Sausage Rolls are classic British fare that are as versatile as they are easy to make. They can be served hot or cold, in smaller pieces as hors d'oeuvres or quick snacks, or in a larger roll for lunch, brunch, or a main meal.
In addition, the unbaked sausage rolls can be frozen for later use. Also, the cooked sausage rolls can be refrigerated and reheated at a later time.
Regardless of how you serve this classic British sausage roll, you're in for a real treat.
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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.
Both the Master Taste Tester and I personally prefer British sausage to American sausage.
Experimentation for the Perfect British Sausage
Over time, I've experimented with trying to replicate British sausage. I think that I finally have a winner that's super easy to make and absolutely delicious!
Initially, I made the British sausage by using a combination of bulk American sausage and ground pork. When I first blogged about the British Sausage Rolls in 2017, I used the recipe developed with the combination of American sausage and ground pork.
Over time, however, I continued experimenting and ultimately decided to omit the American sausage and focus on making the sausage filling with just ground pork and seasonings.
This post is updated to include the British sausage made without adding any American sausage. Also, I've added new photographs, enhanced text, and a Web Story showing how I make my own sausage and these tasty sausage rolls.
For anyone interested, however, my original recipe using American sausage and British sausage, which was posted in 2017, included the following:
- 1 pound (16 ounces, 454 grams) of ground pork
- ½ pound (8 ounces, 227 grams) hot bulk sausage
- ½ cup (2.65 ounces, 75 grams) dry bread crumbs
- ⅓ cup (2.65 ounces, 75 grams) of water
- 1 ½ teaspoons (0.35 ounces, 10 grams) Kosher salt
- 2 Tablespoons (0.25 ounces, 7 grams) fresh sage, chopped
Here's What You'll Need: Ingredients for Sausage Rolls
- For the Sausage: For the delicious sausage, I used ground pork, dry bread crumbs, ground nutmeg, ground mace, Kosher salt, dried sage, black pepper, and water. I could have also used panko breadcrumbs.
- For the Pastry: I used store-bought puff pastry sheets to enclose the sausage. The premade puff pastry works quite well.
Here's How I Made the Sausage
- To make the sausage, I added ground pork, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, dried sage, nutmeg, mace, and water to the bowl of my food processor fitted with a steel blade. I've found that using a food processor is the easiest way to make the sausage.
- I processed the sausage mixture for about 20 seconds. Then I took a small piece, microwaved it for about 20 seconds, and tasted it to see if additional seasonings were needed. The Master Taste Tester said that it was perfect!
Next, I continued processing the mixture for another 30 seconds, until it reached the proper consistency. If the mixture seemed too dry, I could have added a little water.
See how finely ground it is - almost like a pâté, which is how we like it.
That's it - British sausage with the food processor doing all the work!
Here's How I Made the Sausage Rolls
- With the sausage made, I turned my attention to making the sausage rolls.
I rolled out a thawed puff pastry sheet on a floured surface of parchment paper to approximately 14 x 10 inches. Next, I cut the puff pastry in half, length-wise.
- I placed a roll of sausage down the center of each piece of puff pastry. Then, I brought the long side of the pastry together and pinched the edges to enclose the sausage and produce one long roll. I pinched the edge puff pastry together to ensure that it was completely sealed.
- I cut each of the puff pastry sausage logs into four equal pieces with a sharp knife. Each of the little rolls was the perfect size for us. Then, I placed the sausage rolls, seam side down, onto a rimmed baking sheet, that I had lined with non-stick aluminum foil.
Finally, to allow the steam to escape during baking, I cut two slits in each roll.
I placed the prepared sausage rolls into the refrigerator until I was ready to bake them.
- Before baking the sausage rolls, I brushed the top of the pastry with an egg wash (beaten egg with about a tablespoon of water). I could have also brushed them with milk.
I baked the sausage rolls in a preheated 425°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes. The flaky puff pastry rose nicely and was a deep golden brown. More importantly, the sausage was fully cooked!
- Once the sausage rolls were done, I removed them from the oven. I allowed the sausage rolls to cool for about 10 minutes before serving them.
Even though sausage rolls are most often served as an appetizer, I also like to serve them as an entrée.
Either way, the Easy Peasy British Sausage Rolls in flaky pastry are amazingly delicious.
Do yourself a favor and try this homemade sausage rolls recipe. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Both puff pastry and phyllo dough utilize layering of dough. Puff pastry is created by incorporating butter into the dough. On the other hand, phyllo dough, all by itself, is virtually free of any fat. Rather the fat is added right before baking. Phyllo dough doesn't puff when it bakes-it crisps.
Phyllo dough does not puff when during baking, whereas puff pastry, as the name implies, does puff during baking.
You can make your ground pork for the sausage rolls if you have a food processor. I typically use a Boston butt that I cut into 1 to 1 ½-inch pieces. I process the pieces for 10 to 15 seconds before adding the other ingredients.
