Pizza dough holds its shape during baking.
Fresh pizza dough offers versatility, convenience and ease of use, making it suitable for both savory and sweet preparations. Pizza dough is considered a standard lean dough, meaning it's yeast-risen and has little fat. It can stand up to heavy sauces, such as those used in a calzone, or it can be rolled out thin and dusted with sugar to make a light, crisp dessert. Most cuisines that use standard lean dough have preparations that involve stuffing the dough with a filling, such as calzones and empanadas.
Instructions
Empanada
1. Flour your work area, and roll 8 oz. of fresh pizza dough into an 8-inch round.
2. Place 1/4 cup of empanada filling in the center, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Empanada filling typically contains seasoned and cooked ground beef, onions and garlic.
3. Moisten the edges of the empanada with water. Fold it over to form a half-circle. Seal the edge with the tines of a fork.
4. Mix together 1 egg and 1 tbsp. of heavy cream. Brush the top of the dough with the egg wash, and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.
Stromboli
5. Mix together 1 egg and 1 tbsp. of heavy cream. Set aside.
6. Flour your work surface, and roll out 12 oz. of fresh pizza dough into a 12-inch-by-12-inch square. Layer the ingredients of choice on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border all around.
7. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the edges of the dough with egg wash. Grasp the edge of the dough closest to you and roll it forward into a cylinder.
8. Press the edges of the dough to seal. Brush the top of the stromboli with egg wash, and bake until golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.
Calzone
9. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll 10 oz. of fresh pizza dough into a 10-inch round.
10. Ladle 2 oz. of tomato sauce over one half of the dough. Layer 1/2 cup of the desired filling over the sauce.
11. Fold the dough over to form a half-circle. Seal the edges with the tines of a fork.
12. Make a 1/2-inch cut in the top of the calzone to allow steam to escape during cooking. Place the calzone on an oiled sheet pan. Brush the top with melted butter. Bake until golden brown, approximately 15 minutes.
Dessert Bread
13. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll 8 oz. of dough into an 8-inch-by-8-inch square. Slice the dough into eight 1-inch-wide strips.
14. Mix together 1/2 cup of sugar and 1 tbsp. of ground spices of your choice. Ground spices commonly used in dessert bread include cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger and cacao.
15. Distribute the sugar-spice mixture in an even layer on a plate. Brush the dough strips with melted butter. Roll the dough strips in the sugar-spice mixture. Grasp each strip by the ends and twist in opposite directions until a spiral forms.
16. Arrange the strips 1 inch apart on an oiled sheet pan. Bake until golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.
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