Drunken Calzones

Sometimes I get in a recipe rut, making the same meals over and over.  One of the best ways to get out of these ruts is to read blogs for new and intriguing recipes.  I bookmarked Holly's 4-ingredient pizza dough quite a while ago and when I read Elise's post about Bud Light Bread back in August, I knew I had to try it.

If you click on those posts (I'll wait...) you will see that both of them made pizza with their drunken dough.  However, since I had a very limited amount of pizza toppings (I like variety) I went in another direction.  Calzones.

Now, I've never made calzones before.  But I like them.  A lot.  So I had high hopes for this recipe.

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Step 1: Prep your veggies.  I steamed/sautéed a bell pepper and zucchini in some chicken broth and cayenne pepper.

Step 2: Make your "Drunken Dough"

• 3 cups flour (I used half whole wheat, half white)
• 1 T baking powder
• 1 t salt
• 1 bottle or can of beer 

Step 3: Open a bottle of the good beer for yourself.  Cooking may require drinking.

Steps 4 & 5: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and remove any rings with precious stones.  Things are about to get messy.

I kid.

Knead your dough on a floured (not to be confused with flowered) surface for a couple of minutes until it forms a smooth ball.  You may need to add more flour to prevent it from sticking.

Separate your dough into portions.  I split mine into two but this could easily make four decent sized calzones.  Roll out each portion to about 1/3" thickness.

Step 6: Fill your dough with pizza sauce and fillings of choice.  Seal all edges well.  (In addition to the bell pepper and zucchini, I added ground beef and mozzarella cheese.)

You will most likely experience the first pancake phenomenon with these.  My second calzone turned out much more photogenic than the first.  Luckily, the funny-looking one was for my husband.  :)

Step 7:  Slide onto a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.

 (iPhone for size reference.)

 

Step 8: Enjoy!