Description
I came up with this idea for Halloween. I baked it in an S shape after combining an egg yolk with food coloring (I made several colors with several yolks) and painted to make a colorful striped snake. I used various food items to make a tongue, nostrils, and eyes (olives, peppercorns, fruit roll-up, etc). It was a hit with the kids! Serve with spaghetti sauce for dipping.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
- 1 (4 ounce) package sliced pepperoni
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ cup sliced black olives (Optional)
- ½ green bell pepper, cut into strips (Optional)
- ½ cup sliced fresh mushrooms (Optional)
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Dissolve sugar in warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Sprinkle yeast over water
- and let stand for 5 minutes until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam. Stir in oil
- salt
- and 2 cups of flour; mix on Low until the mixture forms a wet dough. With the machine running
- add 1 cup of flour
- 1/4 cup at a time
- and knead until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl into a ball. Knead for 3 to 5 more minutes
- until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Lightly oil a large bowl; place dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume
- about 1 hour.
- Combine ricotta
- mozzarella
- Parmesan cheese
- pepperoni
- parsley
- Italian seasoning
- olives
- green pepper
- and mushrooms in a large bowl; set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Punch down dough; roll it out into a long
- flat strip about 9 inches wide by 30 inches long. Spoon filling mixture down the center of dough strip
- leaving about 1 inch on all sides for sealing. Pull edges of dough together; pinch to seal and form a long
- filled roll. Place roll
- seam-side down
- onto the parchment paper in a snakey “S” shape
- and tuck the ends underneath to seal. Beat egg in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of water; brush egg wash over calzone.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes
- until calzone is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into individual slices.
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins
Servings: 14