pains aux raisins

I learnt a few things this week about making "laminated (layered) dough": which according to baking911.com is "the process of encasing butter in dough, and taking it through a series of folds, rolling and turns to produce layers of butter in between sheets of dough". We need to take care to work with the dough in a cool room to prevent the butter from melting and fusing the folds you've so painstakingly rolled and turned. I decided this time to make the "pains aux raisins" with the croissant dough. So I set my alarm for 7.30am this morning to begin rolling the dough that has been rested in the fridge overnight.

first, i rolled it to a 60x30cm rectangle..

and then folded it in three..

refrigerated for 30 minutes, then rolled again!

you need to do this three times to create the many layers of pastry :)

after completing the three turns, 

i rolled the dough out to a 65x35cm rectangle.

spread the creme patissiere and rehydrated sultanas..

and rolled it into one big sausage!

covered it with cling wrap, 

and placed it in the freezer for 45 minutes for ease of cutting!

i then sliced the pastry sausage into 2 cm rounds.. 

and left it in a warm place for 1 hour to rise.

brushed them with egg wash, 

and off they went into the oven @ 170 degrees C for 15 minutes..

.... and here they are!

I am happy with how much the dough expanded

during proofing and cooking time..

look at the difference!

i will be making more of these for this saturday's crafternoon tea market,

where teacups cake stall will be open for business!

18th june, 10am-2pm at the trinity methodist church on 400 new north road.

y'all won't wanna miss out on these!

x