Packed with sausage meat, fresh sage, apple and onion, these moist and flavoursome shortcrust pastry sausage rolls are delicious as a snack or a meal.
These Shortcrust Pastry Sausage Rolls were inspired by my Christmas sausage meat stuffing which was crying out to be stuffed into a sausage roll.
As such these shortcrust pastry sausage rolls were born and I absolutely adore the flavours of sage, pork and gently fried onions throughout. Adding in breadcrumbs and egg to bind it all together and we have the perfect sausage meat filling.
My husband thinks they are the best he's ever tasted, I hope you like them too.
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Why make these Shortcrust Pastry Sausage Rolls?
Loads of tasty complimentary flavours✔️
Quick and easy✔️
Great for a quick dinner✔️
Perfect for a snack, picnics or lunch boxes✔️
Ingredients
See recipe card for quantities.
- Good quality sausages
- Fresh sage
- Fresh white breadcrumbs
- Onion
- Garlic clove
- Tart apple, such as Braeburn
- Eggs
- Plain flour
- Fine salt
- Butter
- Lard or vegetable shortening
- Salt and pepper to season
- Sesame seeds or nigella seeds - both optional
Instructions
Brief instructions are noted below however, please see the Recipe Card for more detail.
Shortcrust Pastry
Mix together your flour and salt and then add cubed cold lard and butter.
Pulse, if using a food processor, or rub the fat in with your fingertips if not, until the pastry looks sand-like.
Add cold water, pulse or mix with a fork until the pastry starts to clump together.
Tip out onto a work surface and bring together into a rough square shape, cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Sausage meat filling
Melt your butter then add finely chopped onion and fry for 3-5 minutes until lightly browned, then add a little water, chopped sage and pressed garlic.
Cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to fully cool.
Slice down the long side of the sausages and peel back the skin to remove the meat. Add grated apple, breadcrumbs and egg and mix in with your hands.
Add your cooled onion mixture and again squidge through with your hands until fully mixed.
Making your Sausage Rolls
On a lightly floured surface, roll your pastry out into two rectangles each measuring about 36 cm x 14 cm. Add half of your sausagemeat evenly along the centre of each rectangle.
Wet the edges with beaten egg, fold the pastry over and secure by pressing down with a fork along the edge.
Cut in half and then cut each half into three. Place the sausage rolls onto a lined baking tray. Coat with egg wash, sprinkle over sesame seeds and then slit the top three times with a sharp knife.
Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden all over, remove to a cooling rack.
Substitutions
If you do not have all of the ingredients listed for these Shortcrust Pastry Sausage Rolls never fear, here are some replacements.
Puff pastry sausage rolls: if you prefer sausage rolls made with puff pastry, then simply replace the shortcrust pastry with shop-bought puff pastry. You can, of course, make your own puff pastry but shop-bought is excellent and I don't find homemade worth the hassle quite honestly.
Shortcrust pastry - again if you don't fancy making your shortcrust pastry simply use shop-bought instead, the quality is excellent these days.
Sausage meat: I use good quality plain pork sausages in this recipe however, any good quality sausages or sausage meat will be fine to use.
Fresh sage: you can use fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley instead if you prefer.
Breadcrumbs: I don't recommend using dried breadcrumbs, fresh are much better as they will soak up the moisture from the ingredients and bind everything together. White, brown or sourdough bread is fine to use.
Storage
Once fully cooled, store your Shortcrust Pastry Sausage Rolls in an airtight container and keep them refrigerated. They should be consumed within 3 days.
Sausage rolls can be frozen once cooled and wrapped accordingly, they should be consumed within 3 months.
Top tip
Shortcrust Pastry Top Tips
- Always use cold lard, butter and ice-cold water to make your shortcrust pastry.
- Always refrigerate your pastry for at least 20 minutes to allow it to set, this prevents it from spreading whilst baking and helps your sausage rolls to retain their shape.
- You can make your pastry up to 2 days in advance if you keep it wrapped and refrigerated before use.
Sausage Meat Filling Top Tips
- Ensure your onions are just a little browned, it will give your sausage rolls a lovely flavour.
- Be careful not to overcook the garlic as it will give the shortcrust pastry sausage rolls a bitter taste, adding it with the water prevents this.
- You must ensure your onion/sage/garlic mixture is totally cold before mixing it into your sausage meat, otherwise, it will start to cook the meat when added.
- Mixing the ingredients with your hands really presses it together and thoroughly mixes it in, plus it's immensely satisfying!
- Ensure you add slits or holes to the tops of your sausage rolls before baking to allow steam to escape and the sausagemeat meat to cook through inside. Use a sharp knife or a bread lame to do this.
Tips for Creating Perfect Shortcrust Pastry Sausage Rolls
- Keep lightly flouring your work surface and turning the pastry over between rolling out, so that it doesn't stick.
