Sourdough Pain Aux Raisins Recipe

If you love homemade croissants, wait until you bite into these Sourdough Pain Aux Raisins! Make this recipe your next delicious challenge! Packed with tips to guide you every step of the way, this recipe will have you whipping up these irresistible French pastries perfectly, even if it's your first time. Trust me, once you taste one, stopping at just one is out of the question!

Jump to:

• Rain Aux Raisins: Often Overlooked? 
• Equipment Needed
• Ingredient Notes
• Step-By-Step Method
• Storage and Freezing
• Christmas Sourdough ebook
• More Sourdough Pastries To Try
• Sourdough Pain Aux Raisins

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Rain Aux Raisins: Often Overlooked? 

Pain Aux Raisins is a classic French pastry that deserves more love! Made with leavened puff pastry (also known as Danish pastry dough or croissant dough), it's rolled with a swirl of raisins and pastry cream.

The buttery layers create a soft, flaky, and absolutely delicious pastry that's the perfect balance of sweet and indulgent. Originating from France, it's a must-try for anyone who enjoys baking or wants to broaden their sourdough horizons beyond bread. And eating refined, irresistible treats!

Equipment Needed

You will need: 

• Stand Mixer With A Dough Hook Attachment (although the dough is quite stiff and can be made in a mixing bowl and kneaded by hand). 
• Baking Parchment (Bacofoil Baking Paper is strong and sturdy). 
• Rolling Pin (Ideally stainless steel or marble - wooden rolling pins stick to the dough). 
• Cling Film (Plastic Wrap).
• Sharp Knife or a pizza cutter. 
• Balloon Whisk.
• Baking Sheets.
• Pastry Brush. 

Ingredient Notes

Here's everything you'll need to make these delicious sourdough Pain Au Raisins. You can find ingredient quantities, full method and nutritional information in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.  

For Détrempé

• strong white bread flour: with a gluten content of at least 12%, which translates into a better rise, and higher water absorption, making the dough easier to roll and better moisture retention, making Pain Aux Raisins flaky but not dry.
• salt. 
• caster sugar: or white granulated sugar. 
• water: using luke warm water will give your dough a head start. 
• milk: we use full-fat UTH milk (whole milk). Again, using lukewarm milk (or milk at room temperature) will speed up the bulk fermentation process slightly. 
• active sourdough starter: 100% hydration, low acidity. 
• unsalted butter: softened. 

For Lamination

• unsalted butter: If you can, use European-style butter, as it has a higher butterfat content compared to American butter.

For Crème Pâtissière:

• caster sugar: also known as superfine sugar. You may also use white granulated sugar. 
• egg yolks: we use large eggs in this recipe. 
• cornflour: a.k.a. corn starch.
• milk: full-fat milk will produce the most decadent result. 
• vanilla bean paste: or seeds from vanilla bean pods. 

For The Filling

• raisins: or sultanas. 
• cinnamon: you may also add a sprinkle of nutmeg.  
• lemon zest: or orange zest. 

For Egg Wash

• egg yolk: small. 
• cream or milk: using double cream (or heavy cream) will give you a lovely deep golden brown colour of your pastries when baked. 

Note you may not need all of the egg wash (you only want a thin layer). 

For Lemon Icing

• icing sugar: also known as powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar. 
• lemon juice: or orange juice to make a more traditional orange icing. 

Step-By-Step Method

I am not going to sugarcoat it. This recipe isn't an easy-breezy one, but it is totally worth it. Sourdough Pain Aux Raisins involve a few different elements: detrempe (or enriched dough), beurrage (or butter lamination), the filling that consists of rich crème pâtissière, raisins and citrus zest and finally, an egg wash and icing. 

Before you Begin

Sourdough Pain Aux Raisins are naturally leavened and don't rely on commercial yeast for the rise of these French pastries. Therefore, it is imperative that you use a strong active sourdough starter. Here are a few tips:

• A sourdough starter that is less acidic will do the best job. That means that your starter must be frequently refreshed before using it to make the laminated pastry. Détrempé (the dough) for pain aux raisins is enriched with milk, butter and a little sugar and will require that little extra oomph of the wild yeast to rise the dough. We recommend you feed a little bit of your starter for 2-3 days in a row before using it to make these pastries. Regular feeds will ensure both low acidity and strong yeast. More on maintaining sourdough starter here.
• Another important thing to remember is that sourdough starter is best when used at its peak (and not once it starts to deflate unless the recipe specifies 'sourdough discard'). Once you feed your starter one last time before making pain aux raisins, leave it in a warm spot for 3-5 hours. It should double (maybe even triple in volume) in that time and you're fine to use it then. If you leave it for longer, your starter may reach its peak and then start deflating. If your starter hasn't doubled within 5 hours at 20-24°C, you may need to keep feeding it for a couple more days. 

