets by oven type, and watch the crust rather than trusting a single number. A calzone recipe is done when the outside is golden and the dough is cooked through in the middle.
For a home oven, use the timing from the recipe you follow and check the calzone a minute or two before the end of the range. A calzone that looks pale on top but is still raw inside is a sign the oven needs more time, while a dark top with a pale center suggests the oven runs too hot.
Why Calzones Turn Soggy and How to Prevent It
A soggy calzone usually comes from cheese that releases too much water, so low-moisture mozzarella is the safer choice. Whitney Bond’s loaded calzone recipe recommends low-moisture cheese for exactly this reason.
Low-moisture mozzarella holds less water than fresh mozzarella, so less liquid collects inside the dough as it bakes. Pair it with a moderate amount of filling, because an overfilled calzone is harder to seal and more likely to leak.
The dough for this calzone recipe can also be prepared in advance. One recipe says the dough can be made up to two weeks ahead of time, which lets you plan a calzone night without starting from scratch that day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make calzone dough ahead of time?
Yes. One calzone recipe says the dough can be made up to two weeks ahead, so you can prepare it well before the day you plan to bake. Divide it into 4 portions and let it come up to room temperature before shaping, since cold dough is harder to stretch. Yeast dough like this can also be frozen, and how to freeze pizza dough balls explains the wrapping and thawing steps.
How long should calzone dough rise?
Let the dough balls rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature, covered with a damp towel. The rise gives the dough from this calzone recipe enough structure to hold the filling without tearing during baking.
Do calzones need steam vents?
Yes, most calzone recipes call for them. One recipe says to cut 3 steam vents into the top of each calzone with a knife before baking. The vents let steam escape, which helps the seal hold and the dough stay intact.
What temperature should a calzone bake at in a pizza oven?
One pizza oven method uses 370 degrees Celsius, which is 698 degrees Fahrenheit, and bakes the calzone for 3 to 4 minutes. Check your pizza oven manual, because heat output differs by model and the best time depends on how hot your oven runs.
What cheese should go in a calzone?
Low-moisture mozzarella is the usual recommendation because it helps keep the calzone from getting soggy. Ricotta adds a creamy texture, and Parmesan sprinkled on top before baking adds flavor and color.
Pick the bake method that matches your oven, then check the crust near the end of the bake time. A calzone is forgiving once the seal is secure and the vents are cut, so start with this calzone recipe, a dough you can handle, and a filling you already like.