The taste to “easy to make” ratio on these is pretty high. So very easy and perfect for those starting baking, plus they taste fantastic!
Forget making your own puff pastry, these days it’s just not worth it. The supermarket puff pastry blocks are just as good as the homemade versions, but take out all that extra time and effort (which is a lot!). Just remember to get the pastry block and not the pre-rolled version, we find the pre-rolled version can be harder to work with if you’re a bit slower in the kitchen. The pastry block seemed to work best for us, being super easy to work with and puffed up really well in the oven.
The sausage is a very important part of this recipe too – in fact it’s the centre piece. Here we are using Chorizo style sausages – they are raw meat and look like a normal cumberland but a deep red colour and smell of all the garlic, herbs and spices typically found in Chorizo. Note – we are not using the dry cured Chorizo here, or even the raw cooking chorizo mini sausages you see in the supermarket.
Top Tips for making the best sausage rolls
Here are Fork & Twist’s top tips for making the best Chorizo sausage rolls:
- Use a pre-made puff pastry block – It’s easier to use than the pre-rolled pastry and far quicker (and just as good) than making your own puff pastry.
- Work fast – Try to work as fast as you can with the pastry, the warmer it gets the harder it is to work with and less likely it will rise.
- Use extra flour – Flour the board and flour the top of the pastry block when rolling it out. This will prevent it from sticking too much. Also, turn it over once during the rolling process to really ensure it does not stick.
- Separate the egg whites and yolk – brush the egg white on the inside of the pastry to seal the meat inside. Brush the top with egg yolk to have a rich and glossy finish to it.
- Trim the excess – trim the pastry ends and excess down the length where it has been sealed. This will ensure the sausage rolls look the part as well as taste the part.
- Measure the dough – So you’ve rolled it out thin. But how do you know it’s the right width / length. Take your rolling pin, and place it along the dough as you would the sausage meat. Leave 1.5-2inches of pastry one end, and with the other end fold the pastry over the rolling pin. If the pastry comfortably touches down on the 1.5-2 inches thick edge, then you’re good to go.
- Roll it out thin – Roll the dough out so that it’s the same thickness as a one pound coin (or just thicker than a quarter dollar, or a 1 Euro coin).
- Cut slits into the top – Make sure you cut slits into the top of the pastry. Two slits work best, and it helps to release steam out the top of the rolls, meaning the pastry is likely to be more crisp.
Tutorial Video
Check out our video tutorial detailing all the steps to make the perfect Chorizo Sausage Rolls.
The Recipe
Homemade Chorizo Sausage Rolls
A meaty and aromatic chorizo sausage filling encased in crisp puff pastry topped with a glossy egg yolk glaze.
Equipment
- Large Chopping Board
- Rolling Pin
- Mixing Bowl
- Pastry Brush
- Baking Tray
- Baking Paper
- Meat Thermometer (optional)
Ingredients
- 6 Raw Chorizo Style Sausages must be the tradtional british style sausage, not the cured spanish style. See blog post on what to get and where.
- 250 g Puff Pastry Block Use a ready made block, but not the ready rolled block.
- 1 Whole Egg, split into whites and yolk
Instructions
Preparation
- Take the pastry block out 10 mins before use, cut into the 250g portion if you need to and put the rest back in the fridge.
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C (fan assisted).Top Tip - If not using a fan assisted oven, increase the heat by about 10-20C.
- Remove the casing from the sausages and add to a mixing bowl. Mix together thoroughly so it no longer resembles sausge like shapes.Top Tip - Squeeze from the middle of the sausage outwards using both hands to push the meat out of the casing. Be careful not to rip the casing. Discard the casing once done.
- Separate the eggs into two dishes. Mix each one with a fork to loosen.
Constructing the Sausage Rolls
- Roll out the pastry until roughly 35 by 20cm.Top Tip - Flour the board generously, and flour the top of the pastry block lightly. Roll horizontal and then vertical until half way done. Flip the pastry onto the other side to prevent it from sticking to the board and carry on rolling.
- Add the sausage meat along one side of the pastry leaving about an inch and a half of pastry free. Top Tip - add the meat into balls and roll between your hand to create a sausage shape roughly 4cm in diameter.
- Using the egg white only, brush the pastry all over.
- Flip the egg white washed pastry over the top of the sausage meat keeping it tight all the way round. Lightly press the pastry into the corners using finger tips and palms of hands (see video).Top Tip - slide your hands under the pastry so your little finger is almost touching the sausage meat, and then confidently flip over. See video for full details.
- Trim the ends of the pastry and sausage meat to clean it up, trim off any excess pastry along the length (see video) so that about 1 inch remains all the way along.
- Crimp along the length of the pastry using a fork - do this twice over.Top Tip - do not press all the way done onto the board and break through the pastry. Press enough so the pastry merges into one. This is how you get a good seal.
- Cut into individual portions. Top Tip - Choose any size you want, but we found 2.5 inches wide was a good.
- Cut two slits into the top, deep enough to penetrate to the meat.
- Transfer the sausage rolls to a baking tray lined with baking paper.
- Brush all over with egg yolk, make sure you get in all the nooks and cranies.
Cooking the Sausage Rolls
- Place on a middle rack of an oven and cook for about 18 minutes on 200C (pre heated and fan assisted) turning the tray around half way through. Top Tip - set a timer on your phone for 9 minutes to turn them round. Check they are piping hot before serving, 70C+ internal meat temp is safe to eat.
Serving
- Let cool for 5-10 minutes before eating
Notes
- See our video for full details and quick tutorials.
- Use a block of ready made puff pastry not pre-rolled. It's just as good as homemade puff pastry - we've tried both and they're pretty much equal.
- Use a decent amount of flour to prevent the pastry from sticking to the board.
- Trim off the excess pastry for cleaner looking sausage rolls.
- Use egg white to brush the inside of the pastry, and brush it all over not just the edges. Use egg yolk to brush the top of the pastry, as it creates an incredible glossy glaze.
- A meat thermometer will tell you when the meat is done (70C+).
- Pre-heat the oven and let the pastry come to room temp for around 10 mins.