Oh, and one last thing, you will need soft butter to add to détrempé, so take it out of the fridge. 

Ok, ready? Let's jump in!

Détrempé

In a bowl of a stand mixer (we absolutely love our Kenwood), fitted with a dough hook attachment, mix the strong flour, salt and sugar. Pour in the water, milk and active sourdough starter. Turn the stand mixer on and knead for 5 minutes at medium speed. The dough will come together into a rather stiff ball (don't expect it to look smooth or elastic at this stage, it may even look a bit dry). Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Run the stand mixer again on medium speed, and start adding 50g of room temperature butter a little bit at a time. Make sure your butter is soft (hard butter will have trouble combining with the dough). Keep the mixer running for around 8-10 minutes until the butter is fully incorporated and you have a smooth dough. It shouldn't be sticky. 

On a clean work surface, using a dough scraper, shape a tight ball, and slash the dough with a very sharp knife (a razor or a dough scorer) in a cross on top of the dough (see photo below). This will help you roll the dough out into a square rather than a circle. 

Bulk Fermentation

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let the dough rise in a warm spot for approx. 4 hours. Ideally, you need a temperature of 21-27° C.

Place the dough in the fridge for another 3-4 hours to finish proving and almost double in size. Finishing with a cold-proof helps roll the dough out later as it will be nice and firm.

Lamination

Butter Parcel

Take the butter out of the fridge in advance so it is soft enough (you want it firm but malleable) to be rolled. Place it on a large sheet of baking parchment (we highly recommend Bacofoil Baking Parchment - it is strong and lasts forever), place another sheet of parchment on top.

Using a rolling pin, gently bash to flatter the butter. Then fold the baking parchment under into a neat 18x18cm (7×7 in) square and roll the butter inside the parchment parcel into all four edges, aiming for the same thickness across (for process photos see below).

Enclosing the butter into the baking parchment square will help you get an even butter square with sharp edges. Still wrapped in the baking parchment, place the butter in the fridge to firm up. This can be done far in advance. 

Encasing Butter in Détrempé

Take the dough out of the fridge and place it onto a lightly floured work surface. Take the butter out of the fridge to soften a little as well (more tips on the temperature of the butter and the dough in the next section). Knock the air out with the bottom of your palm and roll it into a large rectangle around 18x36cm (7x14in). Try to make it even.

Unwrap the butter block. Place the butter in the middle of the dough.

Fold both sides over the butter to meet in the middle. Then pinch the edges of the dough together to seal in the butter. You should now have a 20x20cm (8x8in) butter parcel. Wrap dough in cling film and freeze on a flat surface for 10 minutes.

A Note On Butter and Dough Temperature

An important element of making the flakiest of pain aux raisins is ensuring the butter doesn't melt into the détrempé dough in the lamination process. In order to achieve this, you need your butter and dough of similar temperatures (or the dough slightly colder).

What is more, you don't want the butter too cold either, otherwise, it will brittle instead of creating even layers when you try to roll the pastry. Judging the right temperature of the dough and the butter will come with practice, but if the butter is too hard, just leave it out to soften.

You may also find that your detrempe warms up too much whilst you roll it out. In this case, wrap it up well in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 20 minutes before encasing the butter. It takes a little practice and a bit of in-and-out of the fridge and freezer, but if you get the dough and the butter the same level of softness you will be rewarded with amazing flaky layers, trust me!

Book Fold (Double Fold)

Take the parcel out of the freezer, unwrap and roll the parcel out into a rectangle that's around 20x50cm (8x20in). Make sure your dough isn't sticking to the worktop as you roll: you want the butter encased and the dough may tear if it sticks. Dust with flour if needed. Using a sharp chef's knife or a pizza cutter, cut off any untidy short edges that don't have any butter in them.

Take the short end of the dough and fold it into the centre. Take the other edge of the pastry and fold it into the middle, so that the two edges align in the middle. Then close the two sides as if you're closing a book.

TOP TIP: before you fold the pastry over, make sure to brush off any excess flour that may linger on the surface. 

Wrap the dough in cling film (plastic wrap) and place in the freezer for 15 minutes, then transfer to the fridge for 1 hour. This will slow down the yeast in the dough. Chilling the pastry will also make it easier to roll out as it will contract less. 

Letter Fold (Single Fold or Simple Fold)

Take the dough out of the fridge and place it short edge in front of you on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to 20x50cm (8x20 in) again.

Fold the top third of the dough towards the centre and then the bottom third of the dough over (just like a letter or a pamphlet).

Wrap and place the pastry in the freezer for 15 minutes, then fridge for 4-16 hours. This is needed to slow down the yeast colonies rising the dough. It's not time for that yet 🙂 You can also leave the pastry to chill overnight.

