Broccoli, Spinach and Mushroom Calzone in the Bread Machine

This is part of my series dedicated to cooking as much as possible in the humble bread machine.

In this edition, we will make a Calzone.

And when I say, "Make a Calzone IN a bread machine", I don't mean just make the dough.

I don't mean "make a calzone adjacent to a bread machine", or "A bread machine was involved in this calzone project and gets a producer credit" or anything like that.

This is all bread machine, all the time.

For the Calzone:

Dough

Filling

Cheese

Spices

Bread machine

Containers to store dough and filling

oven (optional)

But just because I am committed to the Bread machine lifestyle does not mean you need to be.

It is possible to make this using your bread machine for every step.

It is not necessary, however. You can, and may use other tools if you have them. For instance, an oven or a stove.

Ovens and stoves work pretty well for cooking things, so you can use them if you have them and don't feel bad.

I'll include a line or two about making this Calzone outside of the bread machine for each step, too.

I hope, that if you are committed to the idea of bread machine cookery, that you are comfortable with making a simple dough.

I won't go into too much detail here- there are numerous resources dedicated to making pizza dough in the bread machine, and it is possibly the most common usage for the machine. Let the lack of detail here be a warning- if you are not comfortable with the vagaries of your machine to make a dough with instructions as vague as "make your dough", then you'll need to do so before you move on to the more obscure features.

I generally make a whole wheat / all purpose flour dough, though recently (in these COVID times) I've been experimenting with slow ferments in the refrigerator and sour dough starters. Follow your heart.

I'm going to pre-cook the filling a bit, to take the edge off the mushrooms and spinach, and to a lesser extent the broccoli as well.

If you want to do it in the bread machine then:

Start the "jam" cycle, and add the oil. Allow it to heat up- this may take a lot longer than you would expect with a stove. On mine, the first 15 minutes is a heating cycle with no stir.

When the pan is hot, add the mushrooms. Let them cook / stir for a few minutes. (About 5 in my machine)

Next, add the broccoli. The jam cycle can be pretty rough so reserve a few attractive pieces to add to the calzone for baking. (about 4 minutes in my machine)

Next add the spinach. It should not take long for the spinach to wilt. (about 2 minutes in my machine)

Add the spices so they can be evenly incorporated.

Finally, add your cheeses.
Add the Feta first, so it can be broken up and evenly distributed.

Next add the mozzarella and Parmesan.

Lastly, add the ricotta. Keep it in the machine rather briefly, just long enough to mix things up well. Take it out after that so we don't precook the cheese too much. Dump it into another bowl.

Turn off the machine and let it cool. (some machines won't even start a new cycle if they detect the pan is hot) Clean the pan out for the next step.

This took about 35 minutes. You can leave it unattended and do other things in between adding ingredients. If you are planning on going full bread machine, then you can and should make it ahead of time.

If you have a stove available, then you can saute the mushrooms, spinach
and broccoli together with the oil and the spices, then move to a bowl and stir in the cheeses.

Do you intend to bake your calzone in your bread machine? If yes, then you need to estimate how big your calzone can be and still fit. If you plan to bake it in an oven, then you don't need to worry about the size as much.

This is a good time to preheat your oven or start your machine on a "bake only" cycle.

Roll or press out your dough to the appropriate size and shape. Keep the dough a little on the thick side since it needs to be structural.

A circle shape will fold over into a traditional crescent, which is good if you have a nice spacious oven. In the bread machine, we will make a compact little rectangle, slightly more than twice as wide as our pan.

Spread the topping on generously.

Fold the dough over the topping and pinch it together to seal. If you are feeling bold, you can try to turn it so the seam is underneath for a more polished look.

Delicately take your beautiful unbaked calzone, and plop it into the pan. I hope you remembered to take the mixing paddles out before you dropped your calzone in. Yup, the posts for the paddles are going to poke through but there is nothing we can do about that.

My dough is rather sticky, so the plop is a little less graceful than I might have liked.

Because bread machines cook at lower temperatures than pizza ovens, you'll need to cook them slightly longer. This also has the side effect of making the crust tougher, but we must accept our compromises.

I baked mine for 23 minutes at roughly 375 degrees.

Getting it out of the pan will be tricky unless it is completely done. When the crust is finished, it will release from the pan and the posts, and you can just flip it right out.

Let it rest for a few minutes, and then cut and serve.

I've included a picture of the bottom so you can see what the post holes look like.

These were made with the same ingredients, but were baked in the oven at a much higher temperature. The crust is crispier and harder, but there isn't a significant difference.