Pepperoni Calzone
This pepperoni calzone dough is filled with sauce, fresh mozzarella and pepperoni then folded over and sealed shut before being cooked at pizza oven temps. Homemade dough here but store bought works too. The high heat is what makes the crust puff and crisp instead of drying out. Easy to make and they crisp up perfectly all over.
How I Made the Pepperoni Calzone
I stretched out the dough as round as possible. Same as when making pizza.
Spread pizza sauce over half of it leaving about ½ an inch bare around the edge.
Lay fresh mozzarella over sauce. Add pepperoni.
Drizzle olive oil all over.
Sprinkle Italian seasoning over the top.
Fold empty half over the top and pinch edges closed all the way around.
Cut three small slits over the top.
Drizzle with olive oil again.
Bake until dough is cooked through and the entire thing is puffed up and golden brown and crispy.
See recipe card below for times and temps.
What Goes Into Pepperoni Calzone
| Ingredient | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pizza dough | Homemade or store bought. |
| Pizza sauce | Use your favorite! |
| Fresh mozzarella | I used presliced but shredded is fine too. |
| Pepperoni | And any other toppings you want to add! |
| Italian seasoning | Sprinkled over the fillings. |
| Olive oil | Drizzled over the filling and again on top before baking. |
Check out the recipe card at the bottom for exact amounts.
Leave the Border…Pinch it Shut
That ½ inch border around the edge is your seal. Do NOT put sauce or cheese in that area. The two layers will not stick to each other without it and once it heats up that’s where the filling pushes through.
Fill up to that border and stop. Fold over, line up edges and then pinch together all the way around. Don’t skip that seal and leave gaps. That weak spot is where it will pop open.
Cutting three slits across the top does the other part. Steam builds up fast inside a closed calzone and it needs to escape. Those three cuts you make give it somewhere to vent. Skip them and it escapes through the weakest point of your seal. i.e. burst calzone with cheese melted onto the bottom of your oven.
Why So Hot?
This is hotter than most recipes will recommend for calzones, and it’s the difference between a crispy calzone and a bready one. At 500° or 600° the moisture in the dough immediately turns to steam when it hits the oven. That steam puffs up your dough creating a hollow crust with crispy exterior. Cook in there at 400° and that moisture gradually escapes as it cooks resulting in dough that dries out as it bakes.
A pizza oven gets hot enough to do this. You can in your home oven if you push it to its max temp and allow it to preheat a long time. Ideally with a stone or steel inside soaking up the heat.
But either way…watch it. Crazy hot means that difference between perfect golden brown and burnt is literally two minutes.
Make-Ahead and Storage
For the best results, calzones should be eaten as soon as they come out of the oven. It’s possible to prep one ahead and store covered in the fridge, but the dough will go slack and the filling will start to soak into it.
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Reheat in an oven or air fryer to crisp up the crust again. Microwave will soften it and steam out the inside.
Author’s Notes
Keep It Classic Like How I Did
They’re really easy to make. They’re very good. They get nice and crispy all around.
The possibilities. You can add whatever toppings you want, you can make them however you like.
Or you can just keep it classic like how I did.
Miguel
Miguel’s Tips
- Half inch border! Do not mess around with this. That’s your seal!
- Seal all the way around. Don’t leave a gap. That’s where it will open.
- Cut 3 slits across the top. Steam needs to escape!
- Olive oil drizzle on top. Golden crust magic.
- Make it how you want. Any pizza combo works.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use store bought dough?
Yep. I made my own but store bought pizza dough works just fine. That’s definitely the easiest route.
Why did my calzone open up when I cooked it?
Seal was too thin, or you forgot to cut the slits. Steam needs a way out or it will escape through your seal.
Can I cook this in a regular oven?
Yep. Hot as it will go, and give it a long preheat. Won’t get as hot as a pizza oven but you can get close.
Related Recipes
- Grilled Cheese Pepperoni Pizza
- Smoked Pizza Rolls
- Nashville Hot Chicken Pizza
- Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Bread Boat
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Pepperoni Calzone with Fresh Mozzarella
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Stretch the pizza dough out into as round a shape as possible, the same as you would for a pizza.
- Spread pizza sauce over half of the dough, leaving about 1/2 inch bare around the edge. That border is your seal, so keep sauce and cheese out of it.
- Lay the fresh mozzarella over the sauce, then add the pepperoni and any other toppings.
- Drizzle olive oil over the filling, then sprinkle Italian seasoning over the top.
- Fold the empty half of the dough over the filling. Line up the edges and pinch them together all the way around, working the whole seam so there are no gaps.
- Cut three small slits across the top. These let the steam escape where you chose rather than through the seal.
- Drizzle olive oil over the top.
- Cook in a pizza oven or home oven at approximately 500°F to 600°F until the dough is cooked through, the calzone is puffed up, and the outside is golden brown and crispy. At this heat it moves fast, so watch it closely.