Crème Pâtissière

Whilst the pastry chills, make the pastry cream. 

In a large bowl, using a balloon whisk, beat the sugar, cornflour, egg yolks and a tablespoon of milk. The mixture should be plate and creamy, the sugar should have dissolved completely and there should be no pockets of dry cornflour. 

In a small saucepan, heat the milk over low heat until it starts to gently bubble around the edges. Then swiftly take it off the heat and whisking vigorously, pour the hot milk into the egg mixture until everything is well combined. 

Pour the custard into the reserved milk saucepan and place it over medium heat, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens to resemble thick custard. It should coat the back of a spoon in a thick layer.

Spoon the pastry cream into a medium bowl, place a piece of cling film directly on top of the surface of the custard to prevent the skin from forming and let it cool down to room temperature. Then place it in the fridge until you're ready to use it. Your crème pâtissière will thicken further as it chills. 

Filling and Shaping Rain Aux Raisins

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Once the pastry has chilled sufficiently, take it out of the fridge, unwrap it and roll it out into a square measuring roughly 35x35 cm (14in). 

Using the back of a spoon, smear the creme patisserie over the rolled-out pastry. 

TOP TIP: make sure to leave a 2 cm border that is furthest away from you, as the pastry cream will squeeze out as you roll.

Sprinkle cinnamon all over. Scatter the raisins or sultanas and citrus zest over the crème pâtissière.

Starting from the edge closest to you, roll the pastry into a tight(ish) log, taking care not to squeeze much of the pastry cream out the sides. Place the log seam side down.

Finally, cut the log into 10-12 slices, about 3 cm thick, and lay them on the prepared baking trays cut side up. Make sure to leave at least 5 cm of space around each pastry. 

Second Proof

The optimal temperature for the second proof should be around 23-24°C (any higher and your butter will start melting into the pastry). The humid environment will ensure that the sourdough pains aux raisins won't form a crust on top, preventing the pastries from rising.

Brush large pieces of plastic wrap with a little bit of neutral oil, and cover the sourdough pain aux raisins to prevent them from drying out. Leave them in a warm spot to rise for 4-5 hours. 

The pastries should puff up significantly and the layers should be clearly visible.

*** If Your Kitchen is Very Cold or You Live in a Dry Climate: Boil a kettle of water. Pour the water into an ovenproof dish and place it in the bottom of your cold oven. Close the oven door and let the water steam inside for 10-15 minutes. Before you place the pain aux raisins in the humid oven to proof, make sure it's no hotter than 24°C in there. I also like to cover the pastries with a large sheet of lightly oiled clingfilm, when I proof them this way in the winter months. ***

Egg Wash and Baking

Heat the oven to 190°C. 

In a small bowl, lightly beat an egg yolk and a teaspoon of cream (or milk). 

Brush the risen pastries with the beaten egg mixture. 

TOP TIP: If you want your pastries to have prominent layers of lamination showing on top, consider only brushing the sides of the pain aux raisins, as the egg may seal the layers together.

Bake the pains aux raisins for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and risen. You may need to rotate the trays about ¾ into the baking to ensure even baking.

Glaze

Once baked, remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the pains to firm up on the tray for a few minutes, then transfer them onto a wire rack to cool down completely. 

In the meantime, make a simple glaze by mixing icing sugar with lemon juice. You may need to add more or less lemon juice to create a glaze that is thick but drizzeable. 

Once the pastries have cooled down, drizzle the lemon icing over the sourdough pains aux raisins. Leave the icing to set before enjoying!

Can't be bothered to make a laminated pastry? Try Sourdough Belgian Buns. They are made with simple enriched dough, and rolled with lemon curd and raisin filling, all finished with icing and a cherry on top!

Storage and Freezing

Sourdough pain aux raisins can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, but make sure to keep them away from direct sunlight (ideally in a dark cupboard).

Over time, they will lose their crispy texture, but I personally don't mind it. If you wish, you can store them uniced, then crips them up in the oven again before drizzling with the glaze - they will taste just as if they're freshly baked. 

Sourdough Pain Aux Raisins can be frozen without the icing. Simply wrap each of them individually in plastic wrap, place them in an airtight ziplock bag or a container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw thoroughly, and then place them in the oven to crisp up for 5-6 minutes. 

More Sourdough Pastries To Try

Are you obsessed with making flaky French pastries with your sourdough starter? Oh, I know the feeling. Why not try Sourdough Pain Au Chocolat or Sourdough Cinnamon Cruffins next?

Fancy something savoury? Try Sourdough Cheese Twists, Sourdough Ham and Cheese Croissants and Sourdough Smoked Cheddar and Jalapeño Croissants.