RECIPE: Small batch of pain aux raisins (6)
I learned how to make them as they are my fiancé’s favourite. This recipé will empower you to create something seriously impressive even if you’ve never attempted it before. The crème pâtissière makes the most divine custard which I love on its own too.
Small Batch Viennoiserie
Pain aux Raisins
Laminated dough, crème pâtissière, rum-soaked raisins
Ingredients
Détrempe
Strong bread flour250g / 8.8oz
Caster sugar35g / 1.2oz
Fine salt5g / ¼ tsp
Instant yeast7g / 2¼ tsp
Whole milk (lukewarm)125ml / ½ cup
Large egg1
Butter Block
Unsalted butter (cold)125g / 4.4oz
Crème Pâtissière
Whole milk250ml / 1 cup
Egg yolks2
Caster sugar40g / 1.4oz
Cornflour20g / 2½ tbsp
Vanilla extract1 tsp
Unsalted butter15g / ½oz
Filling & Glaze
Raisins (rum-soaked)80g / 2.8oz
Apricot jam3 tbsp
Water1 tbsp
· · ·
1
Crème Pâtissière
Make the night before or first thing
Heat 250ml / 1 cup milk in a saucepan until it just begins to steam — don't boil it.
Whisk 2 egg yolks, 40g / 1.4oz sugar, and 20g / 2½ tbsp cornflour in a bowl until pale and smooth.
Pour the hot milk slowly into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly so the eggs don't scramble.
Return everything to the pan over medium heat. Whisk continuously until it thickens into a proper custard — about 2 minutes of active whisking.
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and 15g / ½oz butter until melted through.
Press cling film directly onto the surface of the custard (not the bowl) to stop a skin forming. Refrigerate until completely cold.
→
Press cling film onto the custard itself, not stretched across the bowl — direct contact prevents a skin
💡 Why this matters
Cold custard is essential — warm crème pat will melt through the laminated layers and ruin the structure of the pastry.
2
Make the Dough
The détrempe — your base
Combine 250g / 8.8oz flour, 35g / 1.2oz sugar, 5g / ¼ tsp salt, and 7g / 2¼ tsp yeast in a large bowl.
Add 125ml / ½ cup lukewarm milk and 1 egg. Mix until it comes together into a shaggy dough.
Knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. It should bounce back when you poke it.
Shape into a rectangle roughly 15×20cm / 6×8in, wrap tightly in cling film, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3
Prepare the Butter Block
Cold but pliable — that's the sweet spot
Place 125g / 4.4oz cold butter between two sheets of baking paper.
Bash it with a rolling pin, then fold and bash again until you have a flat, pliable square roughly 12×12cm / 5×5in.
It should be cold but bendable — not rock hard, not soft. If it's gone warm, pop it back in the fridge for 5 minutes.
💡 Temperature check
The butter and dough need to be at a similar firmness. If the butter is too cold it'll crack through the dough; too warm and it'll melt in.
4
Laminate
Three turns — this is where the magic happens
Roll the chilled dough out to roughly 25×15cm / 10×6in. Place the butter block on one half, fold the other half over, and pinch the edges shut.
→
Place butter on one half → fold dough over → pinch all edges shut
Turn 1 → Roll to 40×15cm / 16×6in. Fold in thirds like a letter (bottom up, top down). Rotate 90°. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Turn 2 → Roll out again to 40×15cm / 16×6in. Fold in thirds again. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Turn 3 → Repeat one final time — roll, fold in thirds, wrap, chill for 30 minutes.
→
↻ 90°
Roll out long → fold bottom ⅓ up, top ⅓ down → rotate 90° → chill → repeat ×3
⚠️ If the butter breaks through
Stop immediately, dust with flour, and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes. Don't try to push through — you'll lose your layers.
5
Shape
Roll, fill, spiral, slice
Roll the laminated dough out to a rectangle roughly 35×25cm / 14×10in, about 4mm thick.
Spread cold crème pâtissière evenly over the surface, leaving a 1cm / ½in border along one long edge.
Scatter the drained, rum-soaked raisins over the custard.
Starting from the long edge opposite the border, roll the dough up tightly into a log. Keep it snug but not so tight it tears.
Use a sharp knife to cut into 6 even rounds, each about 5–6cm / 2–2½in wide.
Place cut-side up on a lined baking tray, spaced apart. Flatten each one gently with your palm.
→
→
Spread custard + scatter raisins → roll into tight log → cut 6 rounds → place spiral-side up on tray
6
Prove
Patience makes the pastry
Cover loosely with cling film or a damp tea towel.
Leave in a warm spot for 45–60 minutes. They should puff up to roughly 1.5× their size and feel visibly lighter.
Don't rush this. Underproofed = dense and doughy. If your kitchen is cold, give them longer.
45–60 min →
They should visibly puff — roughly 1.5× their original size, lighter and pillowy to touch
7
Bake
190°C / 375°F · 18–22 minutes
Preheat oven to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan / 340°F fan).
Bake for 18–22 minutes until deep golden brown on top. The layers on the sides should look set and flaky.
They'll puff up more in the oven — that's the lamination at work.
8
Glaze
The patisserie finish
While still hot from the oven, warm 3 tbsp apricot jam with 1 tbsp water in a small pan until smooth and runny.
Brush generously over each pastry. This gives them the shine and tacky sweetness you get from a proper bakery.
⏱ Timing Plan
Night before
Make crème pâtissière, soak raisins in rum, refrigerate both
T + 0h
Make the dough, shape into rectangle, chill 1 hour
T + 1h
Prepare butter block, begin lamination — 3 turns with 30-min rests between each
T + 3h
Roll out, spread custard, scatter raisins, roll, and slice into 6
T + 3.5h
Prove for 45–60 minutes in a warm spot
T + 4.5h
Bake 18–22 min, glaze while hot, eat immediately
🥃 Rum-soaked raisins
Makes a noticeable difference. Even 30 minutes in dark rum plumps them up and adds a warmth you won't get from water.
✨ Don't skip the glaze
It's the difference between "homemade pastry" and "this could be from a patisserie." Two minutes of effort, massive payoff.
🔄 Reheating
Leftovers reheat well in a 160°C / 320°F oven for 5 minutes. Microwave makes the pastry go limp — avoid it.