Pizza Dough

I've been making pizza dough for years. It's great for pizza, of course, but it's also great for calzones, bread sticks, and plain old bread. I've always made the dough by hand in the past, but since I make it much more often, and in larger quantities, I use my KitchenAid with the dough hook. I also weigh all ingredients (as opposed to volume measurements). It's more accurate and repeatable, and it's actually easier. This recipe scales the ingredients to match the one in Bob's comment.

The Dough

• 750 grams high gluten or AP flour
• 500 grams (.5 liters) cool water
• 3 grams SAF instant yeast
• 12 grams salt
• 48 grams olive oil

---

Note: You can use bread flour or just all-purpose flour. AP will yield a softer crust.

1. Mix the flour with the gluten and salt. If you're using instant yeast, add that now, then add the water and olive oil. If you're using active dry yeast, proof it according to the package directions.
   


2. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a whisk.
   


3. Knead with the dough hook for 10 minutes.


4. Remove the dough to a cutting board, and using as little extra flour as possible, knead
   for another minute by hand until you have a smooth ball.


5. Move the dough to a large, oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let rise for 2
   hours at room temperature or 6 to 24 hours (or a couple of days) in the refrigerator. The dough will double in size at room temperature, and not quite double in the refrigerator.

Here's the dough before and after rising (click to enlarge).

Calzones

Calzones are the original Hot Pockets®, only not as crappy, and certainly no where near as crappy as Lean Pockets®.

A calzone is stuffed pizza dough. You can put whatever you want in a calzone, but I like any salume (Italian cold cuts) and cheese (usually mozzarella and parmigiano or pecorino). A little simple tomato sauce is optional, but tasty. However, putting tomato sauce in a calzone is tricky at best. It's probably better to leave it out and use the sauce on top of the calzone after it's cooked.

1. Preheat your oven to 425F. I use a baking stone, but you can also use a lightly oiled sheet pan dusted with a little coarse corn meal, or a sheet pan covered with parchment paper.
   
2. Roll out each ball to about 6 - 7" and add filling to cover one half, leaving enough on the edge of the dough so you can make a good seal. This doesn't look like it's going to work, but it does. When you pull the dough up and over the filling, you stretch it to match the other edge.
   

1. Fold over the dough and seal by going around the calzone folding and pinching a bit of the edge. Cut a small hole in the top of the calzone so it doesn't explode.

1. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, or until golden.
2. Remove to a cooling rack for 10 minutes before serving.

One of these is plenty for one person. I always make more than we can eat; they freeze beautifully.