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–+ servings
Danish pastry spirals with raisins on a wooden tray.

Raisin Danish Pastry Spirals - Pain Aux Raisins

Author: Veena Azmanov
5 from 11 votes
Prep Time: 1 hr
Cook Time: 25 mins
Chilling time: 6 hrs
Total Time: 7 hrs 25 mins
Calories: 305kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 24 Spirals

Description

These danish pastry spirals use the classic danish pastry dough. Then, filled with pastry cream and rum-soaked raisins. The laminated dough results in a rich, buttery, tender yet flaky pastry.

Ingredients 

Danish dough

Butter block

Pastry cream

Rum raisins

  • ¾ cup (100 g) Raisins
  • ½ cup (120 ml) Rum (or water)

Apricot glaze

  • ½ cup (120 ml) Apricot jam
  • ¼ cup (60 ml) Water

Plus

  • 1 Egg beaten

Instructions

Pastry cream

  • In a heavy bottom saucepan, add the egg yolks, sugar, flour, vanilla. Combine until smooth.
  • Gradually add the milk and cream stirring with a whisk to prevent lumps.
  • Then, place on medium heat - cook stirring continuously until thick and coats the back of a wooden spoon.
  • Strain through a sieve or mesh to remove any curdled eggs.
  • Cover with a plastic wrap making sure the plastic touches the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin.
  • Chill in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours.
    Tip - You do want to ensure this pastry cream is thicker than pouring consistency - so it will be spreading consistency when cooled.

Raisins

  • Soak the raisins in rum for 4 hours up to overnight. Drain well before using it

Apricot glaze

  • Heat the apricot jam and water on low heat until dissolved.
  • Strain through a sieve - set aside until ready to use.
  • If necessary, warm in the microwave for 10 seconds before using it.

Danish dough

  • Dry ingredients - Combine flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment
  • Yeast mixture - In a measuring cup, combine milk, sugar, yeast, egg, and vanilla.
  • Add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture. Combine on medium-high until all flour is incorporated. Knead a minute more.
  • Then, gradually add the room temperature butter one tablespoon at a time.
  • Once all the butter is in, knead for 3 minutes on medium (or 5 to 7 minutes by hand). The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
  • Remove from the mixer bowl, shape into a ball. Place in an oil bowl and chill for 15 minutes.

Butter blocks

  • Use parchment paper to create a template 12 x 6-inches. (see video) - set aside.
  • In the same mixer bowl with the paddle attachment (no need to wash), cream the butter and flour just until combined.
  • Transfer the creamed butter to the prepared parchment paper template.
  • Spread evenly with an off-set spatula. Use a rolling pin to guide the butter inside the template towards the corners (see video)
  • Use a ruler to mark the butter at 6 inches so you can late use this as two 6 x 6-inch blocks (see video). Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Laminate the dough

  • Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll to a long rectangle 7 x 18-inches
  • Open the butter block and divide the butter into 2 at the mark you created. Now you should have two - 6 x 6-inch butter blocks.
  • Place one butter block over the center. Fold one side over.
  • Then, place the second butter block on top and fold the other side over.
  • Wrap the dough - chill for 15 minutes.

Folds / turn

  • Roll the chilled pastry dough into a rectangle - with the short side facing you.
  • Roll to a rectangle approximately 6 x 12-inches.
  • First fold - Fold the dough lengthways into thirds like a business letter (see video).
  • Wrap and place into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
  • Roll the dough lengthways again with the short side facing you - (see video) to about 6 x 12-inch long again.
  • Second fold - Fold the dough into thirds again like a business letter (see video).
  • Place in the fridge for 30 minutes if necessary.
  • Then, roll the dough again lengthways with the short side facing you to about 6 x 12-inches long.
  • Third fold - Fold the dough one last time into thirds again like a business letter (see video).
  • Chill in the fridge for at least two hours or until well chilled. This can be chilled for up to 48 hours.
  • Roll the dough into a 6 x 12-inches rectangle. Divide into two. Place one in the fridge while you work on the second one.

Shape the dough

  • Roll the dough to about 10 x 12-inch rectangle.
  • Spread a generous amount of pastry cream over the dough. Sprinkle the soaked and drained raisins. Roll the dough (like a jelly roll).
  • Cut into 1 ½-inch slices, (about 12). Cut half, then each half into half until you have 12 pieces.
  • Place on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking tray
  • Cover the Danish with a clean kitchen cloth - let poof for 45 minutes.

Bake the danish

  • Preheat the oven at 190 C / 375 F.
  • Brush the danish pastries with beaten egg.
  • Bake in the hot oven for 20 to 25 minutes until rich golden brown.
  • Cool on the tray for 10 minutes,
  • Then, glaze them with the prepared apricot glaze.
  • Danish pastries are best enjoyed on the day they are baked. But, they do freeze well too.

Recipe Notes

 

Tips for making homemade danish pastry spirals

  1. Knead the dough soft, not firm consistency. This will make it easier to roll. So, avoid adding too much flour.
  2. Chill the dough well before lamination, this will help the butter in the dough chill and make it easier to roll.
  3. When laminating the dough, ensure the butter is cold but not hard. Seal the butter properly so it does not come out.
  4. While chilling the dough is important, overchilling can cause the butter to shatter into pieces when rolling.
  5. Fold the dough - for the purpose of home baking we have used the classic book fold. This is done three times for croissants and danish pastry. There are other types of folds that we will cover in future recipes.
  6. It is very important to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes between folds so the butter is cold but still spreadable not hard.
  7. When the dough is done, after folding three times, the dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
    Alternatively, you can freeze it for up to 3 months. I divide my dough into 2 and use one portion at a time.
  8. Don't roll the dough too thin. This will give you more pastries but the layers will be lost.
 
Recipe adapted - Adapted from King Arthur Flour, The bread bakers apprentice, Flour water salt and yeast
Nutrition Information
Calories: 305kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 4gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 92mgSodium: 337mgPotassium: 106mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 606IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

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