How To Make Easy Calzones and Pocket Sandwiches

Kitchen tools, gourmet foods, baking mixes, and hard-to-find baking ingredients mentioned in this article are available at The Prepared Pantry.

by Dennis Weaver

I know. The neighbor needed help. The doctor took forever. And the kids are crying. You just want to get them fed and move on. And you certainly don’t feel like cooking.

Here’s a simple solution. Call them pocket sandwiches, pizza pockets, calzones, or...they’re a great way to rescue a busy day. They’re great for picnics and school lunches, too. You can even make breakfast pockets for those busy mornings.

This Saturday morning, make a bunch of pocket sandwiches and throw them in the freezer. They don’t have to be extravagant. My daughter, Debbie, loads them with a cubed cheese and deli ham with a slather of mustard. It doesn’t seem like it takes her long to have 50 or 60 of them baked and ready to go in the freezer.

You can make them with pizza dough or with pie crust dough. One is a bread-like sandwich. One is a savory pastry. You can even make Hostess-type little pies.

She could put them in the oven unbaked and then thaw and bake them when she needs them. Instead she heats them through on a baking sheet in the oven. She could microwave them but baking creates a nicer crust.

What You’ll Need!

• A large dough press
  
• Pizza dough mixes
  
• Just-Add-Water Pie Crust Mix
  

Ham and Cheese Pocket Sandwiches

This is a classic pocket sandwiches recipe. You make these in three steps: make the dough, cook the filling, and then assemble the pocket sandwiches.

Ingredients

For the dough

This works best with a pizza dough. Mix according to package directions.

For the filling

• 1 1/2 cups cubed ham, 1 inch pieces, or deli meat
• 1 1/2 cups cubed cheddar cheese
• 6 teaspoons mustard

Instructions

1. To assemble and bake the pocket sandwiches: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Roll the dough out on a floured counter to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Cut the dough into 6-inch rounds using the back of your dough press.
3. Place a round in the floured dough press. Spread 1/2 teaspoon mustard onto each round.
4. Place 2 tablespoons of ham and 2 tablespoons of cheese onto a round.
5. With a pastry brush, spread water on the edges of the round to help seal it. Close the dough press firmly to seal the edges of the pastry. Continue with the rest of the rounds and filling. Place the pocket sandwiches on a lightly greased baking sheet.
6. Poke a few holes in the pocket sandwiches with the tines of a fork to vent the pocket sandwiches.
7. Brush with beaten egg. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

Beef and Onion Piroshki

This is a classic piroshki recipe. You make these in three steps: make the dough, cook the filling, and then assemble the piroshki. It’s easiest to do with a dough press but you can build it manually. If so, be sure to seal the edges well with the tines of a fork.

Ingredients

For the dough

This works best with a pizza dough. Mix according to package directions.

For the filling

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup water or broth
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 egg, lightly beaten, for glazing

Instructions

1. Brown the meat in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté for ten minutes or until the meat and onion are cooked.
2. Sprinkle flour over the meat mixture and continue cooking for one more minute to gelatinize the flour. Add the water to create an in-the-pan sauce.
3. Add the sour cream, stir to blend, and then remove from the heat. Add the chopped eggs, dill, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
4. To assemble and bake the piroshki: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Roll the dough out on a floured counter to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Cut the dough into 6-inch rounds using the back of your dough press.
6. Place a round in the floured dough press. Place three tablespoons of the filling on the round. Close the dough press firmly to seal the edges of the pastry. Continue with the rest of the rounds and filling.
7. Place the completed piroshki on a greased baking sheet. Poke a few holes in the piroshki with the tines of a fork to vent the piroshki. Brush with a beaten egg.
8. Bake for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.

County Line Breakfast Calzone

This is a mix and match pizza recipe converted to calzones. You can choose your own meat; we’ve used ham, bacon, and sausage. You can choose your own sauce; we’ve used marinara, salsa, whipped mustard, and ranch dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 pizza mix or recipe
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1/4 green or red bell pepper, chopped
• 3/4 cup diced ham, crumbled bacon, or cooked sausage
• 6 large eggs
• pepper and salt
• 1/2 cup salsa or other sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon pizza and pasta spice or other blend
• 2/3 cup grated cheddar
• 2/3 cup grated mozzarella

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix the dough according to package or recipe directions. Set aside.
3. Sauté the vegetables in the butter and scramble the eggs.
4. Add the other ingredients and stir. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Roll the dough to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Use the dough press to cut circles. Place a circle in the dough press.
6. Place a filling on the lower half.
7. Brush water on the edges of the pastry. The water will help seal the dough seam.
8. Use the dough press to fold the top of the calzone crust over the bottom and seal the edges. Be sure to press firmly enough to seal the edges.
9. Just before baking, brush the crust with an egg white wash or olive oil. An egg white wash will give the calzones a satiny finish. Olive oil will make the crust browner and crisper.
10. Bake the calzones on a dark pan on the lowest shelf of the oven to provide enough bottom heat to bake the bottom crust. Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes, until the crust is browned. Serve hot.

Dennis Weaver is the founder of The Prepared Pantry, a full line kitchen store in Rigby, Idaho. The Prepared Pantry sells kitchen tools, gourmet foods, and baking ingredients including hundreds of hard-to-find ingredients.

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