Easy Calzones for Two

I kept seeing this calzone tutorial popping up all over the place so I decided to give it a try. I mean who could resist the pictures? 

The problem is when it comes to pizza, me and my leading man can never flipping agree, mostly because we are completely picky in ways that rarely intersect. The circle graph of our agreeable pizza toppings would really only overlap at mozzarella cheese. I mean, I'm not even a huge fan of marinara.

So for a long time, I thought those gorgeous pictures of laced top calzones were out of my reach. And then, one magical day, I had the admittedly simple idea that brought about these babies: why not cut a piece of store bought pizza dough in half?

I know, I know. It's so obvious. But seriously, it's deliciousness made me feel like a genius. And we each got our own little calzone. Okay, little is an understatement. I was stuffed. But it was so good I didn't mind eating it all.

Since this one gets a little complicated, I've got some image tutorials to follow.

I started with a Pillsbury pizza crust. It came in the same kind of canisters that Crescent rolls come in. I stretched it out flat on a big piece of parchment paper laid out on the counter and sliced it in two.

In the center of each rectangular piece of pizza dough, I spread out all the toppings. Mine was Alfredo sauce, mozzarella and goat cheese. The other was marinara, mozzarella and ham.

With all the toppings laid out in a line down the center, I cut little strips down each side, making sure to keep about 1/2 inch away from the sauce and toppings. It it seems too short, that's okay. It'll stretch.

Now the fun part. Cross the strips across the toppings, first from one side, then from the other, tucking edges under the next strip. When you get to the end, fold the edges under the calzone.

Pinch the end shut a bit and repeat with the other calzone. 

I took a big circular pizza pan, the kind I cook frozen pizzas on and slid the parchment paper with the calzones on top of it onto the pan. A cookie sheet would work fine too, just be aware of the placement of your calzones and how they will fit on the pan.

  

Then bake and enjoy!

Easy Calzones for Two

(Inspired by this)  

1 Pillsbury Pizza Crust or any pizza dough yielding one pizza

Whatever pizza toppings your little heart desires

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lay a piece of parchment paper down on the counter. Spread out the pizza dough and slice it in half.

In the center of each rectangle of pizza dough, lay out the desired toppings, being sure to stay in the middle of the dough.

Using a pizza cutter or a knife, cut the edges into strips, being sure to give the filling about 1/2 inch on each side.

Taking strips from alternating sides, stretch across the filling and tuck under the next set of strips. At the end, tuck the last strip edges underneath the calzone. 

Once both calzones are wrapped up, slide the parchment paper with the calzones on top onto a baking sheet. Pop in the oven and cook for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

Let cool for 3-5 minutes before serving.