PAIN AUX RAISINS

Here is our updated version of a French breakfast classic, known in Australia as a ‘snail’. Early in the morning, we often find the pale English face of our friend Alan Benson (best food photographer in the world, but average at people — just look at our head shot!) squashed up against our fogged-up shop window, trying to force his way in to eat trays of these, his favourite pastry. Alan, thanks for making this book visually delectable!

You’ll need to plan ahead for these, making the fruit mix and crème pâtissière at least one day in advance.

Makes 40

1 quantity Croissant dough

250 g (9 oz/1 cup)Crème pâtissière

1 quantityEgg wash

icing sugar mixture, for dusting

FRUIT MIX

900 g (2 lb) sultanas (golden raisins)

300 g (10½ oz) currants

1.75 litres (61 fl oz/7 cups) boiling water

100 g (3½ oz/ ½ cup) soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon mixed (pumpkin pie) spice

To make the fruit mix, put the sultanas and currants in a mixing bowl. Pour the boiling water over and set aside to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight, or for up to 3 days.

Drain the fruit, then add the sugar and mixed spice, stirring to combine. Set aside.

Take the rested croissant dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a rectangle measuring about 35 x 100 cm (14 x 39½ inches), and about 3.5 mm (¹/₈ inch) thick. This may take quite a lot of energy, as the dough may keep springing back to its original size. If this happens, rest the dough in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, then resume rolling. This resting process may need to be done a number of times. If the dough is becoming too large to fit in the fridge, simply fold it over and place on a tray before chilling it.

Cut the dough in half, into two 35 x 50 cm (14 x 20 inch) rectangles. Place the dough on baking trays lined with baking paper and rest in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

Lay one sheet of dough on a lightly floured work surface, with the longer edges running away from you. Spread the crème pâtissière evenly over the dough, spreading all the way to the edges. Top with half the fruit, spreading it evenly over the dough, leaving a 2–3 cm (1 inch) gap at the end. Over the years we have increased the quantity of fruit significantly, so be careful when rolling the dough, as there is a lot of fruit to manage here. Starting with the edge closest to you, start to roll the dough tightly away from you, as if rolling up a newspaper for delivery.

Wrap the log in baking paper and place in the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up. Repeat with the remaining sheet of dough.

Remove the baking paper from both logs and place them on a clean work surface, with the seam underneath. Cut each log into slices about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick. Take each slice and tuck the tail end under, then place back onto the lined baking trays, with the tails underneath, at well-spaced intervals. (At this point you could store some of your rolls in the freezer for a few weeks. When you’re ready to use them, place them in the fridge overnight, then early next morning, simply prove and bake as directed below.)

Cover loosely with a damp tea towel or damp muslin (cheesecloth). Set aside in a warm room (about 26–28°C/ 79–82°F) for 2–3 hours, or until almost doubled in size. Spray the cloth with water occasionally if it becomes dry.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

Lightly brush the top of each roll with egg wash and place in the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake for 13–15 minutes, or until deeply golden.

Cool slightly on the trays before dusting with icing sugar.

NOTE

You can vary this recipe to include almost any fruit. For an Apple cinnamon pain aux raisins replace the sultanas with the same weight of apple, cut into 5 mm (¼ inch) dice, and add another ¼ teaspoon cinnamon; everything else remains the same. Or you can replace only half the weight of the sultanas with diced green apples, such as granny smith.