Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Calzone

Yes, I'm tooting my own horn a bit... But I'm tooting my horn more for Cooking Light. These calzones freaking rock. And yes, it matters that all the components are homemade. I don't think it would be nearly as good with store-bought dough and sauce. Though I worry that I'll have to go back to making my dough in the breadmaker. My stand mixer was not happy while I was trying to mix the dough in there. I hope it'll turn on for me the next time I need it... Eek.

The original recipe calls for grilled peppers, onions, and sausage, but since I don't have a grill, I sautéed everything. And I have enough of everything to make two batches of it all, so if you only want to use one portion of the pizza dough, half the filling recipe.

Try it. As soon as possible.

Homemade Pizza Dough
Courtesy of Cooking Light

1 package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
1 1/4 cups cold water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
26.1 ounces (about 5 1/2 cups) unbleached bread flour, divided
Cooking spray

Dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Combine 1 1/4 cups cold water, oil, sugar, and salt in a small bowl; stir with a whisk.

Weigh or lightly spoon 24.9 ounces (about 5 1/4 cups) flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, yeast mixture, and cold water mixture in bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low 8 minutes or until dough begins to form. Let rest 2 minutes; mix on low 6 minutes or until dough is smooth. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 2 minutes); add enough of the remaining 1.19 ounces (about 1/4 cup) flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel sticky).

Divide the dough in half, and place each portion in a large zip-top bag coated with cooking spray. Seal and chill overnight or up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

Note: You can freeze the dough in heavy-duty, freezer-safe zip-top plastic bags for up to 2 months; thaw dough overnight in the refrigerator.

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New York-Style Pizza Sauce
Courtesy of Cooking Light

7 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (14.5-ounce) can petite-cut diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk.

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Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Calzones
A variation on this recipe from Cooking Light

Homemade Pizza Dough
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 pound hot Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion, cut into thin slices
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
New York-Style Pizza Sauce, divided
1 1/3 cup (about 5 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Remove Homemade Pizza Dough from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Preheat deep skillet to medium-high heat. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and then add sausage. Break up sausage using back of wooden spoon. Cook until no longer pink.

Reduce heat to medium. Add another tablespoon olive oil, onions, and peppers. Cook until tender. Add salt and pepper. Take off heat and add sausage back to pan to mix.

Preheat oven to 500ºF.

Place one portion of dough on a lightly floured surface; divide dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 9 x 5-inch rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup New York-Style Pizza Sauce evenly over each rectangle, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Arrange sausage evenly over half of each rectangle; top evenly with onion and bell peppers. Sprinkle each calzone with 1/3 cup cheese. Fold other half of dough over filling; press edges together with a fork to seal. Repeat with second portion of dough.

Place calzones on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush calzones with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Bake at 500° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.