Matty Edgell

Why it earned the handshake

Matty’s sausage rolls use a quick flaky pastry: frozen butter grated into flour, bound with just enough water, and chilled before it ever meets the filling. Inside, pork, apple, garlic, chilli, and sage sit beneath a layer of caramelised onion and apple. It is a party bake with proper pastry manners.

The handshake-worthy trick is the contrast between the crisp, buttery outside and the savoury-sweet centre. Chill the pastry, chill the sausage logs, egg-wash twice — and the result is golden, neatly scored, and ready for a hungry crowd.

Ingredients

Quick flaky pastry

• 8.8 oz unsalted butter, frozen and grated
• 14.1 oz plain flour
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 180–6.8 fl oz water, to bind

Caramelised onion and apple

• 2 medium brown onions, finely sliced
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and grated
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp black pepper
• Pinch of flaky sea salt
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar

Sausage filling and finish

• 28.2 oz sausage meat
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp flaky sea salt
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 12 sage leaves, finely sliced
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and grated
• 1 large egg, for egg wash
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• Cracked black pepper, flaked sea salt, and sage leaves, to finish

Method

1. Mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Grate in half the frozen butter and mix, then grate in the rest. Use a bread knife to cut the mixture to a fine crumb. Add enough water, beginning with 6.1 fl oz, to make a ball that cleans the bowl. Do not overwork it. Wrap and chill for 40 minutes.
2. For the onion mixture, heat the butter and oil over low-medium heat. Soften the onions for 5–10 minutes, add the grated apple, and cook until most of the moisture has gone. Season, add the sugar, and cook until caramelised. Spread on a plate or tray to cool.
3. Mix the sausage meat, garlic, salt, pepper, chilli, sliced sage, and grated apple. Put the mixture in a piping bag, or roll it into two firm logs in cling film. Chill until firm.
4. Divide the pastry in two. On a lightly floured surface, roll one portion to about 40 x 7.9 in. Put one sausage log 2 in in from the edge, scatter over half the onion mixture, and roll the pastry around the filling. Trim away excess pastry.
5. Cut into roughly 2.8 in portions and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the second pastry portion and filling.
6. Brush with beaten egg and chill for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 425°F/400°F fan.
7. Egg-wash again, score each roll with three diagonal lines, and sprinkle with sesame seeds, salt, pepper, and a sage leaf. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden.

Baker’s tips

• Grate the frozen butter in batches so it stays cold and distributes through the pastry.
• Start with the smaller amount of water; extra water makes pastry tough.
• Cool the onion mixture before it meets the sausage and pastry.
• The second egg wash is the gloss-maker. Chill after the first wash so the pastry stays sharp.

Make-ahead

Keep the pastry and sausage logs chilled during preparation, and bake the assembled rolls after their final chill for the crispest finish.