It really is worthwhile making your own flaky pastry for your Homemade Sausage Rolls. Buy some good quality sausage meat and spend the extra time making the pastry.
Homemade Sausage Rolls are so versatile – just cut them to any size – smaller for a snack and larger to use as part of a complete meal with baked beans and mashed potatoes. They are easy to make and perfect hot or cold at any time of the year.
Homemade Sausage Rolls
Course: SnackCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy48
servings45
minutes25
minutesIngredients
- Flaky Pastry
1 pound / 450 grams plain flour
8 ounces / 225 grams butter
4 ounces / 110 grams lard
- Filling
2 ½ pound / 1350 grams good quality sausage meat
3 medium eating apples
- Finishing
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
Directions
- To make the flaky pastry
- Weigh out your butter and then pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl and add the lard cut up in small pieces.
- Rub the lard into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Put a small amount of flour into a bowl and remove the butter from the freezer.
- Now grate the butter using the coarse side of the grater into the rubbed in mixture. Dip the butter into the separate flour every now and then – it will make it easier to grate it.
- You will now have a pile of grated butter on top of your rubbed in mixture. Using a knife mix them together with a cutting movement.
- When the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs you should be able to see small flecks of butter. Add 8 tablespoons of cold water and mix to form a dough still using a knife. Use your hands at the last to bring it together.
- Chill the pastry for 30 minutes.
- While the pastry is chilling prepare your filling.
- To make the filling
- Grate the eating apples using the coarse side of the grater. I don’t peel the apples unless they are a variety with a coarse skin like russets. I used Gala apples so didn’t need to peel them.
- Mix the sausage meat and grated apple together. You should have over 3 pound / 1350 grams of filling.
- When the pastry has chilled divide it into four pieces.
- Roll out each piece to a rectangle and trim to approximately 5 inches / 12 ½ cm by 12 inches / 30 cm.
- Put the pastry trimmings aside.
- Divide the filling into six portions.
- Take one portion of the filling and make it into a sausage shape down the centre of the rectangle of pastry.
- Beat the egg with the milk and use to brush the pastry either side of the sausage meat.
- Now gently lift one long edge of pastry and roll it and the sausage meat over to the other edge. Seal the edges by pressing gently with your finger tips.
- I cut each long roll into eight pieces. If you want really mini sausage rolls cut them into twelve – larger sausage rolls cut them into four.
- When you have made four long rolls gather the pastry trimmings together. You should have enough pastry for two more rectangles of 5 inches / 12 ½ cm by 12 inches / 30 cm. Use your last two portions of filling for these.
- Place the sausage rolls on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Cut two small slits in each with a sharp knife and brush with the egg wash.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven 425℉ / 220℃ / 200℃ fan / Gas Mark 7 for about 25 minutes until golden brown. You may need to cook larger sausage rolls for another five minutes or so.
- Serve straight from the oven or cool on a wire tray.
Homemade Sausage Rolls Preparation
If you want to prepare these in advance they can be frozen before they are cooked. Just remove from the freezer and carry on from direction 12.
Cooked Homemade Sausage Rolls can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and just popped into a hot oven for 10 minutes before serving.
Homemade Sausage Rolls at Christmas
I make a lot of Homemade Sausage Rolls over Christmas. A sausage roll still warm from the oven with a glass of mulled wine or a mince pie and a glass of fizz really are the taste of Christmas for me.
I have to be quick though as my daughter usually snaffles any left over. She especially likes to keep them for a quick supper with baked beans and mashed potatoes.
Happy Baking!
Tanya