Delicious, savory sausage filling wrapped in crisp, flaky sourdough puff pastry, these Sourdough Sausage Rolls are a definite crowd-pleaser and the perfect party appetizer. Homemade sourdough puff pastry adds a depth of flavor that elevates this snack to new delectable heights.
What is a sausage roll?
Sausage rolls are a popular British snack made up of a sausage filling wrapped in flaky puff pastry. Admittedly I’ve only heard about these on my favorite British murder shows and on the Great British Bake Off. I don’t have any ties to the British Isles and I’ve never had the real thing, so I do not claim that these are authentic. However, they sounded really delicious so I thought I'd give them a go.
Most sausage roll recipes use store-bought puff pastry. My version is made with a homemade sourdough rough puff pastry. While making your own crust may sound intimidating, it’s actually easier and much more forgiving than you’d expect! If you’ve never attempted it before these Sourdough Sausage Rolls are the perfect yummy excuse to give it a try.
Baking with Sourdough Discard
When incorporated into buttery pastry, sourdough discard adds a cheesy flavor that’s delicious with these sausage rolls. Since you’re not using it as a leavener, you can use your discard straight from the refrigerator. There’s no need to feed it or activate it before mixing it into your batter. Older discard will have a tangier, more acidic flavor than a freshly-fed sourdough starter. Both will work for this recipe, you’ll just get a slightly different flavor profile but your bake will still be delicious!
Need more ideas for using your excess sourdough starter? Check out my favorite Sourdough Discard Recipes!
What you need
Sourdough rough puff pastry: Sourdough rough puff is delicious and so easy to make! The recipe here makes twice as much as you need, save the rest for any other recipe where you’d use store-bought puff pastry.
Sausage meat: I’ve tested this recipe with different types of sausage, my favorite was Jimmy Dean All Natural Sausage. Feel free to use sausages from your favorite local butcher and if you can access English Sausages, then all the better. I would not recommend using Italian-style sausages for this recipe.
Onion: Finely dice the onions for the best texture, substitute shallots or green onions.
Dried herbs and spices: This recipe uses a combination of dried sage, black pepper, coriander nutmeg, and fennel, to enhance the flavor of the sausage filling. If you have a preferred store-bought sausage, feel free to skip these additions. I used whole black pepper and coriander and fennel seeds, feel free to use ground spices if that’s what you have on hand.
Egg: I go through the extra step of separating the egg whites and yolks here, only using the yolks as egg wash resulted in a crust with a richer, golden color.
Step-by-step Instructions
1. Make the dough
2. Make the filling
3. Roll the dough out into 2 long rectangles
4. Shape the rolls
5. Use a sharp knife to cut the rolls into 2-inch portions
6. Bake the rolls at 400 F for 25 to 30 minutes
How to make Sourdough Puff Pastry
Sourdough Rough Puff Pastry is flaky, buttery, pastry made with laminated dough. It's much easier to make and less finnicky than traditional puff pastry. Instead of folding a large block of butter into dough, butter pieces are rubbed into the flour (much like pie dough) and then laminated.
1. Rub the butter into dry ingredients
2. Stir in the sourdough discard and water
3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and coax it into a rectangular shape and chill for at least 30 minutes
4. Complete 1 book fold and chill for 30 minutes
5. Complete 2 to 3 letter folds in 30 minute intervals
6. The butter should look evenly distributed at the end of your last fold. Chill the dough for at least 2 hours before using.
Why I love rough puff pastry
- It's less finicky and more forgiving than both pie dough and traditional puff pastry.
- Gluten development is ok! You don't have to be as gentle with the dough since we'll be working the dough quite a bit when we laminate.
- Don't worry about leaking layers. Butter breaking through layers of dough is one of the hardest parts of making traditional puff pastry, since we'll be rubbing the butter directly into the dough, there's no issues with the dough breaking and layers sticking together.
How to perform a Book Fold
1. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle (about 18 by 8 inches, it doesn’t have to be exact), fold the shorter ends so they meet in the center.
2. Fold the dough in half, wrap it in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
How to perform a Letter Fold
- Roll the dough out into a long rectangle (about 24 by 8 inches, it doesn’t have to be exact), fold the shorter ends towards the center (over each other).
2. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30-minute intervals.
