Football Calzones

Every year the boyfriend's parents throw a huuuuuuuuge Superbowl party.  So I decided to contribute some food this year instead of just showing up for the festivities! :)  I have been searching high and low for 2 months for just the right thing to bring.  I spend endless hours on pinterest, I did google searches, I looked at TON of blogs, and I just couldn't pick one!  (I picked 3 or 4 or 5.... you get the point)  So finally I stumble on some random post for food ideas on a party website and I'm browsing through the 15 or so ideas when I see..... football shaped calzones...!!!!! WHAT?!?! Mind blown.  Because who doesn't like bite size anything regarding pizza???  So I ventured forth to make a test run.  (The site didn't have any recipes, just the ideas themselves.  Even better!  I love to play with recipes!)

Now when it comes to pizza in my house, we love just about anything if it involves meat, cheese, and some yummy dough.  I've spent a ton of time researching doughs for various breads (because who doesn't like homemade bread??) and I now have two pizza dough recipes that I go for.  One is specifically made for a fast throw together pizza.  The dough doesn't need to rise.  The other, (my favorite of all time) is one that can be made with a mixer, a breadmaker, your hands, or whatever else you might want to try!  This is the dough used here in this recipe.

 I made cheesy bread with my leftover dough :)

Next I had to decide fillings!  You can't just have plain ol' pepperoni... That's just boring.  So after much thought and deliberation, I landed on pepperoni and buffalo chicken (since it IS the superbowl).  Time to get cookin!

Football Calzones

*Makes 18-24 depending on how thin you roll and what cutter you use

1 batch Soft, Chewy Pizza Dough

Pepperoni Filling:
1 Jar of your favorite marinara sauce (I as always use Classico and the Italian Sausage one is great to add to the pepperoni) **You'll use 1/4 C. for the filling and some more for dipping**
12-14 pepperoni sliced (cubed small!)
1/4 C. Mozzerella

Buffalo Chicken Filling:
1/3 C. Shredded Chicken (seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder)
3 Tbsp. Onion (minced)
1/4 C. Cheddar or bleu cheese
2-3 Tbsp. Favorite hot sauce (I get mine from a local pizza place but most people love Frank's Red Hot)

Egg Wash (1 Egg and 1 tsp. Water)

1.  Start out by making the dough.
2. Boil your chicken breast for 45 mins to shred for the filling.
3. Once the dough is done, put out on a floured surface and kneed for 3-4 mins.  Then put in a bowl and cover it for about 15-20 more mins.
4. Mix together the fillings.
5. Pull out the dough again and split into three balls.  Roll them out one at a time on a floured surface and make them as close to 1/8th of an inch as you can.  Use your chosen cookie cutter and start cutting.  Making sure you cut an even number for top and bottom.
6. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and put the bottoms on it.  Start adding the filling.  Try to stuff as full as possible by stacking it tall, not wide so you can still seal the edges.  Continue until you fill 2 sheets or until you run out of dough.
7. Once your 2 sheets are filled, take the tops and start pressing them around the edges.  You can use a fork to push the edges together for a nicer look.  *I tried to cut laces in the footballs but I didn't roll the dough thin enough so they just puffed up back together*
8. Set your oven to 400 degrees.  Just let the calzones sit uncovered during that time.
9. Mix up your egg wash.  When the oven is heated, generously slather the calzones with the egg wash and put them in the oven for 20 mins or until they're golden brown.
10. Serve with ranch, marinara, bleu cheese, more buffalo sauce, or whatever else your heart desires!

Full size calzones made with the extra fillings (I forgot the egg wash)