I make the sausage rolls with uncooked sausage. The sausage cooks as the sausage rolls are baked in the oven.
Some fat in the sausage is necessary. If my ground pork is too lean, the sausage ends up being very dry. In cases where the sausage is quite lean (90% lean or higher), I often add about a tablespoon of butter to the sausage ingredients.
If I use the food processor to "grind" the Boston butt, I make sure not to include too much fat in the pieces.
You can make the sausage rolls ahead of time. If you're going to cook them on the same day as you make the sausage rolls, just refrigerate them until you're ready to pop them in the oven.
You can also freeze the uncooked sausage rolls and bake them frozen. Just add 5 minutes or so to the cooking time.
These sausage rolls make delicious leftovers. I refrigerate the leftover sausage rolls and heat them at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes.
Other British Recipes
For a bite-sized treat, try my British-style Sausage Roll Bites. Also, if you're looking for some more authentic British fare, you should try some of my favorites:
I hope you liked this Easy Peasy British Sausage Rolls recipe as much as I did. If so, please consider rating it and leaving a comment. Also, if you'd like to receive notifications of new posts by email, enter your email address in the Subscribe box.
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Recipe
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Easy Peasy British Sausage Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
- 1 pound (16 ounces, 454 grams) ground pork (See Tip 1)
- ½ cup (2.65 ounces, 75 grams) dry bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Dash ground nutmeg
- Dash mace
- ⅓ cup (2.65 ounces, 75 grams) water
- 1 egg for egg wash (optional)
Instructions
Sausage
- Add ground pork, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, sage, nutmeg, mace and water to bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. Process 20 seconds. Cook small amount in microwave for 20 seconds; taste for seasonings and consistency. Correct seasonings if necessary. Process for additional 30 seconds, or until desired consistency is reached. Cover and refrigerate. Yield: About 20 ounces sausage. (See Tip 2)
Sausage Rolls
- Preheat oven to 425° F.
- Roll puff pastry sheet to approximately 14 x 10-inches on a lightly floured surface. Cut in half lengthwise. Place a roll of half of the sausage down the center. Bring sides together, and pinch to seal. Make sure that roll is thoroughly sealed. Repeat with other half of puff pastry and remaining sausage.
- Cut each roll to desired size (I cut each roll into four pieces). Cut 2 to 3 diagonal slits in each piece. Place on rimmed baking sheet lined with non-stick aluminum foil. (See Tip 3)
- Brush with egg wash. Bake at 425° F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and sausage is completely cooked. Cool 10 minutes before serving. Yield: 4 servings. (See Tip 4)
Tips/Notes
- If you can't find ground pork, you can grind your own with pieces of Boston butt. Cut Boston butt into 1 to 1 ½-inches and process in food processor for 10 to 15 seconds. Add remaining sausage ingredients and proceed as above.
- If your ground pork is very lean (90% lean or above), you might want to add a tablespoon of butter to the sausage mixture. The finished sausage should have the consistency of a pâté and be very finely ground.
- You can make the sausage rolls ahead of time up to this point. Refrigerate if you're going to cook them later in the day or freeze for up to one month. You can cook the sausage rolls frozen. Just add 5 minutes or so to the cooking time.
- Cooked sausage rolls can be refrigerated and reheated at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes.
John ridley says
I’ve been using the old recipe for years.I gave you a review back then .want to try your new one and wondered if I doubled the meat would you double the spices and crumbs +water. Or would you just do two separate batches.John
Chula King says
John,
I would do two separate batches unless you have a really large food processor. However, if you did want to double the meat, I would double all of the other ingredients.
Hope you like the new recipe!
Chula
Ann Taylor says
Thank you for posting this recipe. I will definitely use your version without American Sausage. I am doing to try making it. It has been too many years since I had a decent sausage roll.
Chula King says
Hope the recipe turns out well for you!
Chula
Anonymous says
Great job...from a british ex-pat 🙂
Chula King says
Thanks!
ROB says
I too have been on an expedition in the US to make and perfect Sausage Rolls over the years. I am so glad you mentioned the bread crumbs, all American recipes omit this, and without the bread crumbs, the rolls can be very very greasy. I have found that if you chuck some Jacobs Cream Crackers in the blender, apparently this is a very close imitation of "Butchers Rusk", I have also used Stovetop stuffing mix as breadcrumbs which makes for an interesting flavor...! I will definitely be trying your suggestion of putting the sausage meat in the food processor before baking, I never thought of that. Thanks!
Chula King says
Rob,
I hope your sausage is as good as mine! By the way, when I'm really in a hurry, I start with a pound roll of Jimmy Dean hot breakfast sausage, add 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs and 1/3 cup of water, and process it in the food processor! It's not quite as good as when I start with ground pork, but the consistency is spot on!
Chula
Serzy says
I’m just wondering the relevance to adding breadcrumbs to the recipe? How does it help the recipe out and have you ever omitted the breadcrumbs?
