Steak Bakes

For my readers in the UK, this is just like the classic steak bake from Greggs. For those not familiar with steak bakes and/or Greggs, a steak bake is essentially chunks of beef in gravy baked in puff pastry. Greggs is also the best bakery in the world. Follow me…

Homemade Steak Bakes

One of the key ingredients is obviously beef. What we’re looking for is soft and tender pieces of beef inside the pastry. To get that, we need to consider the following:

Cut of beef – you’ll want to use a cut of beef that is suitable for stewing/slow-cooking i.e. beef chuck. Size of chunks – the beef should be diced into very small cubes to avoid large, tougher chunks of meat. Cooking time – the beef is cooked slowly to give time for the meat to tenderize.

If you’re in any doubt about the cut of beef you need to use just ask the butcher for the best kind of beef to slow-cook, braise or stew. It’ll likely be a little marbled (which is good); just slice off any large bits of fat. Process shots: lay meat on chopping board (photo 1), dice into very small cubes (photo 2), add to bowl (photo 3), season all over with salt & pepper (photo 4).

Beef and Gravy

Okay, here’s where the magic happens. First thing you’ll want to do is fry the beef (just to develop some flavour). You can then remove the beef and fry off some onion & garlic, which will offer a nice base flavour for the gravy.

Red Wine

Just like my Red Wine Onion Gravy, you’ll want to add some red wine to give the gravy a gorgeous depth of flavour. Doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just so long as it’s not sweet.

Other Goodies

The base of the gravy is made with beef stock, but to pack in some more flavour we’re going to throw in some Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and a beef Oxo cube (or bouillon). All of this gently simmered with the beef is going to result in the most delicious, rich gravy.

How long do I need to simmer the beef?

I find 80mins hits the sweet spot. Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to this as you need to slowly break down the meat so it doesn’t end up chewy inside the pastry! You also want to give time for the gravy to develop and deepen its flavour. Alongside this, you need to simmer down the gravy until it’s very thick. Process shots: fry beef then remove (photo 1), fry onion and garlic (photo 2), stir in flour (photo 3), stir in wine (photo 4), stir in beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and Oxo (photo 5), add beef and simmer until very thick (photo 6).

Puff Pastry Steak Bakes

Once the beef is done, it’s really important to let it cool, at least to room temp. If you try and load the pastry with a warm filling it’s going to steam the pastry and make it really difficult to work with.

Puff Pastry

I don’t know about you, but homemade puff pastry is just not on my horizon after simmering beef for over an hour. Store-bought pre-rolled puff pastry works a treat here. I recommend Jus-Roll, as I find it to be the easiest to handle (doesn’t get too sticky or brittle). Process shots: slice pastry (photo 1), add beef and brush around with egg wash (photo 2), fold over and crimp with a fork (photo 3), trim with knife then brush with egg wash (photo 4), add to baking tray (photo 5), bake (photo 6).

Can I make the filling ahead of time?

Yes! Just allow it to cool then tightly store it in the fridge for a couple of days until needed.

Can I prepare these ahead of time?

You can prepare them up until the egg wash then tightly store them on the tray inside the fridge until needed, or, freeze them then thaw in the fridge and continue with egg wash & baking.

Can I fully make them ahead of time?

You can bake them then let them completely cool and tightly store them in the fridge. You can then either reheat in the oven, or blast in the microwave and bake for a shorter time (more on this in the recipe card below). You can also freeze, then thaw in the fridge and continue as above.

Serving Steak Bakes

So I typically serve these fresh for Dinner, usually with a side of Wedges or something. I then freeze leftovers and reheat them for Lunch whenever the craving hits! For more Greggs inspired recipes check out my Cheese & Onion Pasties, Sausage, Cheese & Bean Melts and Cheese & Bacon Turnovers! Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these steak bakes shall we?!