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Whenever we visit or travel through Denmark, one thing the kids always want is pølsehorn. They are the Danish version of a sausage roll but with a slightly less fatty pastry. Pølsehorn are to be found in every food stop, stall and service station and although they vary slightly from place to place the premise is basically the same. A frankfurter sausage (or half a sausage) is smeared in tomato ketchup and wrapped in a dough blanket. They are frequently sprinkled with sesame seeds or herbs and are a great snack, leaning a little more towards the healthy end of the spectrum than a bar of chocolate or a packets of crisps.
So I wanted to share my own version with you. My dough is a nice easy mixture that uses baking powder instead of yeast and so you knock out a few pølsehorn in a matter of about 30 minutes without having to wait for your dough to rise. If you decide against the ketchup filling you can always substitute with some mustard or a little chilli sauce, or whatever you have in the fridge. Let your imagination go wild and make them your own!
Danske Pølsehorn (makes about 20)
Ingredients
340g/12 oz flour
115g/4 oz butter
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
About 300ml/9fl oz milk or water
Tomato ketchup or other sauce of your choice (about 1/2 teaspoon per pølsehorn)
10 hotdog sausages
Beaten egg for glazing
A few sprinkles for the top such as sesame seeds, dried herbs or paprika
Method
Preheat oven to 180C/360F
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and rub in the butter until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Gradually add enough cold milk or water to make a pliable but not too soft dough. If you find you have added too much water it is OK to add a bit more flour to the mix. Put the dough to one side to rest.
Whilst the dough is resting cut the hotdog sausages in half and get out the ketchup or whichever filling you have decided upon.
On a floured surface, knead the dough gently and out to a few millimetres thick and cut into rectangles about 10cm/4" x 15cm/6" and then cut diagonally to make triangles. Spread some of the ketchup on the wide end of the triangle, place a half sausage on the longer end and roll up. It'll look a little like a croissant. Place on a baking tray that you have either greased or lined with baking paper. Continue with the rest of the pølsehorn. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with your choice of herbs or seeds and bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. When they are cooked they will be a a nice golden brown and slightly puffy.
Cool slightly before eating.
Pølsehorn keep nicely until the next day and are a great for for trips and picnics.
Vær så god!
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