Italian calzone — the Neapolitan folded pizza with mozzarella and ham

INGREDIENTS

For the dough (4 calzones):

• 500 g type 00 flour or strong flour
• 325 ml lukewarm water
• 10 g salt
• 7 g dry yeast (or 20 g fresh yeast)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar

For the filling:

• 250 g dry mozzarella, cut into pieces
• 200 g ricotta
• 150 g ham (or spicy sausage)
• 200 g tomato sauce
• 1 beaten egg, for brushing
• oregano, fresh basil, salt, pepper
• a little flour for working

PREPARATION STEPS

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the lukewarm water; leave for 5–10 minutes until it foams.
2. In a large bowl mix the flour with the salt; add the yeast water and the olive oil and work the dough for 10–12 minutes until it becomes elastic and soft.
3. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a clean cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1.5–2 hours, until it doubles in volume.
4. Meanwhile prepare the filling: mix the ricotta with the tomato sauce, oregano, salt and pepper; drain the mozzarella well.
5. Heat the oven to maximum temperature (about 250°C); if you have a pizza stone, put it in to heat together with the oven.
6. Divide the dough into 4 equal balls and roll each one out into a disc of about 20–22 cm on a floured surface.
7. Place the filling only on one half of each disc: tomato sauce, mozzarella, ricotta, ham and a little basil, leaving about 2 cm of free edge.
8. Moisten the edges with a little water, fold the free half over the filling and seal well with your fingers or a fork, giving it the half-moon shape.
9. Brush the calzones with the beaten egg, make 2–3 small holes on top with the tip of a knife and bake for 12–15 minutes until golden.
10. Leave to rest for 3–4 minutes and serve hot, cut in half.

Preparation time: 25 minutes + 2 hours for the dough to rise | Baking time: 12–15 minutes | Servings: 4