Pork and Juniper Sausage Rolls or Plait

Using the hands mix together all the stuffing ingredients then I find it easier to fill a large piping bag and pipe the filling for both the sausage rolls and the plait.

For the sausage rolls:

Roll out the pastry into a rectangle 40cm long x 20cm wide, neaten the edges with a pizza cutter then cut in half lengthways.  Pipe a length of sausage meat down the centre of each piece of pastry.

Dampen the edges of the pastry with egg white then roll up and keep the seam underneath.

Apply an egg wash to the two long sausages, cut each one in half then transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes to firm up..

Take from the freezer and cut each of the four sausages into 4 or 6 depending on your preferred size for a sausage roll.

Bake at 200°C (Gas Mark 6, 400°F) for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

These sausage rolls freeze very well uncooked.  Open freeze the cut sausage rolls then place into bags.  The sausage rolls can then be baked from frozen until golden brown.  They already have their egg wash so will brown nicely.  Baking time from frozen 35-40 minutes.

For the plait:

Roll out the pastry to a large rectangle measuring 40cm x 30cm then neaten off the edges with a pizza cutter.  Transfer the rectangle of pastry onto a sheet of baking paper or reusable baking parchment before shaping starts.

With the pastry positioned “portrait style” place a score line at 10cm intervals so that the pastry is divided into three  lengthways (don’t cut through the pastry).

Pipe the sausage meat filling onto the centre section of the pastry leaving a margin of 2.5cm top and bottom.

Using a pizza cutter then cut even sized strips at the two sides.

Dampen the pastry strips as you work and starting at the top, fold over the top margin and the bottom margin then alternating left and right wrap the sausage meat in the pastry, forming a plait.

Chill the plait for at least half an hour then wash with egg yolk and chill for a further 15 minutes or so until the oven comes to temperature.  Heat to 200°C  fan (220°C non-fan, Gas Mark 7, 425°F).  Place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat.

Just before placing in the oven give a second egg wash – this ensures a lovely rich deep shiny brown finish to your bake.  Using the paper or baking parchment – slide your chilled plait onto the preheated baking sheet – this ensures the underneath will bake thoroughly.

Bake for 30 minutes.

This unfrozen plait will freeze extremely well.  Egg wash before freezing  then bake from frozen for 40 minutes.