Gluten Free Sausage and Mushroom Calzones
The gluten free pizza pockets (hot pockets) of your daydreams
This summer I had the opportunity to travel to Italy, well, let me tell you it was a gluten-free DREAM. So much pizza, pasta, focaccia and truly lovely gluten free breads. Restaurant workers were very informed about celiac and the Italian celiac association has an incredible app full of vetted products and restaurants. Everyday grocery stores carried a wide array of gluten free products and reasonable prices (gluten free puffed pastry for $3 a package!) and labeling was clear and consistent across all brands (why don’t we have that here?) so we knew exactly what was gluten free, you know without googling everything new we encountered. All in all, it was an AMAZING place to travel gluten free, and I’m dying to go back. You can see some of the specific highlights on my instagram page, I’ve saved them as story highlights in the little circles on my profile. I came home inspired, full of new ideas and I’m so excited to share them with you!
I’m easing into home life (and out of jet lag) with these lovely sausage and mushroom calzones. A light and fluffy pizza dough encases a filling my whole family loves. Dip them in a simple marinara and make sure to make tons of extra, no one will mind eating them and you’ve given yourself a present in the form of ready made meals!
Gluten Free Sausage and Mushroom Calzones
yield: 12 calzones
Filling:
1 lb (454g) mild Italian sausage, casings removed
8 oz (227g) button or crimini mushrooms, wiped clean and chopped fine
4 oz (113g) mozzarella, shredded
For the dough:
2 ½ c (600g) water (warm tap water)
2 Tb (10g) psyllium husk
4 tsp (16g) sugar
1 ½ Tb (14g) instant (or quick) yeast
1 3/4c (225g) brown rice flour, plus additional to shape dough
1c (118g) sorghum flour
¾ c (120g) tapioca flour
½ c (95g) potato starch
3/4c (37g) potato flakes (like the instant mashed potato kind!)
2 tsp (12g) salt
3 Tb (41g) olive oil
Quick basil marinara sauce for dipping if desired (recipe included)
In a large skillet cook sausage and chopped mushrooms together, breaking them up, until brown and cooked through. Remove to a bowl and set aside until cool. Once the mushroom/sausage mixture is cool, stir through shredded mozzarella.
Whisk together water and psyllium husk, set aside for 5 minutes to hydrate. In a medium bowl whisk together sugar, yeast, all flours, potato flakes, and salt. Add the water mixture and oil to the dry ingredients, mix thoroughly with an electric mixer or large sturdy spoon to form a dough. Cover with a tea towel and let rise 20 minutes.
Roll out the dough on a lightly gluten free floured surface with a lightly GF floured rolling pin until ¼ inch thick. Use a large round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut out large rounds of dough (Or use a bench scraper to cut them into squares if you would like rectangle calzones. Put 3 Tb of the filling into the center of the circles and fold the dough over to form a half moon. Press the edges together firmly to seal, if the flour dusting keeps them from sticking use a little water on your fingers and wet the edges before pressing. Place on parchment paper lined sheet pans 2 inches apart.
Preheat the oven to 450F. Bake calzones 20-25 minutes until brown and the internal temperature of the dough is 205F (you can check with an instant thermometer). Enjoy on their own or dipped in marinara sauce! Calzones freeze wonderfully for up to 3 months.
Quick Basil Marinara Sauce
yield: 1 quart
2 T Olive Oil
¼ Onion Diced
2 Garlic cloves minced
12 oz Tomatoes canned, or fresh Roma tomatoes chopped
¼ C Tomato Paste
2 Tb Fresh Basil
1 Tb Fresh or 1 tsp dried Oregano
1 T Sugar
1 cup Chicken Stock
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp fresh black pepper
In a 1 large pot, heat the olive oil for 1 minute and add the onion. Sweat the onions over medium heat until almost clear. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring so the garlic does not burn. Cook for 2-3 minutes, and add the tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, sugar, and stock. Stir well for 2 minutes and reduce heat to low.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring gently every 5 minutes or so. Serve over pasta, with meatballs, or on pizza.
Download the PDF of the Recipe!
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