Classic Aussie Sausage Rolls
Golden flaky pastry filled with seasoned sausage meat. The Australian bakery staple that's graced every party since the 1950s.
The Story Behind This Recipe
My Nan's bakery recipe from Wagga Wagga - Tom Henderson
In Australia, no party, barbecue, or afternoon tea is complete without sausage rolls. Walk into any bakery from Cairns to Hobart, and you'll find them sitting in the hot cabinet - golden, flaky, calling your name. My family's sausage roll tradition started with my Nan, who worked at a country bakery in Wagga Wagga from 1962 to 1985. She made thousands upon thousands of these over those 23 years, perfecting a recipe that became legendary in our regional town.
Nan's sausage rolls were different from the mass-produced versions you find in service stations. The ratio was crucial: enough pastry to create those beautiful flaky layers, but not so much that you're just eating air and flour. The filling was seasoned properly - not just meat squeezed from sausage casings, but a deliberate blend of pork and beef mince with onion, herbs, breadcrumbs, and her secret ingredient: a splash of Worcestershire sauce and a hint of nutmeg.
Every Saturday morning, I'd help Nan prep for the weekend rush. She'd roll out dozens of sheets of puff pastry (always bought from the freezer section - "life's too short to make puff pastry," she'd say), pipe the meat mixture down the center, roll, brush with egg wash, and score the tops. The scoring wasn't just decorative - it allowed steam to escape and prevented soggy bottoms, that cardinal sin of sausage roll making.
The smell of baking sausage rolls would fill the bakery by 6am, and by 6:30 when the doors opened, the first batch was flying out the door. Tradies stopping for breakfast would buy six at a time. Mums would buy dozens for kids' birthday parties. The Country Women's Association would order 200 for their monthly meetings. Nan's sausage rolls were currency in our town - everyone knew they were the best.
This recipe represents Australian practicality - taking simple ingredients and creating something universally loved. It's unpretentious, satisfying, and when done right, absolutely delicious. When I make these now for my kids' birthday parties, I feel Nan's presence in my kitchen, reminding me that the best food doesn't need to be fancy - it just needs to be made with care and generously shared.
"Every recipe tells a story, and every story brings us closer to the heart of home."
Adjust Servings
Scaled Ingredients:
💡 Tip: Cooking times may need adjustment when scaling. Larger batches may take longer, smaller batches may cook faster.
Ingredients
For the Filling
For Assembly
Pro Tips
- • The meat mixture should be quite firm - if it's too wet, add more breadcrumbs.
- • Grating the onion instead of dicing prevents large chunks and keeps the filling moist.
- • Don't overfill - too much filling and they'll burst open while baking.
- • The diagonal slashes are crucial for crispy pastry - don't skip this step.
- • Make ahead: assemble and freeze unbaked sausage rolls, then bake from frozen (add 5-10 minutes).
- • Nan's tip: slightly under-season rather than over-season - people can always add sauce.
- • For a fancier version, add finely chopped bacon to the filling.
Storage
Store baked sausage rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze baked rolls for up to 3 months, or freeze unbaked rolls for up to 2 months.
Instructions
- 1
Make the filling: In a large bowl, combine pork mince, beef mince, onion, carrot, breadcrumbs, egg, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and allspice. Use clean hands to mix thoroughly until well combined - everything should be evenly distributed. Don't overmix or it becomes tough.
5 minutes - 2
To test the seasoning (Nan's trick), fry a small spoonful of the mixture in a pan until cooked through. Taste it. Adjust salt, pepper, or Worcestershire sauce in the raw mixture if needed. This ensures perfectly seasoned sausage rolls.
3 minutes - 3
Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Line two large baking trays with baking paper. Take the puff pastry sheets out of the fridge - they should be cold but pliable.
- 4
Cut each pastry sheet in half lengthways so you have 8 long rectangles. Place a pastry rectangle on your work surface with the long edge facing you. Don't flour the surface - the pastry has enough butter in it.
- 5
Divide the filling into 8 equal portions (roughly 130-140g each). Take one portion and shape it into a long sausage shape along the long edge of the pastry, about 2cm in from the edge. The filling should be roughly 2-3cm in diameter - not too thick or it won't cook through.
- 6
Brush the far edge of the pastry with egg wash - this acts as glue. Roll the pastry over the filling tightly, starting from the filled edge and rolling toward the egg-washed edge. Place seam-side down. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling.
- 7
Cut each long roll into 3 equal pieces - you should get 24 sausage rolls total. Place them seam-side down on the prepared baking trays, leaving about 3cm between each one for expansion.
5 minutes - 8
Brush the top of each sausage roll generously with egg wash - don't skip this, it's what creates that beautiful golden color. Use a sharp knife to cut 3-4 diagonal slashes across the top of each roll. This allows steam to escape and prevents soggy bottoms.
5 minutes - 9
Sprinkle with sesame seeds if using. Nan always used sesame seeds on Saturdays but left them plain on weekdays - I don't know why, just tradition.
- 10
Bake for 25-30 minutes until deep golden brown and the pastry is puffed and crispy. The filling should reach 75°C internal temperature. Rotate the trays halfway through baking for even browning.
30 minutes - 11
Remove from the oven and let cool on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They're delicious warm but even better at room temperature when the pastry has fully crisped up. Serve with tomato sauce for dipping - this is Australia, after all.
5 minutes
Ingredient Substitutions
Nutrition Information
Per serving (approximate)
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