Sausage, Spinach, and Ricotta Calzone

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. Make dough: Combine 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft, slightly sticky dough ball. Knead on a floured surface, adding more flour if needed, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Cover and let rest on the floured surface.

3. While dough rests, make filling: Cook and stir sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crumbly and browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; discard grease from the skillet. Add spinach and water to the skillet; sauté over medium heat until spinach is wilted, 1 to 2 minutes; drain liquid. Return sausage to the skillet with spinach. Set aside.

4. Combine ricotta, mozzarella, and egg in a mixing bowl. Stir in Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, and garlic salt; set aside.

5. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll 1 dough piece into an 8-inch circle on a floured surface. Spread about 1/3 cup ricotta mixture over the bottom half of dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with heaping 1/3 cup sausage-spinach mixture. Fold the top half of dough over filling. Pull the edge of the lower crust over the top; fold and press layers together to seal. Transfer to a greased baking sheet; cut 3 to 4 vents on top. Repeat with remaining dough.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer calzones to a wire rack to keep the bottom crust crisp while cooling slightly. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Tips

For a crispier crust, lightly brush calzones with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt before baking.

How to knead dough: Add just enough flour to the dough and your hands to keep the dough from sticking. Flatten the dough and fold it toward you. Using the heels of your hands, push the dough away with a rolling motion. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat folding, pushing, and turning the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Use a little more flour if the dough becomes too sticky, always working the flour into the ball of dough.