Handcrafted Pork Sausage Rolls with Flaky Rough Puff Pastry

In a large mixing bowl, combine 300g chilled all-purpose flour and 5g fine sea salt, whisking thoroughly to distribute.

Add 200g frozen cubed butter to the flour mixture, tossing by hand until every butter cube is coated in flour.

Flatten the butter cubes into coarse flakes using fingertips or a bench scraper, ensuring the butter remains visibly solid and chilled.

Drizzle 130ml ice-cold water gradually over the mixture, tossing gently with a bench scraper until a shaggy, cohesive dough begins to form.

Turn the shaggy dough out onto a clean, lightly floured cutting board and press it together into a rough rectangle.

Roll the dough out with a rolling pin into a 15x35 cm rectangle, keeping the edges as straight and square as possible.

Fold the top third of the dough down to the center, then fold the bottom third up over it like a business letter to complete the first turn.

Rotate the folded dough 90 degrees, roll it out again into a 15x35 cm rectangle, and fold into thirds a second time to build layered laminations.

Wrap the laminated pastry block tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at 4°C (39°F) for 45 minutes to firm the butter and relax gluten.

Place the grated yellow onion in a fine mesh strainer set over a small bowl, pressing firmly with the back of a spoon to squeeze out excess liquid.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine 500g ground pork, drained onion pulp, minced garlic, 45g panko breadcrumbs, 1 beaten egg, 6g chopped sage, 4g minced thyme, 15ml Worcestershire sauce, 3g crushed fennel seed, 6g fine sea salt, and 2g cracked black pepper.

Mix the pork filling vigorously by hand for 90 seconds until thoroughly combined and noticeably tacky, then wash hands, cutting board, and prep surfaces thoroughly to prevent raw pork cross-contamination.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

Unwrap the chilled pastry onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out with a rolling pin into a 40x30 cm rectangle approximately 3 mm thick.

Slice the rolled pastry sheet lengthwise down the center using a sharp chef's knife to create two equal 40x15 cm strips.

Divide the chilled meat filling into two equal halves, shaping each portion into a compact 40 cm cylinder running down the center of each pastry strip.

In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg and 15ml whole milk together, then lightly brush the long outer edge of each pastry strip using a pastry brush.

Roll the dry pastry edge tightly over the sausage cylinder toward the egg-washed edge, pressing gently along the overlap to seal the cylinder seam underneath.

Brush the top and sides of both rolls generously with remaining egg wash, then sprinkle evenly with 10g sesame seeds and 2g flaky sea salt.

Trim rough ends, cut each long roll into 8 equal pieces using a sharp chef's knife, and arrange the 16 rolls 3 cm apart on the prepared baking sheet.

Score the top of each roll with two shallow diagonal steam vents using the tip of a chef's knife.

Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 25 to 30 minutes until the pastry is puffed and deep golden brown, and an instant-read digital food thermometer inserted into the center of a roll registers at least 71°C (160°F).

Transfer baked sausage rolls from the baking sheet to a wire cooling rack and rest for 10 minutes to allow juices to redistribute and pastry to crisp before serving.