Chicken Calzones

Chicken Calzones

Ingredients:

3 cups All Purpose Flour 

2 cups Mozzarella cheese(grated)

1tbs Yeast  

1/2tbs Sugar            

1 tsp Salt                    

1 tbs Olive oil              

1cup Water

1 tbs Olive oil

Pizza sauce

Mushrooms

Green/Red Peppers

Tomatoes

Olives

         

Method:

1. Add the yeast and sugar to 1 cup of luke warm water in a bowl and leave to rise for 5 mins.

2. In a food processor, add 3 cups of  flour and salt. Pulse to mix well.  Add the bubbly yeast water to the flour and pulse on and off till everything comes together and forms a dough. If you find it too dry then just sprinkle a little more water taking care not to make it soggy. Keep pulsing and pausing till the dough becomes springy and starts to spin.  Add 1 tbs of olive oil and pulse once more, then remove.

3. Make the dough into a ball  and place it in a greased bowl. Cover with a moist tea towel or cling wrap and leave it on the counter in a cozy corner to rise for 1- 2 hours.

4.  While the dough is rising prepare the chicken filling as given in the recipe here. After 2 hours the dough is double in size. It is now smooth, spongy and ready for making calzones, pizza, foccaccia or panza roti etc.

The Calzones:

1.Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and shape each like a round ball.  Cover and leave for 10-15 mins. Take each ball and roll it into a fairly thin circle. I prefer pressing it with my fingers lightly to make a small flat round. Drop 1 tbs of pizza sauce on it. Give it a quick swirl so that it stays in the inner circle leaving the circumference clean and dry.

2. Mix together the chicken filling and some grated mozarella cheese (as much as you want). Place a portion of the filling mixture on the flattened round of dough. Do not over or under load. The filling should be just enough for you to be able to seal the calzone neatly.

3. You can also add olives, green/red peppers, tomatoes and sliced mushrooms to the filling if you like. Drizzle some more pizza sauce, some blobs here and there if you want and sprinkle some more mozarella cheese.

4. With wet fingers moisten the edge of the calzone, then dust a little flour on it so that it becomes sticky enough to seal the edges.

5. Close the calzone in the shape of a crescent, press the edges with a fork and tightly seal them. Care should be taken not to let the filling bulge out and touch the edges, If the edges are not sealed well then there is a chance of the filling leaking out while the calzone is baking. Repeat the same process for each one of the calzones.

6. Take a baking sheet, line it with parchment paper and place the calzones on it. Glaze them with an egg wash (egg whites whisked with a little water) prick them with a fork and bake in the center of the oven preheated at 400 degrees fahrenheit for 15 - 20 mins or until done.

7. Remove from the oven, let them cool a bit before serving them.

8. Drizzle some warm pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese on top and enjoy!