Thursday's Calzones

This evening I decided to make calzones for dinner.  In order to try and make the dough a little less sticky to work with, I added 1 teaspoon of psyllium powder to the recipe hoping it would make it easier to flip the dough circle over in half to make the calzone -- and it did!  I filled my calzone with sauteed red, yellow and orange bell peppers and sliced mushrooms -- and mozzarella cheese too, of course!  I dipped my calzone into some DelGrosso pizza sauce which is one of my favorites.  I snapped a few photos and also added a copy of the recipe I used below (as well as the link to the first grain free calzone I ever made).  Enjoy!

BOOM!

Before going into the oven to bake

Low Carb Calzones (Wheat/Grain Free)

INGREDIENTS:

Dry Ingredients:

1/2 cup golden flax seed meal (organic golden flax has a milder taste than brown)

2/3 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)

3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder 
Dash cayenne pepper, optional

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (more or less, to taste)

5 - 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Wet Ingredients:

1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute such as Egg Beaters)

1 tablespoon olive oil (a little more, if desired)

2 tablespoons water

Calzone Filling:

Favorite shredded cheese (Italian blend, mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan, etc.)

Favorite pre-cooked toppings (pepperoni, sausage, onions, peppers, mushrooms, etc.)

Pinch red pepper flakes, optional

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Mix dry ingredients together; make a well in the center of the bowl and add wet ingredients; mix well until a dough forms.  If your dough is still too wet, add additional grated Parmesan cheese until dough is stiffer (it will be a bit sticky).  Let the dough sit for about 5 minutes to thicken. Place dough on a baking sheet or cookie sheet lined with greased parchment paper or foil (I use either Reynolds non-stick foil or parchment paper, lightly brushed with olive oil).  If you use parchment paper, it will make it easier to flip the dough over to make the calzone. 

Press the dough out with a rubber spatula (to keep it from sticking) into an approximate 10-11" circle (try to make the circle on one side of the baking pan so you can flip it over towards the center of the pan).  Sprinkle shredded cheese of your choice evenly over the top of 1 half of the dough; top with pre-cooked toppings, a little more shredded cheese and red pepper flakes (optional).  Carefully slide your hand under the parchment paper under the half of the crust nearest the outer end/edge of the pan and gently but quickly fold over the dough towards the center of the pan.  Lay the parchment paper or foil back down and press the edges of the dough to seal so filling ingredients won't melt out while baking.  If desired, lightly brush top of calzone with egg wash to help brown the crust and sprinkle with additional shredded cheese.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until calzone looks and feels done.  Remove from oven and let cool about 5 minutes.  Serve with pizza sauce on the side for dipping, if desired.

Note:  If desired, spread a very thin layer of pizza sauce on the crust before topping with cheese, toppings and folding over (do not add too much or it will make the dough soggy when it bakes).

Calzone Recipe & More Pictures