Paul Hollywood declares his sausage roll recipe to be the “ultimate” version of this classic British comfort food loved by everyone.
The judge from The Great British Bake Off incorporates Stilton cheese for a touch of zing that perfectly complements the sausage filling.
The recipe, shared on his official website, yields six rolls and could use “less Stilton” and “another onion instead”, sprinkled on top for “extra sweetness”.
Ingredients
Rough puff pastry
• 225g plain flour, plus extra to dust
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 200g cold unsalted butter
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 180-200ml cold water
Filling
• One tbsp oil
• One small onion, finely diced
• 400g sausage meat (or your favourite sausages, skinned)
• 125g Stilton, crumbled
• One tbsp thyme leaves
• A pinch of white pepper
To decorate
• Two egg yolks, beaten, to glaze
• Two tsp nigella seeds
• Two tsp sesame seeds
Instructions
For the Pastry:
1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and butter. Combine lemon juice and water. Gradually add most of the liquid to the dry ingredients, mixing until a rough dough forms. Add more liquid if needed, but be careful not to overwork the dough (it should have visible butter chunks).
2. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and flatten into a rectangle. Roll it out to a thin rectangle about 2.5cm thick. Fold the dough in thirds like a business letter. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 20 minutes.
3. Repeat the rolling and folding process twice more, chilling the dough between each fold. This creates flaky layers in the pastry.
For the Filling:
1. Heat oil in a pan and cook onions until softened and golden. Let cool.
2. In a bowl, combine sausage meat, cooked onions, crumbled Stilton cheese, thyme, and white pepper. Shape the mixture into a long sausage shape and chill for 30 minutes.
Assembly and Baking:
1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (fan 180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Roll out the chilled pastry to a 30x20cm rectangle. Place it on the baking sheet and chill for another 20 minutes.
3. Unwrap the sausage filling and place it on one side of the pastry, leaving a border. Brush the exposed pastry with beaten egg yolk.
4. Fold the pastry over the sausage, sealing the edges with a floured fork. Brush the top with egg and score diagonal lines across the pastry. Chill for 15 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 210°C (fan 190°C).
5. Brush the pastry again with egg and sprinkle with nigella seeds and sesame seeds. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Let the sausage roll cool slightly on a wire rack before slicing and serving with pickles and chutney.
