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Classic Sausage Rolls

Golden puff pastry and a simply seasoned pork filling make these classic British sausage rolls a dependable bake for sharing.

Golden flaky sausage rolls on a platter with whole-grain mustard and chutney.

These sausage rolls stay deliberately classic: good pork, a little onion, herbs, and mustard inside crisp puff pastry. Keeping the pastry cold and baking uncovered helps it puff and brown while the sausage remains juicy.

Keep the filling simple

The filling needs seasoning rather than embellishment. Onion, thyme, mustard, salt, and pepper support the pork without masking its familiar sausage-roll character.

Work with cold pastry

Puff pastry rises because cold butter layers create steam in a hot oven. A short chill restores clean edges and leads to a taller, more flaky result.

Egg-washed and vented sausage rolls rest on a parchment-lined baking sheet before baking. — Egg-washed sausage rolls are vented and ready for the oven.

Choose the sausage

British sausage meat can be replaced with mild American breakfast sausage. Plain ground pork also works once it is seasoned with salt, sage, and pepper.

Bake and dip

A deep golden finish signals a crisp crust, while a thermometer confirms the pork is done without drying it out. Serve the rolls warm with mustard or chutney for a sharp-sweet contrast.

A cut sausage roll shows crisp flaky pastry around a juicy herb-flecked pork filling. — Flaky golden pastry surrounds a juicy herb-flecked pork filling.

Classic Sausage Rolls

6 sausage rolls

60 minutes total

Ingredients

• 1 lb pork sausage meat, casings removed
• 1 small onion, finely grated
• 1 tsp fresh thyme
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 sheet all-butter puff pastry, thawed but cold
• 1 egg plus water, for egg wash
•
• American option: mild breakfast sausage, or plain pork with salt, sage, and pepper

Method

Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 400 F and line a large baking sheet with parchment. The lined pan lets the pastry brown without sticking. Serve with whole-grain mustard by default; use fruit chutney for a sweeter option.
Look for: The oven is fully preheated and the pan is lined.
Mix the filling
Combine sausage meat with casings removed, the finely grated onion, thyme, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper just until evenly mixed. Use mild breakfast sausage, or season plain pork with salt, sage, and pepper.
Look for: The seasonings are distributed without turning the meat pasty.
Cut the pastry
Unfold the cold puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut it lengthwise into two strips. Chill it briefly if it feels soft or sticky.
Look for: The pastry strips are even and firm enough to lift.
Fill and seal
Divide the filling into two long logs down the center of the pastry strips. Moisten one edge, fold pastry over the filling, and pinch seams firmly closed.
Look for: Each sausage log is enclosed and its seam is firmly sealed.
Egg wash and vent
Set the logs seam-side down, cut each into three pieces, and brush with egg wash. Cut two small vents in each roll so steam can escape.
Look for: Six rolls are evenly glazed and every one has two vents.
Chill the rolls
Refrigerate the prepared rolls for 10 minutes while the oven finishes heating. This firms the pastry butter for a taller, flaky crust.
Look for: The pastry is firm with clean, defined edges.
Bake until crisp
Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the sheet once, until the pastry is deeply golden and a roll center reaches 160 F.
Look for: The pastry is deeply golden and the pork registers 160 F.
Rest and serve
Rest the sausage rolls for 5 minutes, then serve warm with whole-grain mustard or fruit chutney. The brief rest keeps the filling juicy and the pastry crisp.
Look for: The filling has settled and the crust is still flaky.