Homemade Pains aux Raisins: Sweetness in Every Bite

Table of Contents

Homemade Pains aux Raisins

Homemade pains aux raisins are delightful French pastries full of raisins and pastry cream.

Take a large bowl and combine the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar.
Whisk together the eggs, warm milk, and softened butter in another bowl.
Slowly add the dry and wet ingredients, stirring until a dough forms.
On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 8–10 minutes until it becomes elastic and smooth.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and allow it to rise in a warm place for 1–1.5 hours or until it has doubled in size.

Soak the raisins in warm water for about 10 minutes in a small bowl, and then drain well.
In a separate bowl, mix the drained raisins with cinnamon and sugar, set aside.

Heat the milk in a saucepan until it just starts to boil.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, vanilla extract, and egg yolks until smooth.
Slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking continuously.
Pour the mixture into the saucepan again and stir constantly over medium heat until it thickens. Turn off the heat and let it cool.

Roll out the risen dough into a rectangle that is 1/4 inch thick.
Evenly spread the dough over the chilled pastry cream, and then top with the raisin filling.
To form circles, tightly roll the dough from the longer edge. Cut into slices, about 1-1.5 inches thick.
Arrange the slices on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, allowing space between each roll. Cover and let it rise for 30 minutes.
Adjust the oven temperature to 375°F or 190°C. Bake the pains aux raisins for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
For a glossy finish, heat the apricot jam or preserves and spread them over the warm rolls.
Before serving, let the pains aux raisins cool slightly. Enjoy these delightful French pastries!