A fakeaway Steak Bake: diced beef slow-cooked in a peppery gravy, sealed in two layers of ready-rolled puff pastry. Make the filling ahead and the bakes take about 45 minutes on the day.
Estimate. Prices vary by location; tax and delivery fees are not included. Pantry staples (salt, oil…) are not included.
Ingredients
bakes
Filling
Pantry
Pantry
Pantry
Pastry
Pantry staples are not included in the cost estimate.
Ingredient cost
Homemade
~$15.11
for 4
(~$3.78 each)
Homemade
~£8.46
for 4
(~£2.12 each)
Method quantities are for the original 4 bakes.
Kitchen gear
Heavy pan with a lid
Baking sheet, lined with parchment
Pastry brush
Method
Toss the beef with the flour, the black pepper and a pinch of salt until coated.
Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat and brown the beef in two batches, about 4 minutes per batch. Lower the heat, add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft.
5 min
Pour in the stock and Worcestershire sauce and scrape up the browned bits. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low for about 1½ hours, until the beef is tender. Take the lid off for the last 15 minutes so the gravy thickens and clings to the meat.
1 hr 30 min
Taste, add salt and more pepper, then spread the filling on a plate and chill for at least 1 hour, until cold.
1 hr
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C), or 180°C fan. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Unroll the pastry and cut each sheet into 4 equal rectangles, giving 8 pieces.
Lay 4 rectangles on the sheet. Spoon a quarter of the filling onto each, leaving a ½ in (1 cm) border. Brush the border with egg, lay the other rectangles on top and press the edges with a fork to seal.
Brush the tops with egg, score a shallow criss-cross pattern with a knife and cut a small slit in each so steam can escape.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until puffed and deep golden. Rest for 5 minutes before eating: the filling is very hot.
25 min
Tips for a closer clone
The filling must be fridge-cold before it goes on the pastry, or the fat in the pastry melts and the layers stay flat.
Keep the gravy thick. If it is still runny after simmering, boil it uncovered for a few minutes.
Be generous with black pepper. It is the flavor most people remember.
Freeze unbaked bakes on a tray, then bag them. Bake from frozen at the same temperature for about 35 minutes, until piping hot in the middle.
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About this dupe
What makes it taste like the original
A thick, glossy gravy with plenty of black pepper, small cubes of tender beef and onion, and a flat rectangle of puff pastry that shatters at the edges. The filling has to be cold before it meets the pastry, or the layers will not rise.
UK and US
Greggs is a UK bakery, so this one is written for UK kitchens first. In the US, use beef stew meat or chuck, beef broth instead of a stock cube, and a box of frozen puff pastry sheets. US sheets are a little smaller than the UK 320 g sheet, so the bakes come out slightly smaller.
Vs the original
The Steak Bake is on the Greggs menu in its UK shops (checked October 2026). This version makes 4 bakes of a similar size; prices vary by shop.
Where this recipe comes from
Untested: a starting point written with AI help and checked against our recipe rules. Nobody has cooked it yet. Make it, rate how close it gets, and tell us what you changed. How we label recipes
