Versatile Dough

It’s getting cold again. Didn’t feel like going out on Saturday. I just wanted to feel warm and have something nice baking in the oven. I first roasted and mashed garlic for an olive oil dip. Then I made Portobello Mushroom Stuffed with Lobster for dinner and baked something savory and something sweet for dessert. The catch was the dough. I made only one dough for both savory and sweet pastries. It’s such a versatile dough. It can go both ways. I made Calzones Filled with Cheese and Nutella, and also Flat bread topped with Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Chives. They are turned out great. Here are the recipes:

For the dough:

Ingredients:
3 ½ cups flour
20 grams yeast
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Dissolve yeast in warm water, stir in 2 tablespoon flour. Mix until smooth. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and leave in a warm place until it has a sponge-like consistency, about 15 minutes. Mix the other ingredients to the yeast and knead on a surface dusted with flour. If the dough is sticky add some more flour. Separate in two parts, one for the calzone, one for the flat bread.

Nutella and Mascarpone Calzone

1/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
2/3 cup Nutella
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 large egg, beaten to blend

Nutella Filling: Whisk Nutella and whipping cream together until smooth.

Ricotta Filling: Blend 1 egg yolk, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, and ricotta until smooth and creamy. Transfer the ricotta mixture to a small bowl, then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.
Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the dough on a suface dusted with flour, cut 7-inch-diameter rounds. Spoon the ricotta mixture atop the center of the lower half of each dough. Spoon the chocolate-hazelnut mixture atop the cheese mixture. Fold the plain dough halves over the filling, forming half circles. Pinch the edges of dough firmly together to seal. Transfer the calzones to the prepared baking sheet, spacing evenly.
Brush the tops of the calzones with egg wash. Bake until the calzones puff and become golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool for 15 minutes. Transfer the calzones to plates and dust with the powdered sugar.

Flat Bread with Ricotta and Mozzarela

Filling
1/2 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shreded mozzarella
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

Mix the ingredients above.
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Open the dough on a surface dusted with cornmeal. Sprinkle cornmeal on both sides of the dough. Cut 7-inch-diameter rounds. Fold the edge in on itself to form a border. Place one tablespoon of the filling on each flat bread. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.