How to Shape Sausage Rolls
1. Divide the filling in half and fill the pastry dough. Brush the egg whites on the edges of the pastry dough.
2. Wrap the dough around the filling and pinch the seam shut, turn the roll over with the seam on the bottom.
3. Brush the rolls with egg yolks.
4. Use a sharp knife to cut the rolls into 2-inch portions.
Questions?
Absolutely! Simply use the same proportion of freshly fed sourdough starter in the recipe. Your starter won’t add a strong tangy flavor to your brownies, but it will still work.
If you don’t have a starter, but still want to try out this recipe, simply add 56 grams of all-purpose flour and 56 grams of water to your puff pastry dough.
Your rolls are fully baked when the center registers at least 165 F when probed with an instant-read thermometer and the rolls are golden brown.
I love to enjoy my sausage rolls with mustard! It would be delicious with spicy ketchup or onion jam.
The best way to reheat these sausage rolls is in the air fryer or in the oven. Do not microwave your sausage rolls or they will turn out greasy and soggy.
Air Fryer: Heat at 375 for 10 minutes
Oven: Heat at 350 for 15 minutes
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Sourdough Sausage Rolls
Equipment
- Kitchen scale
- Rolling Pin
- pastry brush
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
Sourdough Rough Puff Pastry
- 200 grams all-purpose flour
- 7 grams salt
- 113 grams sourdough discard
- 75 grams water
- 226 grams unsalted butter cold and cut into 1 tablespoon portions
Filling
- 454 grams sausage no casings
- ½ medium-sized onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon black pepper ground
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg grated
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds ground
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds ground
- salt to taste
Egg Wash
- 1 egg white and yolk separated
Instructions
Crust
- Make the crust: Whisk the salt and all-purpose flour together in a large bowl.200 grams all-purpose flour, 7 grams salt
- Toss the butter in the flour mixture, squeezing and rubbing the butter into the flour. Dissolve the discard in the water.226 grams unsalted butter
- Create a well in the center of the flour and pour the dissolved discard into the center. Stir the mixture together until all the flour looks hydrated and no dry bits remain.113 grams sourdough discard, 75 grams water
- Laminate the dough: Unwrap the dough and turn it out onto a heavily floured surface.
- Complete Book Fold: Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough out into a large rectangle (about 18 by 8 inches, it doesn’t have to be exact). Fold the short sides towards so they meet in the center. Fold the dough in half and let it chill for 30 minutes.
- Complete Letter Folds: Roll the dough out into a long rectangle (about 24 by 8 inches long). Fold the sides towards the center, overlapping like you’re folding a letter. Complete 2 to 3 letter folds in 30 minute intervals. Wrap the dough and chill it in between folds. The dough should look cohesive and the butter will look more evenly distributed after the last fold.
- Store: Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours before using.
Filling
- Make the filling: Combine sausage, onion, dried sage and spices. Mix and massage the filling until the onions are evenly distributed and the filling feels a little sticky.454 grams sausage, ½ medium-sized onion, 1 teaspoon dried sage, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon coriander seeds, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, salt
- Season the filling: Fry 1 tablespoon of filling and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed. My filling was already salty enough so I did not need to add more salt.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Assemble
- Prepare the dough: Divide the dough in half (wrap ½ the dough in plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator for later use). On a heavily floured surface, roll the dough out into an 8-by-10-inch rectangle. Cut the dough in half lengthwise. Roll each portion into a 14-by-6-inch strip.
- Fill: Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Divide the filling into two even portions. Place half of the filling on one strip of dough, forming a long cylinder with a 1-inch margin at each end. Brush the edges with egg whites.1 egg
- Shape: Fold the long edges over the filling and pinch the seam shut. Turn the sausage rolls over so the seam is on the bottom. Brush the tops of the crust with egg yolk. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the rolls into 2-inch portions.
Bake
- Prep: Place sausage rolls on a large 18-by-13-inch baking sheet lined with parchment. Refrigerate the baking sheet until oven is hot. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Bake: Bake the sausage rolls for 20 to 30 minutes or until the tops of the crust are golden brown and the sausage registers at least 165 F when probed with an instant-read thermometer.
Serving, storage and reheating
- Enjoy: Transfer the sausage rolls to a wire rack and let them cool slightly before serving.
- Store: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: These are best reheated in an air fryer or in the oven. Do not use the microwave or your sausage rolls will be soggy and greasy. Air Fryer: Heat at 375 for 10 minutesOven: Heat at 350 for 15 minutes
Did you make this recipe? Do you have questions? Let me know!