Soft, fluffy pizza pockets

Golden treasure!

These aren't calzones. A calzone is folded pizza dough that bakes up crispy, and that's not what I was after. I wanted something soft and fluffy, more like a bread bun with pizza hiding inside, that stays soft even after it cools.

And the best part? They freeze beautifully. I love having a bag of these pockets in the freezer for an easy, quick dinner on the busy days.

The secret is the dough. Milk, an egg and butter turn it into a soft, enriched bread instead of a crispy pizza crust ;)

For the filling I use a jar of my own homemade pizza sauce. One jar from the shelf, a bit of cheese and whatever is in the fridge, and dinner is sorted.

What you'll need

Dough

• 500 g (about 4 cups) strong white bread flour

• 300 g (about 1¼ cups) whole milk, lukewarm

• 20 g (0.7 oz) fresh yeast

• 25 g (2 tablespoons) sugar

• 10 g (about 1¾ teaspoons) salt

• 1 egg

• 40 g (3 tablespoons) softened butter

• 15 g (1 tablespoon) olive oil

Filling

• About 200 g (¾ cup) thick pizza or tomato sauce, like my home-canned pizza sauce

• 200–250 g (about 2 cups shredded) mozzarella, preferably low-moisture

• Whatever you fancy: ham, salami, cooked sausage, mushrooms, peppers, olives, etc.

• Basil or oregano for the filling, if you like

For brushing

• Milk, or a beaten egg with a splash of milk

• A little melted butter

• Dried oregano, for sprinkling on top

Make the dough

Dissolve the fresh yeast and sugar in the lukewarm milk.

Add the flour and egg and mix until there's no dry flour left. Leave it for 15 minutes.

Add the salt, then knead for about 5 minutes.

Gradually knead in the softened butter and olive oil. Keep kneading for another 7–10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic and quite soft. It should be slightly tacky rather than dry.

Cover and leave until roughly doubled, usually 60–90 minutes depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Shape them

Divide the dough into 10–12 pieces, roughly 75–90 g (2½–3 oz) each.

Form each into a ball and let them rest for 10 minutes. Roll or stretch each ball into a circle about 15 cm (6 inches) across.

Put the filling on one half, leaving about 2 cm (¾ inch) clear around the edge. Don't go crazy with the sauce, because wet filling is the enemy here ;)

Fold over into a half-moon and pinch the edges firmly closed. You can gently roll or tuck the seam underneath if you want them to look more like little bread pillows than empanadas.

Place them on baking paper, cover and give them a second proof of 30–45 minutes. Don't skip this one, it's what makes them so fluffy.

Bake

Brush them with milk, or with beaten egg plus a splash of milk, then sprinkle them with dried oregano.

Bake at 190°C (375°F) conventional, or 175–180°C (350°F) fan, for about 15–18 minutes.

You want them light golden, not dark brown. Overbaking is what turns that lovely soft shell into a crisp one.

Then, immediately after they come out, brush them lightly with melted butter and cover them with a clean tea towel for 10–15 minutes. That keeps the crust soft.

Once they've cooled, pop a few in the freezer and you've got an easy dinner waiting for you.

Happy baking ;)