Cajun (or Creole) Stuffed Bread, aka Kolache, aka Calzone aka Pasty

I first had this on our trip to Lafayette Louisiana to help build a church - and had these in, as I recall, a Circle K Convenience Store.  Funny thing about the south, a lot of the gas stations also make real food.  And I don't mean subway or reheated burgers or crappy little pizzas.  I mean real food, 3 meat on a plate type of thing.

First Try - Creole Stuffed Bread

At this gas station, they make these stuffed, baked rolls.  Emeril calls them Creole stuffed bread, as does a blog called the Meat Meister.  Down in Texas they are called Kolache as they are in many other places.  Some purists, according to the almighty wiki, claim the stuffed breads are really Kolbasnek.  Whatever.  Basically it proves my theory that every culture basically cooks the same thing, just with different names and innards.  Call it a Kolache, Kolbasnek, Calzone, Pasty, Meat Bun - it's all the same.  And it's good.

What these are is spiced meat wrapped in bread dough, then baked.  In Lafayette, they were really spiced (but not hot spicy) and crazy good at 6am before starting construction.  Stuffed with beef, pork, spicy sausage, tasso and seasonings.  wow.

So I tried to make them

Of course, since we eat on a diet, mine are mo' bettah for you, if not mo' tasty.

I used Rhodes Whole Wheat frozen bread dough.  I am not a baker and I did not want to mess with the effort.   I also substituted other things in.

1 loaf frozen bread
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 onion tiny dice
1 stalk celery, same
1 tbs Penzey's Cajun Seasoning
2 Chicken Andouille Sausage, diced small
2 handfuls spinach, chopped up

Thaw bread according to instructions
Cut each loaf into three pieces

Turn oven on to 350, put in baking stone (pizza stone)

Toss all other ingredients into a frying pan, cook till done
Put in freezer for 15 minutes to cool

Using flour or cooking spray, roll out each piece of dough into an eight inch round or so
put in 1/3 mix of food
Roll into a ball (to tell you the truth, not sure the best way of doing that - I even looked on youtube and did not find good instructions...so i did the best I could - you can tell from the pictures it was somewhat variable and the bottom is far breadier than I remember at the Circle K.  Here are instructions on how to make a calzone - I think I will try a variation of this next time, but still try to make a ball.
Let rest 15 minutes

Put on baking stone, cook for about 40 minutes.

Let cool on baking rack for 10 minutes

Eat

Mmmmmmmm.  I will have to make some vegetarian ones also - Broccoli, wild rice and cheddar anyone?

Emeril's edition is here