I am Canadian.
A Canadian living in the USA.
When I lived in Canada, going to the bakery was one of my favorite things. I ‘m not a baker (too many rules), but I really love eating baked goods (ZERO rules there!)
Canadian bakeries are AMAZING – not only for the sweet treats, but for the savory ones as well. My top bakery treats have always been the savory ones, with sausage rolls being the king of all bakery treats. Living in the USA, one of the many things I miss are trips to a really good Canadian bakery.
I developed this recipe as a way of bringing a little of my childhood to my family today. Summer savory and Marjoram are old-fashioned spices, but ones that I adore. They are both earthy and rich in flavor.
My Granny Mack used both of these spices often … so when I cook with them I can literally taste the memories.
Food is memories, after all.
Enjoy!
Cyndi
Classic Canadian Style Sausage Rolls
Ingredients
Easy No-Fail Pastry Crust
- 1 cup VERY cold butter cubed
- 2 cups flour plus more to dust counter and roll out
- 9-10 Tbsp ICE water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Meat filling
- 2 lb mixed ground meat I use half pork and half beef.
- 1 egg Separated. Whip the white until fluffy and frothy and set the yolk aside.
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp ground summer savory
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper I actually use a whole tsp of cayenne when I am making this for my family. I only use a 1/2 tsp when I am bringing it to share with friends.
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp coarse black pepper
Instructions
Easy No Fail Pastry Crust
- Cube the COLD butter. The colder the better! Cold butter is your secret weapon to a really flaky crust.
- Combine flour, salt and cubed COLD butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles wet but still dry crumbly sand. (you will have larger chunks of butter still ... that is ok!)
- Add the ice water 2 Tbsp at a time. Pulse once or twice after each time you add additional ice water. The mixture will start to resemble wet loose clumps of sand.
- If it turns into a big ball of dough you've gone too far! Your pastry will still taste good; it just won't be very flaky.
- Dump the mixture onto your counter and press all the loose clumps together. Cover with plastic wrap and flatten into a round disk. Refrigerate at least one hour before you use it.
- NOTE: Separate the dough into two equal portions. Keep the portion you are not working with wrapped in plastic wrap and in the refrigerator.
Meat Filling
- Whip the egg whites and till fluffy and frothy.
- In a deep bowl add all of the ingredients (except the egg yolk). Very gently mix. Be careful to not over-mix or your mixture will be tough. The less you touch it the more tender it will be.
- Add a tsp of water to the egg yolk mix and set aside.
- Divide your pastry into two equal portions. Roll out your first half of the pastry. (keep the second half wrapped in plastic wrap and in the refrigerator) Try to keep it roughly in a rectangle. My rectangle rolled out to about 16x10.
- Using half of the meat mixture, form a flat log in the center third of the rolled-out pie dough. Fold one side of the pie pastry over the meat.
- Brush the other edge with the egg yolk and water and fold it over. Make sure that you overlap the dough a bit.
- Turn pastry and meat "log" over. Brush with the egg yolk and sprinkle with crunchy kosher salt.
- Using a sharp knife, portion your sausage roll into single portions.
- Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pastry is a golden brown. (I always use parchment paper on the cookie sheet.)
This looks fantastic and easy also. Sausage Rolls have always been a favorite of mine. I like your method Cyndi. Simple enough even I can probably make them.