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Mary Berry Sausage Plait Recipe

Mary Berry Sausage Plait Recipe

Mary Berry’s sausage plait is a golden, flaky puff pastry plait filled with seasoned sausage meat and herbs — spectacular to look at and completely delicious.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8 Portions
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British
Calories: 380
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Sausage Filling:
  • 700 g good quality pork sausage meat
  • 1 medium onion very finely grated
  • 1 small apple peeled, cored, very finely grated
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 tbsp each fresh sage and thyme finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper — season very generously
  • Pastry:
  • 375 g ready-rolled all-butter puff pastry cold
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • Sesame or poppy seeds optional

Method
 

  1. Combine sausage meat, grated onion, grated apple, garlic, herbs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and nutmeg. Season very generously. Fry-test a small piece — taste and adjust seasoning assertively.
  2. Unroll cold puff pastry onto floured parchment. Cut diagonal 2cm strips down both long sides — to within 8cm of centre. Leave central 16cm uncut.
  3. Shape filling into an even, firmly compacted log along the uncut centre. Fold strips alternately over filling from left and right — overlapping slightly. Tuck short ends under. Transfer to baking tray on parchment.
  4. Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6. Brush generously with egg. Scatter seeds if using. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
  5. Bake 30–35 minutes until deeply golden and internal temperature reaches 75°C. Rest 10 minutes. Slice generously.

Notes

Fry-test the filling before baking — the only way to check seasoning before the plait goes in.
Grate the onion — gives even distribution of onion flavour without visible pieces.
Keep pastry cold throughout — refrigerate the assembled plait before baking for maximum rise.
Shape the filling log evenly — gives a consistently shaped plait from end to end.
Rest 10 minutes before slicing — the filling firms and stays together when cut.
Freeze assembled before baking for up to 3 months.
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