Hearth Bread...Better Known as a Calzone

Hearth bread is one of our favorite breads to bake. Hearth bread is a fancy way of saying calzone dough. This bread is used to wrap fillings inside and serve piping hot alongside a huge salad (unless, you are like me and put your salad inside your calzone). Calzones are ideal for portable, hearty meals. You can make them for breakfast, lunch, or dare I say it, dessert.

As with any yeast bread, this is a time-intensive recipe. Loads of waiting. I like to start this one in the morning before we head to the garden because I know that I can complete the next step when we get back from picking tomatoes and infant-sized zucchini. The dough is a blank slate. Add herbs to the dough. Knead in some cinnamon and nutmeg...you get the point. Be daring with this one. You'll thank yourself later.

The Recipe
Ingredients:

•  2 cups lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tbsp salt

 
Directions:

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar into warm water. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
2. Add 1 cup of flour into the yeast water. Stir in the salt.
3. Incorporate 4 ½ cups of remaining flour and knead until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Pour ½ cup flour onto a surface and begin kneading the dough for 10-15 minutes.
5. Let the dough rise in an oiled bowl for 2 hours.
6. Punch it down and break it into 4 smaller balls. Roll out. Fill the dough. Seal the calzones and allow them to rise for 1 hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 400 F and bake for another 5 minutes.

Filling Ideas:

1. Scrambled eggs, crumbled bacon, spinach, yellow onions, zucchini, and goat's cheese.
2. Zucchini, broccoli, spinach, red onion, cauliflower, celery, and carrots.
3. Mozzarella, pepperoni, marinara.
4. Pesto, spinach, goat's cheese, broccoli
5. Apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar
6. Peaches, apricots, nectarines, feta, honey...
7. Chocolate, peanut butter, and bananas.
8. Soyrizo, bell pepper, corn, broccoli, spicy peppers, cheese...