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 (Grain Free)

Dry Ingredients:

1/2 cup organic golden flaxmeal (golden flax has a milder taste than brown)
1 teaspoon psyllium powder

2/3 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)

1/2 - 1 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 (I used 1/4 teaspoon)

Few grinds of freshly ground black pepper

4 - 5 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 PLUS 2 teaspoons 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

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. Spread dough on a lightly oiled pan or cookie sheet with greased parchment paper or foil (I used Reynolds non-stick foil, lightly brushed with olive oil).  

Press the dough out with a rubber spatula (to keep it from sticking) into an approximate 10-11" circular shape.  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, using your hands and/or a rubber spatula, gently fold over the dough, pressing the edges to seal so filling ingredients don't melt out while baking.  Lightly brush top of calzome with egg wash, if desired, 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