British-style sausage Roll Bites are a poppable, party-friendly mini version of classic sausage rolls. While you can use store-bought sausage for these mini marvels, I prefer using savory homemade British-style sausage that takes minutes to make in a food processor. Once made, this homemade sausage is rolled in flaky puff pastry, cut into bite-size pieces, and baked to golden brown perfection.
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About British Sausage
The key to a good sausage roll is good savory pork sausage.
British sausage tends to be different from American sausage in several ways.
First, British sausage often has a bread crumb or rusk filler, while its American counterpart doesn’t. Also, British sausage tends to have a finer grind and consistency than American sausage.
British sausage often uses spices such as pepper, sage, nutmeg, and mace, while American sausage uses sage, thyme, paprika, syrup, or other sweeteners.
Both the Master Taste Tester and I prefer British sausage to American sausage. However, it comes down to personal preference.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Savory and Flaky: The homemade sausage filling is seasoned with salt, pepper, sage, mace, and nutmeg. This delicious, savory flavor pairs perfectly with the buttery, flaky puff pastry crust, resulting in a delightful textural contrast in each bite.
- Versatile: Sausage roll bites are delicious when served hot, warm, or cold. Therefore, they are perfect for appetizers, party food, potlucks, tailgating, picnics, or even a quick and easy meal.
- Simple to Make: While homemade sausage rolls might seem daunting, they're simple to assemble. As previously indicated, it takes minutes to make your own sausage. However, you can use store-bought sausage meat in addition to store-bought puff pastry.
- Make Ahead of Time: One of the beauties of this recipe is that you can build the sausage roll bites ahead of time and either refrigerate or freeze them until you're ready to bake them.
- Crowd Pleaser: Sausage roll bites are always a hit with everyone, from kids to adults and everyone in between. They're the perfect finger food, easy to eat, and sure to please even the pickiest eaters.
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need
Sausage roll bites have two basic ingredients: sausage and puff pastry.
- For the Homemade Sausage: For the homemade sausage, I used pork butt cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces, plain dried breadcrumbs, water, Kosher salt, black pepper, dried rubbed sage, ground mace, and ground nutmeg.
- Puff Pastry: I used a store-bought puff pastry sheet.
Homemade Sausage - Step by Step
You might be intimidated by making your own sausage, but it's quite easy with a food processor. I've been making this sausage for years, and it always produces delicious results.
- I added the cut-up pork to my food processor fitted with the steel blade. Then, I processed the pork for 10 to 15 seconds until it was finely ground.
- Next, I added the breadcrumbs, water, salt, pepper, sage, mace, and nutmeg to the food processor.
- I processed the sausage mixture for about 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, I took about half a tablespoon of the sausage mixture and microwaved it for about 20 seconds. I let the Master Taste Tester taste the sausage for texture and spice level.
He thought the spice level was perfect, but the sausage needed more processing to produce the perfect texture. Therefore, I processed the sausage for another 30 seconds and microwaved another small portion for the Master Taste Tester. He said it was perfect!
That's it for making the sausage!
I transferred the sausage to a bowl, covered it with plastic wrap, and refrigerated it until I was ready to make the sausage roll bites.
Sausage Roll Bites - Step-by-Step
- I started by rolling a thawed sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to a rough 10 x 15-inch rectangle.
- Then, I cut the puff pastry in half lengthwise with a pizza cutter. At this point, I didn't worry about trimming the pastry to a neat rectangle.
- Next, I rolled the sausage into logs and placed the rolled sausage in the center of one of the pieces of cut puff pastry. I used about 7 ounces of sausage on each piece of puff pastry.
- Then, I brought the puff pastry sides together and pinched to seal the roll, making sure that it was thoroughly sealed.
- I trimmed the two ends of the roll. Then, I cut the remaining roll into 12 equal pieces, each about 1 ¼ inches long.
- I placed the cut sausage roll bites on a silicone-lined baking sheet and put them in the freezer because I wasn't ready to bake them. Once they were frozen, I transferred them to a Ziploc bag until I was ready to bake them.
Baking the Sausage Roll Bites
When it was time to bake the sausage roll bites, I placed them on a silicone-lined baking sheet and brushed them with an egg wash.
I baked the Britsh-style sausage Roll Bites without thawing them in a 425°F oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, the sausage was cooked, and the puff pastry was golden brown.
The British-style sausage Bites were awesome. The sausage had the perfect amount of spices and the perfect texture, which I love in British Sausage.
If you're looking for an awesome appetizer for an upcoming Super Bowl party or any time party, these British-Style Sausage Bites will score a touchdown. Yum.
Frequently Asked Questions
The difference is the size. The bites are smaller and perfect for finger food or party appetizers.
