Sausage Rolls

Savory sausages wrapped in bread that is fluffy on the inside with a crunchy crust. These sausage rolls are inspired by ones sold at Chinese bakeries. Milk bread is one of my favorite homemade bread recipes and it pairs perfectly with the sausages for a fun snack.

Whether it be pigs in a blanket, bagel dogs, or pretzel dogs I love sausage rolls so, of course, I had to try making my own at home. The sausage rolls I’m sharing are inspired by the ones I’ve tried at Chinese bakeries. Savory sausage wrapped up in fluffy milk bread that has a golden crunchy crust. I don’t mean to be brag, but these were sooo good.

I originally was going to make pretzel dogs, but at the last minute, I made a switch. Milk bread and sausages might sound like an odd combination, but if you’ve ever visited a Chinese bakery, the same basic bread is used to make all sorts of variations with fillings from sweet to savory. One of the most common bread rolls are hot dog rolls. I can never resist getting one.

My version didn’t end up tasting like the ones I’ve tried at Chinese bakeries, but it came out even better! My sausage rolls are more like pretzel dogs, but not as salty and the bread is fluffy instead of chewy.

Why I Love Milk Bread Sausage Rolls

• The bread is brushed with an egg wash and that, along with a high baking temperature, creates a crunchy crust.
• Once you bite into it, the bread is soft inside creating a delicious contrast with the savory sausages. The sausages I used had a firm, crispy skin which was also a nice contrast to the soft and fluffy milk bread.
• The bread and sausage fit together so well, perfectly balancing each other to create a wonderful sausage roll.
• BF loves these sausage rolls, too! He could not stop eating them and hoarded all of the leftovers.

Tips for Making Sausage Rolls

These sausage rolls are definitely a project and most of the work is in making the milk bread dough. The effort is worth it, though. I’ve made milk bread many times and have learned a lot about how to make it so it bakes up soft and fluffy with a crunchy crust.

• I’ve written several posts about milk bread and I encourage you to review those posts first, including the reader comments. There are lots of great tips so you can make a successful milk bread! So, please check out and Soft and Fluffy Milk Toast and Milk Bread Take 2 before you make these sausage rolls.
• Because this is a yeast bread, you will need to plan your times so the bread has enough time to rise. The first rise happens after you’ve made and kneaded the dough. The second rise happens after you’ve assembled the sausage rolls.
• When you are ready to make the dough there are two ways to tell when you’ve kneaded it long enough: the windowpane test and the hole test. When you can stretch the dough very thin – so thin you can see the light shine through it – you know it’s passed the windowpane test. Continue stretching it and it will eventually break creating a perfect circle in the center.

• This sausage roll recipe makes six sausage rolls. Once you’ve mixed, kneaded, and let the dough rise it’s as easy as dividing the dough into six balls. Form each into a long rope and wrap them around the sausages.

• Don’t skip the egg wash. Brushing some beaten egg on the dough is what creates that shiny, golden color and crunchy crust.

What are the best sausages for sausage rolls?

For these milk bread sausage rolls you want to choose a high-quality sausage with a firm skin that will crisp up while it bakes inside the bread. Also, you want to choose a sausage that is on the thinner side – similar to a hotdog – and not big sausages otherwise you may not have enough dough.

Do sausage rolls keep well?

These sausage rolls taste best hot from the oven. When they cool the crust will soften and won’t be crunchy. That said, they still taste great even cooled. Keep any leftover sausage rolls in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can enjoy them cold or rewarm them in the microwave or a low oven.

What are other ways to use milk bread?

I love experimenting with milk bread – I just can’t get enough of the fluffy, soft texture. Here are some other milk bread variations I’ve made.

• Soft and Fluffy Raisin Rolls
• Braided Milk Bread
• Pandan Bread
• Ham and Cheese Bread
• Sweet Milk Bread Rolls
• Matcha Green Tea Milk Bread

Sausage Rolls

Servings: 6 rolls

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: Asian

If you've ever visited a Chinese bakery, you might have seen rolls made with soft and fluffy bread that are filled with all sorts of fillings from sweet to savory. One of the most common breads to find are hot dog breads and this is my homemade version of those savory snacks.

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Ingredients

Milk Bread

• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp + 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• ½ cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 120 g tangzhong (see note)
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter cut into small pieces, softened at room temperature
• oil for greasing the bowl
• 6 sausages
• 1 egg for the egg wash

Instructions

• Combine the flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast in a bowl of a stand mixer. Make a well in the center. Add in all wet ingredients: milk, egg and tangzhong. Fit the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer and begin mixing on medium speed and knead until your dough comes together and then add in the butter and continue kneading. Keep kneading until the dough is smooth, not too sticky on the surface and elastic. I kneaded the dough for about 18-20 minutes. Each mixer may vary.
• When the dough is ready, you should be able to take a chunk of dough and stretch it to a very thin membrane before it breaks. When it does break, the break should be form a circle.
• Knead the dough into a ball shape. Take a large bowl and grease with oil. Place dough into greased bowl and cover with a wet towel. Let it proof until it’s doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
• Transfer to a clean surface. Divide the dough into six equal portions. Knead into balls. Cover with cling wrap, let rest for 15 minutes.
• Roll out each portion of the dough to form a long rope. Take a sausage and begin wrapping the rope around the sausage, starting at one end and ending up at the other end.
• Place each rolled sausage on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let them rise until double the size, approximately another 40-60 minutes.
• Beat an egg and brush egg mixture on top to create shiny eggwash finish.
• Bake at 350°F for approximately 30 minutes. The sausage rolls are best eaten hot, when the crust of the bread is crunchy.

Notes

• Click here for making tangzhong
• Recipe adapted from Christine's Recipes

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

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