Homemade Baked Calzones (pronounced as kal-zoh-nee) are a true specialty of Southern Italy. They're made with a dough similar to pizza dough, left to rise and filled with salami, provola cheese, oregano, and tomato sauce, then baked in a hot oven until fragrant and golden.
The result is delicious, stringy half-pizzas, perfect for enjoying hot, fresh from the oven, as a main course, accompanied by a side of vegetables, whether for a dinner at home or a potluck in the park. Packaged in a "mini" version, they are ideal for serving as an appetizer or as a brunch food.
Calzone Vs. Stromboli
A calzone is folded over into a half-moon shape, sealed around the edges, and traditionally filled with ricotta, mozzarella, and other classic pizza toppings — it’s essentially a stuffed, enclosed pizza. A stromboli, on the other hand, is rolled up like a log, sliced for serving, and typically filled with layers of mozzarella, cured meats, and vegetables, usually without ricotta. Stromboli is an Italian-American creation, and the shapes, fillings, and serving styles reflect that distinction.
Is Calzone Dough the Same as Pizza Dough?
Yes, a calzone is made with the same dough as pizza. Calzone dough uses standard pizza dough ingredients like flour, water, yeast, salt, and olive oil; the difference isn’t the dough itself, but how it’s shaped and filled. Instead of being stretched flat and topped, the dough is folded over fillings and sealed, creating a stuffed, enclosed version of pizza rather than an open one.
Popular Calzone Fillings
You can use all the ingredients you like: mozzarella, fiordilatte, scamorza, caciocavallo or ricotta, speck, diced ham, pork cracklings, pancetta, but also canned tuna and anchovy fillets… for a vegetarian version, simply eliminate the meat and add the seasonal vegetables of your choice.
Calzone Dough Varieties
For a more rustic and fragrant dough, you can replace the all-purpose flour with a mix of type 0 and whole wheat or type 1 flour. If you don't have fresh yeast, you can use about 3.5 grams of dry yeast. Instead of extra virgin olive oil, you can use sunflower oil or corn oil.
Is It Better to Bake or Fry a Calzone?
It’s generally better to bake a calzone rather than fry it. Baking allows the dough to cook through evenly while keeping the exterior crisp and the inside tender, without making it greasy or heavy. Frying can give a crisp crust, but it often leads to oil absorption and uneven cooking, which can overpower the fillings.
How Do I Avoid a Soggy Calzone?
For a flawless result, remember to let the provola drain in the refrigerator for at least an hour, so that it's thoroughly dried and doesn't release whey during cooking, which would overly moisten the calzone base.
Ingredients
How to Make Baked Calzone With Cheesy Salami Filling
First, crumble the brewer's yeast and dissolve it in warm water.
First, crumble the brewer's yeast and dissolve it in warm water.
Collect some of the flour in a bowl and slowly begin pouring in the water and yeast mixture, working it all together with a wooden spoon. Gradually add the rest of the flour.
Collect some of the flour in a bowl and slowly begin pouring in the water and yeast mixture, working it all together with a wooden spoon. Gradually add the rest of the flour.
Invert the bowl and transfer the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface.
Invert the bowl and transfer the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface.
Add the salt and work the mixture again until you obtain a sufficiently compact dough.
Add the salt and work the mixture again until you obtain a sufficiently compact dough.
Complete with oil and knead vigorously for a few more minutes.
Complete with oil and knead vigorously for a few more minutes.
Cover the resulting dough with the bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes: this way, it will become smoother and more elastic.
Cover the resulting dough with the bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes: this way, it will become smoother and more elastic.
After this time, grease your hands with a drop of oil and proceed to make a few rounds of folds. Shape the dough again into a round loaf and place it in a clean bowl with a drizzle of oil on the base.
After this time, grease your hands with a drop of oil and proceed to make a few rounds of folds. Shape the dough again into a round loaf and place it in a clean bowl with a drizzle of oil on the base.
Cover with cling film and let it rise for about 2 hours, better if in the oven with the light on.
Cover with cling film and let it rise for about 2 hours, better if in the oven with the light on.
Once the leavening time has elapsed, the dough should have doubled in size compared to its initial volume.
Once the leavening time has elapsed, the dough should have doubled in size compared to its initial volume.
Dust the pastry board with flour, place the dough on it and divide it in half with a pastry cutter or a knife.
Dust the pastry board with flour, place the dough on it and divide it in half with a pastry cutter or a knife.
Roll out the first half to obtain a disc.
Roll out the first half to obtain a disc.
Spread the tomato puree seasoned with a pinch of salt and sprinkle with oregano.
Spread the tomato puree seasoned with a pinch of salt and sprinkle with oregano.
Add the salami cut into strips and the provola cheese cut into cubes and finish with a drizzle of oil.
Add the salami cut into strips and the provola cheese cut into cubes and finish with a drizzle of oil.
Close the calzone in a half-moon shape, pressing the edges and folding them over themselves to seal the filling.
Close the calzone in a half-moon shape, pressing the edges and folding them over themselves to seal the filling.
Transfer the calzone to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the tomato sauce over the top, and finish with a little oregano and a drizzle of olive oil.
Transfer the calzone to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the tomato sauce over the top, and finish with a little oregano and a drizzle of olive oil.
Cook the calzone in a preheated static oven at 390°F/200°C for approximately 25 minutes, until golden and fragrant.
Cook the calzone in a preheated static oven at 390°F/200°C for approximately 25 minutes, until golden and fragrant.
The calzone is ready: bring it to the table and enjoy it, crunchy on the outside and stringy in the middle.
The calzone is ready: bring it to the table and enjoy it, crunchy on the outside and stringy in the middle.
Storage Instructions
Baked calzones are delicious right away, but they can be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days. Before serving, reheat them in the oven or air fryer.
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