Not necessarily! You can use store-bought ground pork sausage, but traditional British sausage has a finer grind and often includes breadcrumbs. My preference is the British-style sausage
You can use pre-ground pork. However, I prefer to use pork butt and use the food processor to grind the pork. The reason for the pork butt is the general ratio of fat to the meat. For a good sausage, you need some fat. In fact, the recommended ratio of fat to lean meat for a good sausage is 65-75% lean meat to 25-35% fat.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- You can use store-bought breakfast sausage if desired instead of making your own sausage. I typically use Jimmy Dean hot sausage if store-bought sausage is used in this recipe.
- The spice level in this recipe is perfect for my taste. However, I generally process the sausage mixture for 60 seconds to achieve my desired texture.
- I often refrigerate the sausage mixture for up to a day before making the sausage roll bites.
- With this recipe for homemade British-style sausage, I have about 6 ounces of extra sausage. The Master Taste Texter generally forms two sausage patties and has them for breakfast.
- Once the sausage roll bites are assembled, I often freeze them on the baking sheet. When frozen, I transfer them to a Ziploc bag for later use. They can be stored frozen for up to three months. I bake the frozen sausage roll bites for an additional five minutes.
If you're interested in a full-size sausage roll, check out my Easy Peasy British Sausage Rolls recipe. You won't be disappointed.
For other delicious appetizers, check out these winners:
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British-Style Sausage Roll Bites
Equipment
- Food Processor fitted with steel blade
Ingredients
Homemade British-Style Sausage (See Tip 1)
- 1 pound (16 ounces, 454 grams) boneless pork butt, cut into 1 to 2-inch pieces
- ½ cup (2.65 ounces, 75 grams) plain dry breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon rubbed dry sage
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup (2.65 ounces, 75 grams) water
- Pinch of ground mace
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
Sausge Roll Bites
- 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
- 14 ounces homemade British-style sausage (from above)
- Egg wash
Instructions
Homemade British-Style Sausage
- Place pork pieces in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 10 to 15 seconds.
- Add breadcrumbs, water, salt, pepper, sage, mace, and nutmeg. Process for 30 seconds. Microwave about ½ tablespoon for 20 seconds - taste for spice level and texture consistency. If needed, adjust the spices and process the sausage for another 30 seconds. Test with a small amount microwaved. (See Tip 2)
- Use to make sausage roll bites or transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for later. (See Tip 3)
- Makes about 20 ounces of British-style sausage (See Tip 4)
Sausage Roll Bites
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large-rimmed baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Set aside.
- Roll a sheet of puff pastry on a floured surface to an approximate 10 x 15-inch rectangle. Cut in half lengthwise, producing two pieces that are approximately 5 x 15-inches.
- Roll approximately 7 ounces of sausage into a log and place it in the center of one of the pieces of puff pastry. Bring the long ends of the puff pastry together and pinch to seal. Trim the ends of the sausage roll log and cut it into 12 bite-size pieces, approximately 1 ¼ inches each. Transfer to a large-rimmed baking sheet lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Repeat with the other half of the puff pastry and another 7 ounces of sausage. (See Tip 4)
- Brush the sausage roll bites with egg wash. Bake in preheated 425°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. (See Tip 5
- Yield: 24 Sausage Roll Bites
Video
Tips/Notes
- If you'd like to, you can use store-bought breakfast sausage. I typically use Jimmy Dean hot sausage if using store-bought sausage in this recipe.
- The spice level in this recipe is perfect for my taste. Generally, however, I will process the sausage mixture for 60 seconds to achieve my desired texture.
- I often refrigerate the sausage mixture until I'm ready to make the sausage roll bites.
- I have about 6 ounces of extra sausage with this recipe for the homemade British-style sausage. The Master Taste Texter generally forms two sausage patties and has them for breakfast.
- Once the sausage roll bites have been put together, I often freeze them on the baking sheet. When frozen, I transfer the frozen sausage roll bites to a Ziploc bag for later use. They can be stored frozen for up to three months. I bake the frozen sausage roll bites for an additional 5 minutes.
Susan Fitzgerald says
You mention using ground mace and nutmeg to make your sausage, but they are not listed in the ingredients. How much of each do you add?
Chula King says
Yikes - So sorry Susan. I use a pinch of ground mace and a pinch of ground nutmeg.
Thanks so much for letting me know of the omissions.
Chula
Peter A Gordon says
Directions say add mace but there is no mace in the ingredients list. How much mace did you intend to add?
Chula King says
Hi Peter,
Thanks for letting me know about the omissions.
I use a pinch of ground mace, and a pinch of ground nutmeg.
I've made the correction on the recipe.
Thanks again,
Chula