Pain aux raisins

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Soak 120 g raisins in 40 g hot water with 30 g dark rum, if using, for about thirty minutes, then drain well. Plumped raisins stay soft and juicy and will not draw moisture from the cream or burn in the oven. The raisins are ready when they are plump and feel soft when squeezed gently.

   Suggested time: about 30 minutes.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Mix 250 g bread flour, 30 g granulated sugar, 6 g instant yeast and 5 g salt, pour in 70 g whole milk and 60 g water, knead for a few minutes, then add 25 g softened unsalted butter and keep kneading until smooth. The dough does not need to be very elastic, because the folds later will keep developing the gluten. The dough is ready when it is smooth, slightly elastic and no longer sticks to the bowl.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Roll the dough into a flat rectangle, wrap it well and refrigerate for at least an hour. Chilling slows the yeast and brings the dough to the same temperature as the butter. The dough is ready when it is evenly cold and firm to the touch.

   Suggested time: about 60 minutes.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Warm 250 g whole milk, whisk 54 g egg yolks with 50 g granulated sugar and 20 g cornstarch, whisk in the milk, then cook over medium heat, stirring constantly; take it off the heat and add 4 g vanilla extract. Cream for rolled pastries needs to be thicker than cream puff filling so it does not bubble out in the oven. The cream is ready when it is very thick, bubbling in the center and smooth and glossy.

   Medium heat.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Spread the cream on a plate, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate for about an hour. Chilled cream sets up and spreads easily into a thin, even layer. The cream is ready when it is fully cold and holds its shape when scooped.

   Suggested time: about 60 minutes.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Roll 140 g cold unsalted butter between two sheets of parchment into a flat square, set it on one half of the dough, fold the other half over it and press the edges to seal. Cold but pliable butter that matches the firmness of the dough stretches with it into an unbroken layer. The dough is ready when the butter is fully enclosed with no air pockets.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Roll the dough into a long strip, fold it in thirds like a towel, turn it a quarter turn and chill for thirty minutes, then repeat with one more letter fold. Each fold triples the layers of butter, building the crisp, flaky tiers. The dough is right when the edges are square and a cut side shows fine, even streaks of butter.

   Suggested time: about 30 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Roll the dough into a rectangle about 30 by 40 cm and roughly half a centimeter thick, with a long side parallel to the edge of the counter. An even thickness gives rolls of the same size that bake at the same rate. The dough is ready when it is flat, with square corners and no butter breaking through.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Whisk the pastry cream until soft again, spread it evenly over the dough, leaving a strip of about two centimeters bare along the far long edge, then scatter the drained raisins evenly and press them in lightly. The bare strip helps the roll seal shut. The filling is right when it is a thin, even layer with raisins spread all over and no clumps.

   Mark step 9 as done

10. Step 10

    Roll the dough up tightly from the edge closest to you, press the bare edge against the roll, then cut it into twelve slices about three centimeters thick with a sharp knife. A tight roll keeps the spirals from springing open as they rise. The slices are right when they are evenly round with a clear spiral.

    Mark step 10 as done

11. Step 11

    Arrange the slices on a lined baking sheet with the tail tucked underneath, cover loosely and proof in a moderately warm spot for about an hour and a half. Keep the proofing temperature no higher than 26°C so the butter does not melt out of the layers. They are ready when they have grown by almost half and wobble slightly when you shake the tray.

    Suggested time: about 90 minutes.

    Mark step 11 as done

12. Step 12

    Preheat the oven to 190°C when the pastries are nearly proofed, with a rack in the middle. The oven must be really hot when the pastries go in so the butter steams and forms the layers right away. The oven is ready when a thermometer shows the right temperature.

    Mark step 12 as done

13. Step 13

    Beat 50 g eggs with a splash of water and brush it lightly over the exposed dough of each pastry, avoiding the cut sides. Egg that pools on the cut edges glues the layers shut and holds the pastry back from rising. They are right when the dough is lightly and evenly shiny.

    Mark step 13 as done

14. Step 14

    Bake at 190°C for 16 to 20 minutes, rotating the tray once halfway through if your oven heats unevenly. This moderate heat bakes the pastry crisp without drying out the cream inside. They are done when they are a glossy golden brown, the bottoms are deep golden and the cream has colored slightly.

    Bake at 190°C for about 16 to 20 minutes.

    Mark step 14 as done

15. Step 15

    Warm 40 g apricot jam or another light-colored fruit jam with a few drops of water and brush it over the pastries as soon as they come out of the oven. The jam adds an inviting shine and keeps the pastries from drying out. They are finished when the tops glisten and are no longer sticky once cool.

    Mark step 15 as done