Ham And Cheese Calzone

My mother in law is the "Queen of Calzones".  She's been making them for years and let me tell you.... they are the best calzones out there!

She has her calzone recipe down to a science.  Three slices of this, four slices of that sprinkle of this, sprinkle of that.

You can put pretty much anything you want in a calzone which makes it a great way to use up leftovers.  You can use meatballs, sausage, ham, pepperoni, steak and you can use any type of cheese or any type of cheese combination.

 Some people shape them round, some people make smaller individual sizes but I make them like my mother in law taught me how to make them....long and skinny. If you're serving your calzone as an appetizer, try to keep it to no more than a couple of layers. All you need is one loaf of store bought  bread dough.  If it's frozen, just thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, there's no need to let if rise.

Today I'm using up some leftover deli ham, American cheese and I'm throwing in some hot peppers, because “some like it hot"...

One of the most important things about cooking your calzone is to cook it on a high temperature and to keep a close eye on it.  It will be ready when you tap on it and it sounds hollow.  You want it to be crunchy on the outside and oozing with cheese on the inside.

Preheat the oven to 400-425 degrees.  Bake for 15-25 minutes.  After about 10 minutes you will want to flip the calzone over to the other side and continue to cook for about another 10 minutes.  Keep a close eye on it though.  Tap on it.  If it sounds hollow, it's done.  Set on the counter for about 15 minutes before cutting.

Start by stretching out your thawed bread dough to
 about 6 inches wide and 20 inches long.

First layer is ham...

Second layer is cheese.

Another layer of ham.

Another layer of cheese.

Scatter around some hot peppers.

Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil all the way to the end...

Fold over the ends first...

Then fold over and seal by pressing like your making a jelly roll.

When you bake it, make sure you bake it with the seam side down...

I baked this for 20 minutes and flipped it over half way through.
  I gave it a tap and it sounded hollow..