Chula King says
Serzy,
Historically, rusk (a hard, dry biscuit or a twice-baked bread) was used as an extender in sausage. Breadcrumbs serve the same purpose, as do oats. I use breadcrumbs because I like the resulting texture of the sausage and have not tried omitting the breadcrumbs.
You could certainly try omitting the breadcrumbs or using commercially produced sausage in the sausage rolls.
Chula
Gabby says
Hi Chula thank you for your response. I decided to take the casings off all but one. Wrapped them all up in the pastry and baked. They were so delicious, all 8 are gobbled up. Couldn't tell which one had the casing. Can't wait to try making tomatoes tart with homemade ricotta . Thank you again for your input.
Gabby Kniffin says
Hi Chula Thank you for your response and input. I actually went ahead and made them or rather put them together. I left one in the casing and the rest I took off. Honestly I couldn't tell which one had the casing. All I know is they were delightful and all eight of them are gobbled up. I will try your homemade sausage recipe when I run out of the packaged bangers. I took a photo and I will see if I can post.
I want to make the tomato pie with homemade ricotta next. Looks fabulous. Thank you love this website.
Chula King says
Hi Gabby,
How interesting that you couldn't tell which one had the casing! I'm so glad that the sausage rolls turned out.
The homemade sausage recipe is the result of a lot of experimenting with my husband offering his input. We also use the homemade sausage for Toad in the Hole which we had for dinner last night!
The tomato tart with the homemade ricotta cheese is really good as well, especially using the homemade ricotta cheese. If you've never made ricotta cheese before, you'll be amazed at how easy it is to make and how delicious it is.
Chula
Chula
Gabby says
Hello I can buy british style bangers in Connecticut. They're made with pork and are delicious. I'm being lazy by not making my own mixture. Do you think I could wrap them in my Pepperidge Farm puff pastry without taking the meat out of the casings? I guess I could try both ways and see what happens. Please advise. Thank you. My Mum was English and I used to live there. Miss the Brighton life by the sea.
Chula King says
Hi Gabby,
I actually asked my English husband for advice on this. His view was that the sausage in the sausage rolls that he remembered were not in casings. However, he's known as the "lazy man" and said that he would try it with the casings first! If that didn't work, then remove the casings. Either way, the sausage rolls would be delicious!
From my perspective, you have more control over size of the actual sausage rolls if you do remove the casings.
I'd love to know what you actually decided and how the sausage rolls turned out!
Chula
Lindy Gail says
I’m so excited to see this recipe. It’s been a while since I’ve had English Sausage Rolls. Oh…have to go, they’re ready!!!
Lexie says
I am just trying out the recipe for the first time. I am wondering why you changed the recipe. The previous recipe was fantastic
Chula King says
Lexie,
I've changed the recipe over time as I continued to tweak it. However, the original recipe is included in the blog post in the section labeled Experimentation for the Perfect British Sausage.
Chula
Julie says
I am so happy I came across your blog. I have been looking for the right type of sausage for sausage rolls. Reading through the comments is very reassuring. I can't wait to try this recipe!
Chula King says
Julie,
I hope the sausage works as well for you as it does for me in the sausage rolls!
Chula
Cee Cee says
As an Australian living in the US I have sorely missed sausage rolls. I tried these today and loved them! We added some onion powder to the sausage mix to give it a little extra flavour but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. They taste just like home!
Chula King says
So glad you liked the recipe. The addition of the onion powder to the sausage sounds yummy!
Bernadette says
Thank you so much for responding Chula. I'm going to see if I can purchase a little spoon "for dash" 🙂 but appreciate all your info!
Bernadette says
Hello Chula
When you mention a 'dash' of ground nutmeg and a 'dash' of mace - are you referring to half a teaspoon, or just a pinch? I'm worried that I may put way too much spice into the mixture and then it's quite overpowering. I was so happy to come across your recipe since I'm South African and love my sausage rolls. I've never made them - ever. But will absolutely try your recipe.
Chula King says
Hi Bernadette,
I actually have a little set of measuring spoons that includes a little spoon for dash! It's way less than a half a teaspoon. I would say that it's more like a generous pinch. When I make the sausage, I take a little piece that's maybe about the size of a half tablespoon, cover it with paper towels and cook it in the microwave for about 20 seconds. That way I can taste the sausage to see if it needs any more of anything and/or if it's the proper consistency.
Hope this helps!
Chula
Helen says
Thank you for responding Chula. We’ll try it by hand. That’s all i could think to do…I don’t think my stick blender would be effective. 🙂
Helen says
My food processor died and am not going to replace it but I would like to make these sausages. Any idea on how to do so without a food processor? Thanks!!!
Chula King says
Helen,
I've tried to think of a way to make the sausage without a food processor, but am unfortunately drawing a blank. However, if you're all right with a more coarse texture in the sausage, then you could just add the sausage ingredients to a bowl and mix everything together with your hands - like you would a meatloaf.
Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
Chula