Last Updated on March 8, 2016

Makes 6 servings
Hands-on time:  20 minutes
Total preparation time:  55 minutes

Ingredients
Basic Pizza Dough (see below) or use store-bought dough
Extra virgin olive oil for the dough
One 5.2-ounce package spreadable garlic herb cheese, crumbled
1 cup chopped broccoli florets (cut into ½-inch pieces)
an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water

Directions
Prepare the Basic Pizza Dough or take the store-bought dough out of the fridge.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375 F. When the dough has risen, divide into 12 balls.  Working with 1 ball at a time, roll it or spread it out into a 4-inch round on a lightly oiled surface. Sprinkle one-twelfth of the cheese on the lower half of each dough round and top it with a small mound of broccoli.

Moisten the edges of each round with water and fold the top half of the round over the filling.  Pinch the edges together very tightly, crimping them and place the calzones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg wash and make a slit in the top of each calzone with the tip of a sharp paring knife.

Bake the calzones on the middle shelf of the oven for 18 minutes or until they are nicely browned.  Serve right away.

Food Processor Pizza Dough

Makes about 4 servings
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Total preparation time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
2 to 2 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached all-purpose flour
One 1/4-ounce package quick-rising yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Combine 1 3/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Add 3/4 cup very warm water (120 to 130 F) and the oil; process until a soft dough forms.

Add as much of the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at time, as necessary to make the dough manageable.

Shape the dough in a ball and place in an oiled bowl, turning so an oiled surface is up.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 35 minutes. Use as directed in a recipe.

COOK’S NOTES

What is the difference between active dry yeast, instant yeast, rapid rise yeast and quick rising yeast? Active dry yeast needs to be “proofed,” meaning dissolved in warm (not hot) water with a pinch of sugar or flour for about 10 minutes before using. It requires this jump start before adding it to the dough. Also, this is a way to determine if the yeast is still alive; if it doesn’t bubble up and get foamy after 10 minutes, you will know that it has lost its umph.

All the other yeasts mentioned above (which all make the dough rise faster than regular active dry yeast), do not need to be “proofed” before adding them to the rest of the ingredients. They are mixed with the dry ingredients and then the liquid is added, in this case, water. The liquid added to these quick rising yeasts needs to be quite warm 120- 130 F.

Any one of these yeasts will work in my pizza dough recipe. If all you can find is active dry, proof it as described above in ¼ cup of the water (barely warm, not hot) that is called for in the recipe and then add the proofed yeast with the remaining water (agaain warm) to the dry ingredients in the food processor.