Croissage rolls

For maths teacher, blogger and dedicated baker Philip Friend, the kitchen is his happiest place, especially when celebrating the craft he learned from his gran and his mum. He learned the recipe for these croissage rolls from them: a clever croissant and sausage roll hybrid. They’re a moment of culinary genius and we’re very grateful to have discovered them.

Croissage rolls

  • Serves icon Makes about 30
  • Time icon Hands-on time 40 min, oven time 20-25 min

For maths teacher, blogger and dedicated baker Philip Friend, the kitchen is his happiest place, especially when celebrating the craft he learned from his gran and his mum. He learned the recipe for these croissage rolls from them: a clever croissant and sausage roll hybrid. They’re a moment of culinary genius and we’re very grateful to have discovered them.

Nutrition: For 30

Calories
207kcals
Fat
12.3g (6.8g saturated)
Protein
5.4g
Carbohydrates
18.3g (3.4g sugars)
Fibre
0.9g
Salt
0.8g

Ingredients

  • 500g very best quality British sausagemeat
  • 80g mature cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 medium onion, chopped very finely
  • 1 medium cooking apple, peeled, cored and grated
  • 1 heaped tbsp chutney of your choice, lightly crushed with the back of a fork, plus extra to serve
  • 1 heaped tsp mixed fresh herbs or chopped fresh sage
  • 3 tbsp dijon or English mustard for brushing, plus extra to serve
  • 1 medium free-range egg, beaten
  • Vegetable oil for brushing

For the shortcut ‘croissant’ dough

  • 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 60g caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp fast-action dried yeast
  • 2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 300g unsalted best quality butter, kept in the freezer until very firm
  • 270-290ml cold water

You’ll also need…

  • 2 large baking sheets lined
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Method

  1. Heat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. In a large bowl, combine the sausagemeat, cheese, onion, apple, chutney and herbs, and season with a little salt and pepper (sausagemeat can be well seasoned already). Fry a little of the mixture in a non-stick pan first, then taste to check the seasoning and the flavours.
  2. Roll into 4 sausages, compacting the sausagemeat so it sticks together, then put on the prepared baking sheets and bake for 5 minutes. Remove and leave the sausagemeat to cool completely.
  3. Meanwhile make the dough. Mix the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a mixing bowl, then grate in the frozen butter. Use your fingertips to gently coat the butter strands in flour.
  4. Add most of the water and mix gently with a round-bladed table knife to form a soft but not sticky dough, trying not to crush the butter too much. Add more water if needed.
  5. Lightly dust the dough and a clean work surface with flour. Roll out the dough to a long, thin rectangle, roughly 20cm x 60cm. It will look quite rough initially but bear with it.
  6. With the short edge facing you, fold the bottom edge two thirds of the way up and over the dough, then fold the third furthest away from you over this, to give 3 layers of dough. Rotate the dough 90 degrees. This is one ‘turn’ (see tips).
  7.  Roll out, then fold in the same way as above twice more, rotating 90 degrees after each folding, making 3 turns in total. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling and filling (see Make Ahead).
  8. Roll out the dough to a rectangle just over 60cm x 24cm, trimming the edges for neatness if necessary. Cut the dough in half lengthways using a sharp knife, so you have 2 rectangles, roughly 60cm x 12cm.
  9. Spread the mustard over each piece of dough, then arrange 2 of the cooled sausagemeat logs down the centre of each piece of dough (squidge the meat together to join the two up). Don’t worry if the sausage breaks up a little. Brush the edges of the pastry with a little beaten egg and roll it over to encase the meat, then pinch gently along the seam to seal. The seal can be left underneath, on the side or on top.
  10. Cut into 4cm long pieces (or whatever size you prefer). Transfer to the baking sheets lined with clean non-stick baking paper, then cover loosely with lightly oiled cling film. Leave at room temperature to rise until the dough is puffy and almost doubled in size (this can take up to a couple of hours, depending on the temperature; see tips).
  11. Heat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/ gas 6½. Brush the tops of the sausage rolls with more beaten egg, then bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, turning down the temperature to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5 after 10 minutes if they look as if they’re browning very quickly. Serve the croissage rolls warm or cold, with extra mustard, chutney and/or pickles alongside.

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
207kcals
Fat
12.3g (6.8g saturated)
Protein
5.4g
Carbohydrates
18.3g (3.4g sugars)
Fibre
0.9g
Salt
0.8g

delicious. tips

  1. Phillip’t tips: I briefly pre-cook the filling to make sure the meat cooks through in the time it takes for the croissant pastry to brown.

    You shouldn’t need to rest/chill the dough between each turn, but if your kitchen is very warm and the butter becomes soft, pop the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes or so to firm up again, then continue with the recipe.

    The croissant dough involves very little hands-on work and is best made the day before so it has time to rest fully before being rolled out, giving a much better flake.

  2. Freeze the dough for up to a month. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before completing the recipe. Cooked rolls will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container. Refresh in a low oven to serve.

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