Wholewheat Calzones

Crunchy on the outside, moist and flavorful inside.. these super healthy Wholewheat Calzones are perfect for lunch! Savour the taste of these calzones without having to do much, follow my pictures and make these calzones at home!

These wholewheat calzones are my fun take on a regular pizza, if you’ve made pizza before then this is going to be a cakewalk for you, but if you haven’t and are a complete beginner with yeasts then fear not because I’ve got lots of pictures to make this really easy for you. My calzones are super healthy and super yum..Believe me when I say this- This is going to be your favorite lunchtime treat! 😀

These calzones are wholewheat.. I’ve used equal parts of wholewheat flour and white flour. You can use either flours instead of going half-and-half but this is how I like it..makes me feel I’m eating something healthy you see 😉 Completely wholewheat calzones are nuttier in taste and are a little less chewy but tasty nonetheless, completely white flour calzones are chewier, tastier and crispier but super unhealthy. If you’re opposed to using white flour then by all means don’t use it.. the best thing about my recipe is that its flexible so if you want to use two cups of wholewheat flour instead of 1 wholewheat and 1 white then that will work too (and it will not affect the taste at all). Go crazy and use what you fancy!

The crust for my calzones is pizza dough which is a rather easy thing to make and I’m clueless why people are petrified by the thought of it. When I tell people I make pizza crusts at home, they’re so impressed with me (while I’m secretly smiling thinking how easy it is to make)..Is it the yeast or something else? Because I’ve realized bread making, any sort, is easy and I consider it easier than baking cakes (which sometimes intimidates me). You need to keep a few key points in mind and you’re set to make the best breads.

• Activating the yeast —- To activate the yeast you need 1. Good quality yeast: I’ve tried several brands and then finally zeroed down to two brands that I swear by. Bluebird and Solar. You should try the yeasts you have available and see which one works for you. There are two types of yeasts- Active Dry and Instant, all my recipes are made using Active Dry Yeast and I have no clue if you can substitute them for instant. Please google it or use active dry as mentioned. 2.Lukewarm water: This is the point I stress the most on. The temperature of the water is so important that you should probably keep a thermometer if you’re a beginner (the temperature of the water should be between 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit) but if you’re not a beginner or want to work without one I have one trick that I follow.Finger Testing. Insert your finger in water to check how warm it is, if the water feels warm but you can still comfortably keep your finger in it for a few seconds then your water is ready but if you feel the water is hot and you cannot keep your finger in it without having that burning sensation, then its probably too hot and could kill the yeast. Wait for it to cool down before going further. Remember the water must be as warm as your bath water. Comfortably warm. 3. Something Sweet- Ideally sugar or honey act as foods for the yeast and as a catalyst in this entire process. It accelerates the “proofing” process. Once you add these three things together, you should have a proofed yeast mixture in under 10 minutes. Make sure the mixture is foamy on top. If its not foamy the the yeast has probably died and you should repeat this process again, no questions asked!

• Kneading —- Kneading helps in gluten formation which is a kind of protein. Its essential in maintaining the structure of the bread so that it does not fall apart during baking. So knead for at least 5-8 minutes (depending upon your recipe)! Its also a great exercise :p So you’re baking and working out at the same time..win-win..!

• Rising Time and Atmosphere —- This is again a very crucial step. After kneading the dough you need to let it rest so that the yeast can work its magic. It take around 1-2 hours for your bread to rise and double in size so you have to be really patient. Also, the dough needs a warm environment for which I preheat my oven at 200 degrees Celsius for a few minutes and keep my bowl in it. This makes my dough rise like a dream. try it!

If you ace these three steps and wait for the bread to rise and double in size you can be sure of a perfect loaf each time. In this case, perfectly crispy calzones each time.

Make sure you sprinkle cornmeal on the base of the calzones before baking as it helps in making the base crispy and gives a nice flavour to it. Flour is acceptable but not preferred.

RECIPE: Wholewheat Calzones

Makes: 4     Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins     Baking Time: 20-25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

For the dough:

• Active Dry Yeast, 1 3/4 teaspoon
• Lukewarm Water, 1 cup (240 ml)
• Sugar, 2 teaspoons
• Flour, 2 cups (1 cup white all purpose flour + 1 cup wholewheat flour) + extra for kneading
• Salt, 1/2 teaspoon
• Olive Oil, 2 teaspoons

For the stuffing and assembling:

• My Pizza Sauce, 1 1/2 cups (check out the recipe here.)
• Mozzarella Cheese, 1 cup, grated
• Vegetables/Fried Chicken/ or any topping of your choice (optional), as per taste
• Seasoning (salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, garlic powder), as per taste
• Cornmeal, for dusting
• Egg, for brushing the top (alternatively use olive oil or butter to brush the top)

METHOD

For the dough

Start by activating the yeast. In a glass of warm warm mix in the sugar and stir until completely combined (make sure the water is still warm after dissolving the yeast, the water tends to cool down a bit due to all the stirring). Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and mix. (If you’re worried about this step read my post above for detailed instructions).

Cover the glass with cling film or plastic wrap tightly and keep it aside for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes you will notice that the surface of the water will be all foamy, if its not then your yeast has probably died, so repeat this step again.

In a bowl, mix together flour, salt and olive oil.. Slowly add in the yeast mixture until you form a ball of dough. The dough will be sticky so don’t be alarmed. Toss the dough out on a floured surface and knead for 5-6 minutes or until the dough is springy to touch  meaning if you poke the dough it springs back slowly. If it doesn’t spring back, knead it until it does. The dough will also be less sticky after kneading.

Lightly coat the dough with oil and place it in a large bowl lightly coated with oil too. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for 1-2 hours or  until the dough doubles in size. This time can vary depending upon the quality of the yeast used, mine took around 1 hour 10 minutes. If you can’t find a warm place to keep it in then simply preheat your oven to 200 degrees and keep the bowl in it until the dough doubles in size.

Punch all the air out of the dough after it has doubled in size, cover loosely with foil and let it rest for 15 minutes. You can prepare your pizza sauce in the meanwhile (recipe here.)

Assemble and Bake

Toss the dough out on a floured surface, divide into 4 equal parts using a pizza cutter or knife.

Roll out each part of the dough into an 8 inch round circle, spoon out 1/4 cup of pizza sauce on each, followed by grated mozzarella cheese and any other topping of your choice.

Fold over the far edge of the circle on top of the edge that’s near you. Basically fold over one half of the circle over the other and crimp the edges using two fingers tips.

Make three small cuts on top of the calzone so that the steam can escape and transfer the calzones to a baking tray lined with foil and sprinkled with cornmeal. Whisk an egg and using a pastry brush, brush it on top of the calzones generously. This will give your calzones a beautiful gloss and will ensure even browning. If you don’t want to use eggs, brush the calzones with olive oil or butter (it won’t give the same gloss though).

Bake on a preheated oven at 180 degrees celsius for 20-25 minutes or until the top is evenly brown and the bottom is crisp and brown too. (preheat oven at 10 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius)

Serve hot for lunch and enjoy!

Write to me for any queries!

You can connect with me on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Google Plus for regular updates.

Love pizzas? Check out these links…

Pizza Rolls

Homemade Classic Veggie Pizza