Pain Aux Raisins/ Snail Pastry

Pain Aux Raisins, Snail Pastry, Danish Roll, Escargot or however you prefer to call these incredible delicious baked goodies are actually pretty easy to make. In this recipe, I chose to make them with a puff pastry (like the one I used for Croissants or Petit Pain Au Chocolat) just because it is the traditional way of making them. It might be a little time consuming but not complicated at all to realize the puff pastry as I have shown in many of previous my videos. You can opt for the quicker way to just incorporate the butter with the flour and skip the folding steps, but I would result in a less flaky and
more bread-like dough.

Except for the puff pastry which a lot of waiting game since after each fold the dough needs to rest for 30 minutes in the fridge, the rest of this recipe is a lot of fun.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack dry instant yeast (7g)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt (5g)
• 3 Tbsp sugar (45g)
• 1/2 cup milk (125ml)
• 1/2 cup water (125 ml)
• 1 beaten egg
• 2 sticks of butter (230g)
• 2 cups Pastry Cream
• 2 1/2 cups raisins (350g)

Directions:

1. Cover the raisins with cold water and let them soak over night.
2. • For the Puff Pastry combine the dry ingredients, gradually add warm water and milk, add the beaten egg and knead until a smooth ball of dough is formed. Place in a greased ball and let it rise for 1 hour. Meanwhile, place the softened butter between 2 plastic wraps and shape into a square. Put the butter in the fridge to harden. When the dough has doubled in size push the air out with your fingers and cut a cross on the dough. Place butter in the middle of the cross and bring the edges of dough together to cover the butter.
   • FOLDING THE PUFF PASTRY:
                    Roll out the dough into a long rectangle, then:
   
                1. fold it like an envelop: 1 fold
               2. fold it like a book: 1.5 folds
   Place in the fridge for 30 minutes and repeat 6 folds are completed, before placing the dough in the fridge overnight. 
3. Drain, rinse and dry the raisins.
4. Roll out the dough into as thin and large of a rectangle as you can. Spread a thin layer of the pastry cream. Sprinkle the raisins. Roll the dough on itself starting from the larger edge. Finally, with a sharp knife cut 1 inch (2.4 cm) rolls, place in a baking sheet and allow to rise for 1 hour.
5. Brush the rolls with an egg wash (1 egg yolk and 2 tsp milk) and bake in a preheated oven of 400F (200C) for 12 minutes.

BONUS TIP!!

1. In a small sauce pan, bring 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water to a boil to make a syrup. Brush the rolls with the syrup after they are baked and place them back in the over for an extra 2 minutes. This will make them look extra shiny and even more mouthwatering!!!