FUN: Build Your Own Calzone Party!

If you are looking for my pizza dough recipe, with instructions for different pizzas and calzones click here!

If you haven't noticed I love having people over, and I always try to find a way to make it just a little more special than just a dinner.  KC had suggested a few times that we have my parents over for a "Build Your Own Calzone" night, and since themes are kinda my thing I went all in!

Table set with a "pizza parlor" vibe

I made little pizza boxes out of cardstock and added everyones names with red vinyl to match the tablecloth.  Inside the boxes were little slices of pizza I 3D printed with a magnet on the back, because you are never too old for party favors!

Pizza box place cards with pizza magnet favor

I made little cards with all of the filling and topping suggestions that everyone could fill out.  While I was at it I made a little drink menu, since this party was to celebrate KC I wanted him to be able to sit any enjoy himself, so I played bartender as well.  When my parents got here I made everyone a drink and then had them fill out their card so I could start building and get the calzones in the oven.

Drink menu and calszone order cards

Full place setting

I'd made my dough the day before, I used beer in place of water, and let it rise once in my warm kitchen, then punched it down and put it in the fridge overnight.  I got it out of the fridge about 1 1/2 hours before I knew I'd be cooking so it would be room temperature when I started to work with it.

I had also cooked a chicken breast and cut it up, browned the Italian Sausage ahead of time, and sliced my veggies and put them in separate covered containers so that everything was ready to go, and easy to put away as soon as I had the calzones in the oven.

All the calzones fresh out of the oven

I didn't get any pictures after I delivered them to the table, along with a ramekin of warm basil marinara sauce, but everyone was very pleased!  I had made sure to set aside some containers to use as doggy bags, we all needed one!  The next night I got a text from my dad asking if I could guess what they had for dinner, and said the calzones were "it was sooooo gooooood!" as leftovers.

After I packed up the leftovers and put the plates and silverware in the dishwasher the only other cleanup I had was to throw away the parchment paper and put my sheet pans away, so I could quickly get back to the table to play cards and enjoy the party with everyone else.

Simple dessert of cookies and ice cream

I knew we would all be pretty full after dinner, but after a few rounds of cards I can usually get everyone interested in a bit of dessert.  Again, I wanted something super simple, I made some cookies the day before, and then pre-scooped ice cream the afternoon of the party.  The cookies, and ice cream, along with some chocolate and butterscotch syrups, and chopped nuts were perfect.  (I also sent my parents home with a container of cookies!)

Pre-scooped vanilla ice cream

Let me know if you host a build your own calzone (or pizza) party!  And please let me know if you want more posts like this!

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COOK: Pizza & Calzone Dough, Assembly, and Cooking Directions

Updated February 19, 2026

Scroll to the bottom for pizza and calzone cooking information.

If the kiddos and KC had it their way we would probably live off of pizza and steak sandwiches.  I prefer a little more variation, especially since Dust and KC always want just pepperoni pizza.

The great thing about now having a fool proof pizza dough recipe, is that I can easily make different kinds of pizza, or mix it up and calzones, stromboli, or just breadsticks.  And the dough freezes well.

You can substitute a 12 ounce room temperature beer for the water, I use a cheap simple beer like Budweiser.  It's gives a nice malty taste to the dough, I especially like it if I'm using the dough for Pepperoni Rolls, or Cheeseburger/French Dip Pockets.  (Recipe HERE!) 

Pizza, Calzone, & Stromboli Dough

Ingredients: 

3 1/2-4 1/2 Cups Flour (Bread Flour will make them chewier and more traditional, but you can use white, wheat, or a mix of both as well.)

1 teaspoon Sugar

2 teaspoons Salt

2 1/4 teaspoons Yeast

1 1/2 Cups Warm Water (115 degrees-120 degrees)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Preparation:

With this dough you do not want to proof the yeast.  I use my stand mixer, but you could easily mix it with a spoon and then kneed it for several minutes by hand.  

First, put flour, sugar, salt, and yeast into a bowl and using the dough hook, turn on mixer to level 2.  While the mixer is going slowly pour in the warm water and olive oil.  The dough should start to form a rough ball, if the dough is sticking to the sides and bottom slowly add more flour, only a 1/4 cup at a time, letting it mix for about a minute with each addition.  Let the mixer kneed the dough for at least 5 minutes (Kneed for at least 8 minutes by hand) the dough should now be a smooth ball.  

Put into an oiled bowl, cover with a moist tea towel or plastic wrap, rise for 1 hour until it's about twice the size.

(If you want to freeze the dough, punch it down, put it in freezer bag, and remove all of the extra air. It should last for about a month.  Take it out and let it come to room temperature before you start to work with it.)

Note: It is best, when working with pizza dough, to not add any extra flour, don't roll the dough out on a floured surface or flour your hands, the olive oil helps with this, I can usually work with the dough right on my kitchen counter and it doesn't stick to the counter or my hands.

Now is the fun part, you get to decide what you want to make!  

PIZZA: We do cast iron skillet pizza a lot, the above dough recipe is enough for about 2 12 inch pizzas depending how thick you like your crust.  When I do skillet pizzas I divide my dough into the two skillets (or three, depending on the sizes I'm using) and let it sit for about 20 minutes, this lets it flatten out to fill he pan on it's own.  Then I poke any bubbles, lift the crust on each side to remove any air bubbles underneath, and add our toppings.  Then I bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes. (Depending on the size and how many you have in the oven sometimes it takes longer, just keep on eye on them and take them out when the cheese is a bit brown on top.)  Then quickly remove from the cast iron to a cutting board.  (It important to remember that the cast iron stays hot and will continue cooking anything that's in it after it come out of the oven.)

Regular pizza is very similar, except I cook it at 500 degrees, usually for about 12-18 minutes depending on how large and how many toppings.

CALZONES: Calzones are one of my favorites, they are so easy to customize for each person, and the leftovers are delicious.  If you divide my pizza dough recipe into quarters you'll have nice sized calzones that often leave us with leftovers.  I start by quickly shaping each portion into a rough ball,  then gently stretching it into a circle-ish shape.  For the first layer I suggest shredded cheese, it keeps the bottom from getting soggy, sprinkle a good amount over one half of your circle.  Next add any fillings you want, pepperoni, chicken, italian sausage, peppers, onions, cream cheese dollops--there's no limit!  (This is a great way to use up lots of little bits of leftovers too!)  Finally, finish with another layer of shredded cheese to "lock" everything in.  Fold the empty half over and then press your edges together, I like to also roll them in towards the calzone so that there aren't any leaks.  You can egg wash the tops if you want them to be more golden brown, or if you are going to add any "toppings", we like to sprinkle sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning on top.

Move to a sheet pan with either a silicone mat, or parchment paper.

Bake them at 450 degrees for about 15-20 mintues, until they are brown on the edges and top. 

We like to dip them in marinara sauce, pesto, or ranch.

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