Calzone

Doneness

A calzone is done when the dough is an even deep golden-brown and glossy from the egg-wash, cooked through and firm (not pale or doughy), with the cheese melted inside — you'll often see a little bubble through the vent slits. Tap the bottom: it should sound hollow and feel firm, not soft and bready. Because the fillings go in pre-cooked, doneness is about the dough cooking through and the cheese melting, not a raw-meat temperature. A pale, soft calzone needs more time; one darkening past golden is about to scorch. Let it rest a couple of minutes before cutting — the filling is molten straight out of the basket.

Oil & seasoning

No oil spray needed — brush the top with egg-wash (beaten egg, or yolk + a splash of milk), which is what browns the dough to a glossy golden in the air fryer's dry convection. Bare dough comes out pale and matte. A light dusting of cornmeal under the calzone helps it release; the cheese and any oil in the dough handle the inside.

Season with: Classic pepperoni-and-cheese benchmark (the version most people search for): ricotta and mozzarella with pepperoni and a little marinara folded into pizza dough, egg-washed and baked golden, with extra marinara on the side for dipping. The pizzeria standard., Meat-lovers variant: cooked Italian sausage, pepperoni and ham with mozzarella. Make sure the sausage is fully cooked before it goes in (the bake won't cook raw meat through) and don't overfill — a packed calzone splits., Spinach-and-ricotta variant (vegetarian): sautéed, well-drained spinach with ricotta, mozzarella and garlic. Drain the spinach thoroughly — wet filling steams the dough and makes it soggy., Ham-and-cheese variant: cooked ham with mozzarella and ricotta (a stromboli-leaning version). Mild and kid-friendly; the same 380 °F / 12 min / flip at 6 with an egg-wash..

Watch out for

• !Cut 2-3 vent slits in the top — a sealed calzone bursts. Steam builds up inside as it bakes, and with nowhere to escape it puffs the calzone up and splits a seam, leaking molten cheese and sauce that scorch onto the basket. A few small slits in the top let the steam out so the calzone holds its shape.
• !Use fully cooked fillings, and don't overfill. The 12-minute bake cooks the dough and melts the cheese — it won't cook raw sausage or chicken through. Cook and cool meaty fillings first, drain watery ones (spinach, mushrooms), and use a restrained amount; an overstuffed calzone splits at the seam no matter how well you crimp it.
• !Brush the top with egg-wash — the air fryer won't brown bare dough. Dry convection leaves an un-washed calzone pale and matte even when cooked through. A beaten-egg wash gives the glossy, pizzeria-golden crust; re-brush at the flip for an even colour.
• !Seal and crimp the edge firmly. Molten cheese and sauce find any gap in the seam and leak out during the cook. Press the edges together well and crimp with a fork or a folded roll; press out trapped air so the seal holds. Keep most of the sauce on the side for dipping rather than inside, where it makes the dough soggy and pushes at the seam.
• !380 °F, single-layer, and flip gently with tongs at 6 minutes. Crowding steams the crust soft where calzones touch, so leave space and cook in batches. Turn each calzone with tongs rather than shaking the basket (a shake can split a filling-heavy calzone). If the dough is browning faster than it's cooking through, tent loosely with foil and finish the bake.