Pain Aux Raisins Recipe

Activate yeast

Whisk the warm milk (about 105–115°F / 40–46°C) with 1 tsp of the granulated sugar and the active dry yeast in a small bowl. Let sit 5–8 minutes until foamy.

Make dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, remaining sugar (approx. 2 tbsp) and salt. Add the foamed yeast mixture, the room-temperature egg (lightly beaten), and 2 tbsp softened butter. Mix on low until ingredients come together, then increase to medium and knead 4–6 minutes until a smooth, slightly tacky but not sticky dough forms. If dough is too dry, add up to 1 tbsp water; if too sticky, dust with a little flour.

First chill

Shape the dough into a rectangle about 1-inch thick, wrap in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator 30–45 minutes until firm but still pliable.

Prepare butter block

While dough chills, place the 10 tbsp cold unsalted butter between two sheets of parchment and bash/roll into a 7x6-inch rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Keep chilled in the fridge until dough is ready; butter should be cold but pliable.

Laminate (turns)

On a lightly floured surface, roll chilled dough to about 10x8 inches. Place the butter block centered on the dough and fold the dough over: fold top third down, bottom third up (letter fold) to fully enclose butter. Seal edges. Roll the package gently to a rectangle roughly 12x8 inches, then perform a single letter fold (fold top third down, bottom third up). Wrap and chill 20–30 minutes. Repeat roll to 12x8 inches and another single letter fold. Wrap and chill again 20–30 minutes. This gives two single turns (total 4 layers).

Final chill

After the last fold, chill the laminated dough at least 1 hour (or overnight) until firm enough to roll thinly for shaping. Cold dough laminates better and prevents butter leakage during baking.

Soak raisins

Place the golden raisins in a small bowl and pour 3 tbsp dark rum (or warm water) over them. Let soak 15–20 minutes, then drain and reserve any liquid if using water or rum (you can fold 1 tsp into the pastry cream for extra flavor).

Roll and spread

Remove chilled laminated dough and roll on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 12x10 inches and roughly 1/8–3/16 inch thick. Trim the edges so sides are straight. Spread the cup of vanilla pastry cream evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border on a long edge. If you reserved rum/water, fold 1 tsp into the pastry cream before spreading.

Add raisins

Evenly scatter the drained raisins over the pastry cream layer.

Roll into logs

Starting from the long edge opposite the border, roll the dough tightly but gently into a log. Use the border edge to seal the seam. Chill the log seam-side down in the refrigerator 20–30 minutes to firm up for easier slicing.

Slice and arrange

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment. Using a sharp serrated knife, trim both ends of the log and cut into 12 equal slices (about 1-inch thick). Place slices cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch between each.

Egg wash

Whisk together 1 egg with 1 tsp cold water until smooth. Lightly brush the exposed pastry edges of each slice with egg wash, avoiding excess wash pooling in the center.

Bake

Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 18–22 minutes, rotating the sheet once halfway, until the rolls are puffed and deeply golden-brown and the laminated layers are visible. If the tops brown too quickly, tent lightly with foil for the last few minutes.

Glaze

Warm the apricot jam with 1 tsp water in a small saucepan or microwave until fluid. Strain if needed to remove fruit bits. Lightly brush the warm glaze over the hot pastries as soon as they come out of the oven to give a shiny finish. Let cool on a rack 10–15 minutes before serving. If desired, dust very lightly with powdered sugar.