Edd Kimber's fennel sausage hand pie recipe
Edd Kimber, the winner of the first-ever Great British Bake Off, says: "If I were to make myself lunch for a day of travelling, I can’t think of anything I’d rather make than one of these pies. Crisp, flaky pastry is generously filled with sausage, fennel, tomato and grated mozzarella. It’s the love child of a pizza and a sausage roll."
Tip: The pastry will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days, or can be frozen for up to a month. If you want a richer, deeper flavour to the pastry, you can replace a third of the plain (all-purpose) flour with another type, such as wholemeal (wholewheat) or rye.
Ingredients
- 300 g plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp caster (superfine or granulated) sugar
- 250 g unsalted butter, diced into 1cm (1/2in) cubes and chilled
- 6 tbsp ice-cold water
- 2 tbsp vodka (optional)
- 10.6 oz plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp caster (superfine or granulated) sugar
- 8.8 oz unsalted butter, diced into 1cm (1/2in) cubes and chilled
- 6 tbsp ice-cold water
- 2 tbsp vodka (optional)
- 10.6 oz plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp caster (superfine or granulated) sugar
- 8.8 oz unsalted butter, diced into 1cm (1/2in) cubes and chilled
- 6 tbsp ice-cold water
- 2 tbsp vodka (optional)
- 200 g grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 4 Italian pork sausages, casings removed
- 185 ml tomato passata
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 7.1 oz grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 4 Italian pork sausages, casings removed
- 6.5 fl oz tomato passata
- 1 pinch of sea salt
- 7.1 oz grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 4 Italian pork sausages, casings removed
- 0.8 cup tomato passata
- 1 pinch of sea salt
Details
- Cuisine: Italian-inspired
- Recipe Type: Pies
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 180 mins
- Cooking Time: 60 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
To make the pastry:
- Place the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter and toss to coat, then use your fingertips to press it into flat pieces. Place the bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Mix the ice-cold water with the vodka (or 2 extra tablespoons of water if you don’t want to use the alcohol). Drizzle some of the liquid into the chilled ingredients, tossing with your hands to distribute. Repeat with the remaining liquid, until a dough starts to form. Use your hands to gently bring the dough together in a ball. Press it into a flat rectangle, wrap in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Lightly flour a work surface and roll the pastry into a rectangle about 15 x 45cm (6 x 18in). Cut into 4 equal pieces, stack them on top of each other and press or roll into a flat rectangle again. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.
- Reflour the work surface and again roll the pastry into a 15 x 45cm (6 x 18in) rectangle. Roll it up like a Swiss roll, wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 1 hour.
To make the pies:
- First make the filling: heat the oil in a frying pan over low–medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and fennel seeds, season with a little salt, and cook gently until translucent (about 10 minutes). Turn up the heat to medium and add the sausage meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until lightly browned.
- Pour in the passata and simmer for about 10 minutes, until slightly reduced. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, then set aside and cool to room temperature. Divide the pastry in half. Lightly flour a work surface and roll each piece into a rectangle roughly 35 x 25cm (14 x 10in). Cut each rectangle into 6 smaller rectangles.
- Spoon the filling onto half of the pastry pieces, spreading it evenly and leaving a 1cm (½in) clear border around the edge. Top with the cheese. Brush the border around the filling with beaten egg, cover with a second piece of pastry and press the edges together with a fork. Place the pies on a parchment-lined baking tray (cookie sheet) and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C Fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6.
- Brush the chilled pies with the remaining beaten egg, then pierce the top with the tip of a sharp knife. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Set aside to cool slightly before serving warm or at room temperature. The baked pies can be stored for up to 3 days in a sealed container, or frozen for up to a month. You can also freeze the unbaked pies and bake them from frozen, adding an extra 5 minutes or so to the baking time.
This recipe is extracted from Small Batch Bakes by Edd Kimber (Kyle Books, £18.99). Photography by Edd Kimber.
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