Great British Baking - Week Eight

It's getting down to the wire on Great British Bake Off- we have sailed on into the quarterfinals and the competition is getting FIERCE. This week was a very fun theme called "Free From Week". Odd wording, but each bake was a different challenge that removed a common ingredient. For the Signature, the bakers had to do a dairy free ice cream sandwich. There were some coconut, soy, and tofu ice creams and some looked absolutely divine!

The Showstopper was a gluten-free Celebration Cake, so the bakers had to use a grain-free substitute (like rice flour, coconut flour, etc) to make a beautiful and intricate cake. And finally- for the Technical Challenge the bakers removed all animal products in order to make a vegan Sausage Roll. I was so excited to make this and got started right away!

The first step was making a vegan puff pastry. I've never made this before but always thought the process looked like fun. Using vegan butter, I made a basic pastry, then grated on even more frozen butter and folded the pastry. After letting it chill, I rolled it out and folded it again. Doing this a few more times adds more and more layers, giving it that flaky texture.

While I waited for the dough to chill again, I made the filling! The fake sausage was made with mushrooms, walnuts, lentils, and tons of spices. It was a pretty simple process and just reminded me of making dinner! It also smelled amazing while I was cooking- you got hints of garlic and dried shiitake mushrooms that mixed with the spices and really made my mouth water.

Once the filling was ready, I rolled out the dough again and cut into individual sizes. I added a scoop of the filling, and folded down the edges. They were sealed and the top brushed with almond milk for a glaze before being baked.

Of course I couldn't relax during the baking- I had a red onion chutney to make! This was delicious and basically just cooked down onions with balsamic vinegar and chilis. Delicious and a perfect complement to the rolls.

The Good

• The puff pastry turned out so well! It was really flaky and baked perfectly.
• The chutney had a good amount of spice without being overwhelming (a la Chrystelle. Luckily I didn't make anyone choke on it!)
• The filling was pretty basic but turned out well!

The "Needs Improving"

• After looking at pictures, I'm pretty sure I folded the roll the wrong way! I did it long ways (like a hot dog) but I think it was supposed to be the other way to make a more square roll instead of a long rectangle.
• The top wasn't evenly golden brown, so I probably could have been more careful with the glazing.
• Probably related to the first issue, but the sides didn't seal very well. I think they were too full so it kind of spilled out.