Hairy Bikers Sausage Plait Recipe

A Hairy Bikers sausage plait is sausage meat, raw chopped onion and mixed herbs laid on homemade pastry, then wrapped in criss-crossed strips. From Mums Know Best, it cuts into 8 slices at about 695 calories each, and it’s ready in 80 minutes.

They reckon the sausage roll is “the most abused item in British cooking”, so this one comes from Yvonne Langford, a Lincolnshire chef. And her traditional pastry is the difference, since the lard and margarine are stirred in with a knife and folded, never rubbed in.

Cut the side strips on a slant, 2.5cm apart, because angled strips overlap each other and hold the plait closed as it bakes. Then fold them in from alternate sides, so every strip pins down the end of the one before it.

Hairy Bikers Sausage Plait Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Baking Cuisine:British Courses:Lunch Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 35 minutesCook time: 30 minutesRest time: 15 minutesTotal time:1 hour 20 minutesServings:8 Calories:695 Best Season:Summer

Description

Rough puff made with lard and margarine rests for 15 minutes, then wraps a peppery, herby filling of sausage meat and onion. Then a hot 230°C oven turns the lattice top golden in about 30 minutes, and it slices just as well hot or cold.

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 450g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 pinches of salt
• 140g lard, diced
• 140g hard margarine or baking block, diced
• cold water, to bind

For the filling

• 500g good-quality sausage meat
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 2 tsp dried mixed herbs
• salt and black pepper

To glaze

• 1 egg, beaten with a little milk

Instructions

1. Make the dough: Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl, then add the diced lard and margarine. Stir the fat through with a knife rather than rubbing it in. Then add cold water a little at a time until you have a stiff dough.
2. Roll and fold: Roll the dough into a narrow strip on a floured surface. Then fold it in 3 and turn it 90 degrees clockwise, so an open end faces you. Then roll it out and turn it again, repeating this 3 times.
3. Rest the pastry: Cover the pastry and leave it to rest for about 15 minutes, or chill it for 20 to 30 minutes on a hot day. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 230°C, 210°C fan, Gas 8.
4. Mix the filling: Mix the sausage meat with the onions, mixed herbs, salt and plenty of black pepper. Then roll the pastry into a rectangle and lay it on a greased non-stick baking tray.
5. Fill the pastry: Pile the filling down the centre of the pastry in a neat log, leaving a 5cm border clear down each long side.
6. Cut and plait: Cut strips 2.5cm apart at a 45-degree angle, from the filling out to the edge, down both sides. Then fold them over the filling, alternating left and right, until the whole log is covered.
7. Glaze and bake: Brush the plait all over with the egg and milk, then bake for about 30 minutes until deep golden brown. Check the filling is piping hot right through, and if the top darkens too fast, lay foil loosely over it.

FAQs

Is there a sausage and apple plait version?

The closest is the sausage and apple puff in Perfect Pies, where diced eating apple is fried with the onion first. Then it goes into 450g of skinned sausages with sage and 50g of breadcrumbs, between two sheets of ready-rolled puff.

Its top is slashed every couple of centimetres rather than plaited, and it bakes at 200°C, 180°C fan, for 35 minutes. So for an apple plait, I swap Yvonne’s raw onions for that softened onion and apple, and keep her pastry.

Can I use shop-bought puff pastry for an easy sausage plait?

Yes, and that is the easy route, since a packet of puff pastry is offered as the swap in Mums Know Best. And for bought puff I use the Perfect Pies setting of 220°C, 200°C fan. Because that heat turns the water in the dough to steam, the layers lift.

Gather any offcuts into a pile without kneading, as they do with leftovers in Perfect Pies, because squashing them flattens the layers. Then roll them to 4mm, top 6cm rounds with spare sausage meat and bake at 200°C, 180°C fan, for 25 minutes.

Is there a James Martin sausage plait?

The James Martin recipe people land on is his sausage rolls with dipping sauce, made with 750g of sausage meat, brandy, garlic and thyme. And his pastry is an all-butter puff, with 600g of butter to 500g of flour, and the rolls come with a raisin and HP sauce.

So for one big plait in lard pastry, Yvonne’s is the one to make. And their vindaloo sausage rolls from Brilliant Bakes go the other way, with a spice paste spread under the meat for a party tray.

Why do the onions go in raw?

Because they cook inside the sausage meat, softening in its fat while keeping a little bite. So chop them finely, since big pieces stay crunchy after only 30 minutes in the oven.

If you want them soft and sweet, fry them gently for 5 minutes first. But let them cool completely before mixing, because warm filling melts the lard and the plait loses its layers.

How long does it keep, and what goes with it cold?

Once cool, it keeps in the fridge for 2 days, wrapped in foil so the pastry doesn’t sweat. And I reheat slices at 180°C for 10 to 15 minutes until piping hot, since the microwave turns the pastry soft.

Cold, it is picnic food, next to their scotch eggs, which use the same 500g of sausage meat in Mums Know Best. And a spoon of their piccalilli brings the sharp mustard bite that rich lard pastry needs.