- When rolling out your pastry, use the sides of your hands to push along the edges and keep it in a rectangular shape.
- Add your sausage meat in equal-sized clumps along the pastry, then mould it together until it forms a uniform length and width and no gaps remain.
- Ensure all of the pastry is covered with beaten egg, not just the very outer edge, to ensure that the pastry sticks properly and fits snugly when folded over.
- When you fold your pastry over the sausage meat, run the side of your hand along the long edge and press very gently to seal the pastry against the sausage meat so that it is snug and tightly packed inside with no gaps between the meat and the pastry.
- After pressing your fork to seal the edges, gently push the pastry edge so it is nearly flush with the edge of the sausage roll, to give a neat finish.
FAQ
Making pastry with lard (or vegetable shortening) and butter rather than just butter gives it a delicious flavour, flakiness and lightness which you don't get with pastry only made with butter.
Linked Recipes
Some other savoury recipes on Ella's Better Bakes which you you may like to try...
Creamy rich Roasted vegetable quiche makes a wonderful dinner along with a bright, fresh salad.
Delicious light and fluffy Cheese Rolls.
📖 Recipe
Shortcrust Pastry Sausage Rolls
Here's what you'll need...
- Heavy-based frying pan or saucepan - lids required
- Sharp knife
- Food processor optional, recipe as can be made by hand
Ingredients you'll need...
Shortcrust Pastry
- 240 g Plain (all-purpose) flour (1 Cup + 11 level tablespoons)
- ¼ teaspoon Fine salt
- 60 g Lard (⅓ Cup) or vegetable shortening - cold and cut into small chunks
- 60 g Unsalted butter (⅓ Cup) - cold and cut into small chunks
- 2-3 tablespoon cold water
Sausage Meat Filling
- 20 g Butter 4 teaspoons
- 100 g Onion - white or red (½ medium-sized onion) finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Fresh sage finely chopped
- 1 Garlic clove finely minced
- 350 g Pork sausage meat from a pack of 6 thick sausages
- 50 g Breadcrumbs (1½ Cups)
- 50 g Apple (½ a medium apple), cored and grated but leave grating until you need it, to stop the apple from turning brown
- Salt and pepper
- 1 Medium egg lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoon Sesame seeds or nigella seeds optional
Here's what we do...
Shortcrust Pastry
- In a food processor or a large mixing bowl, mix together your flour and salt and then dot over your cold cubed lard and cold cubed butter.
- Pulse your food processor until the mixture is sand-like, ensuring you give it a shake mid-way to pull through all of the flour at the base. If making by hand simply rub the lard and butter into the flour with your fingertips.
- Add your ice-cold water and pulse again until the mixture starts to clump. Or mix in with a fork.
- Pull the mixture together into a ball and press it together gently but don't knead it.
- Flatten into a square shape, about one inch deep, cover in cling film (plastic wrap) and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes whilst you make your sausage meat filling.
Sausage Meat Filling
- Melt your butter in a heavy-based saucepan or frying pan over a medium heat, add your finely chopped onion and fry for 3-5 minutes until it just starts to brown a little.
- Add your crushed garlic, chopped sage and 2 tablespoons of cold water, keep stirring and once the ingredients start to sizzle, pop on the lid, lower the heat and allow to cook down for 3 minutes.
- Remove and leave to fully cool.
- Heat your oven to 170°C Fan/190°C/375°F/Gas mark 5 and line a baking tray with greaseproof (parchment) paper.
- Skin your sausages by slicing along the side and peeling back the skin, place the meat in a large mixing bowl.
- Add your grated apple, breadcrumbs and one lightly beaten egg and mix in with your hands. Then mix in your cooled onion mixture.
- Season with salt and pepper and squidge the whole lot together with your hands so everything is equally mixed.
- Roll your pastry into two halves measuring approximately 36cm x 14cm each.
- Take half of your sausage meat mixture and spread it along the centre of one of your rectangles of pastry.
- Lightly beat your other egg, then using your pastry brush, spread some over the edges of two long sides of pastry,
- Pull the edge of the pastry furthest away from you over the filling and secure to the other long side. Press the edges of the pastry together with a fork to secure then gently push the secured edge under the sausage roll a little to give a neat finish.
- Cover with more egg wash and then cut the long roll in half and then each half into equal thirds.
- Place the sausage rolls onto your covered baking tray, sprinkle over sesame seeds and cut three slashes across the top.
- Repeat with your other rectangle of pastry.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes until browned all over.
- Remove to a cooling rack to cool.
Make Your own Notes on this Recipe here...
A few food safety tips to remember:
- Ensure your sausagemeat is fully cooked, cut a sausage roll in half to test.
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
Jo Keohane says
You had me at sausage roll. I will eat any and all and these look utterly delicious. Who says it isnt party season??!!
Ella's Better Bakes says
I agree totally!