Gluten-free sausage rolls

This recipe was provided by a good friend of the gluten-free traveller, with some minor tweaks. Once you’ve mastered the base recipe feel free to experiment with your own tweaks and adding (or subtracting) ingredients to suit your own tastes.

What you’ll need:

*The gluten- or wheat-free status of this dish will depend on the type of sausage meat and breadcrumbs you use. Please check all ingredient labels carefully before preparing

Swapping out gluten-free for wheat alternatives should not affect the cooking times and results.

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Instructions:

Preheat the Oven

Set your oven to 200°C (392°F) and line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Prepare the Filling

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sausage meat, gluten-free breadcrumbs, finely chopped shallot, chopped sage, water, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well incorporated.

If you prefer a meatier dish you can leave the breadcrumbs out.

(Optional) Incorporate Optional Apple Sauce (if using)

Apple sauce adds a subtle sweetness, pairing beautifully with the sausag, sage, and onion flavours. You can choose to serve this on the side with the cooked articles or, if you prefer, you can add it to the recipe in one of the following ways:

• Stir 1 or 2 generous tablespoons of apple sauce directly into the sausage mixture for a slightly sweet depth of flavor, or –
• Alternatively, smear a thin layer of apple sauce across the top of the sausage meat logs after placing them on the pastry, but before rolling over the pastry to complete your rolls.

Prepare the Pastry

Unroll the gluten-free puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. If the pastry is too thick, gently roll it out to your desired thickness.

Cut the pastry sheet length-ways creating two equaly sized long strips, approximately 15cm wide.

Assemble the Sausage Rolls

Divide the sausage mixture into two equally-sized balls, then roll each ball into a log shape (approximately the same length as the pastry strips) and place along one edge of one of the pastry sheets.

Gently brush the exposed pastry with the egg wash, before rolling the pastry over the sausage meat to encase it, ensuring the seam is on the bottom. Press the edges gently with a fork to seal.

Cut into Portions

Using a sharp knife, slice the long rolls into individual portions approx. 5cm in lenght, or your preferred size. Rember that they will shrink slightly in the oven, so adjust your sizes accordingly.

Prepare for Baking

Place the sausage rolls onto the prepared baking tray, leaving space between each. Brush the tops with the beaten egg to achieve a golden finish.

(Optional) Add your Sesame Seeds

Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top of your sausage rolls for added crunch and flavour, and to give your sausage rolls a golden, bakery-style finish. Adding a sprinkling of sesame seeds enhances both flavour and texture, with toasting helping the seeds to develop a rich, nutty taste that complements the savoury sausage filling.

Bake

Place the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the sausage meat is cooked through.

Cool and Serve

Once baked, remove the sausage rolls from the oven and allow them to cool slightly on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, with a generous dollop of apple sauce.

Top Tip

If you’re planning on making these for a party or special event, you can always make them ahead of time and freeze them. Then just pop them straight in the oven to defrost and reheat when ready to serve. This is a real time saver and is ideal if you don’t want the hastle of cooking them from scratch on a day where you might have lots more cooking to do.

If you’re planning on doing this then you just need to vary your cooking times slightly.

Prep Day

• Follow the instructions above (including optional steps)
• Cook for 20-25 mins
• Allow to fully cool, then freeze immediately

Prior to Serving

• When ready to serve, preheat your oven to 200°c (fan) (392°F)
• Pop the frozen sausage rolls directly in the oven and cook for 10 mins, or until warmed all the way through and golden brown on top
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly
• Serve with lashings of homemade apple sauce, or a chutney of your choice