Sausage and Cheese Calzone

Ok, I guess it's "technically" a stromboli since I put the sauce in the dough...

Friday night we ate out with my parents and last night we had dinner at a friends house so I definitely wanted to make dinner tonight. I knew that I had some left over pasta sauce and italian sausage in the fridge so I thought about making a baked ziti or something. Then I remembered this dough I made a few weekends ago that I have been dying to try it again. So I settled on making calzones. It's funny because I make BBQ calzones all the time but I had never made one with "traditional" ingredients before. Now I have and I can't wait to do it again. :)

Sausage and Cheese Calzones

1 recipe for pizza dough (below)
1/2 lb italian sausage
1/2 cup pasta sauce
2-3 oz. fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dry parsley
Olive oil for brushing

In a small bowl combine 1 tbsp parmesan cheese and dry spices and set aside. Roll pizza dough into 2 even circles. Fill half of each circle with sauce, then sausage, then cheese. Fold the other half of the dough over the filled side. Pinch edges to seal. Brush each calzone with olive oil then sprinkle with dry spice mixture. Cut 2 inch slashes in the top of the calzones (to release steam). Bake at 425 for 15 -17 minutes.



Jay's Signature Pizza Crust
(Source: Allrecipes.com as seen on Amber's Delectable Delights)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.

Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.

Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

**This dough makes enough for 3 calzones. I made 2 for tonight and froze a ball of dough for another time.**