Breakfast or dessert? My dairy free pain aux raisins are worth the wait. From the laminated pastry dough to the silky smooth creme patissiere and then drizzled lovingly with orange icing. This recipe does not disappoint! Inspired by Season 13 of the Great British Bake Off and adapted to suit allergy baking.
Why I Made This Recipe
I’ve always wanted to try making laminated dough so I was thrilled when Pain Aux Raisins were announced as the third technical challenge for Season 13 of the Great British Baking Show (also known as the Great British Bake Off).
This is a popular breakfast pastry in Europe and I adapted the recipe that the bakers made in the show to suit our allergies and to reflect the tips I picked up while remaking their challenge. You can find the original recipe by Paul Hollywood on the Bake Off website.
Why You Should Make This
If you love pastries for breakfast or are simply curious about making dairy-free laminated dough, this is a great recipe to try. I break down the recipe into easily achievable steps and trust me, this recipe is worth the work.
Pain aux raisins are perfect to enjoy with your morning cup of tea or coffee or even for an afternoon treat. To see how these are made, check out my step-by-step video on the recipe card and also my FAQ section for more tips and questions. Grab yourself a cuppa as this is a long, detailed post.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This is a dairy-free pastry with an easy gluten-free substitution. I have not experimented with this recipe to alter it for vegan diets. Read on for my suggestions and also see my FAQs for more recipe tips.
As there are multiple different elements that we need to make for this treat, I’ve included 4 separate ingredient listings: pastry, creme patissiere, filling and icing.
For the Laminated Pastry:
Flour: I am using strong white bread flour to maintain structure. To make this recipe gluten-free, I recommend using a gluten-free All Purpose Flour substitute. From my research, King Arthur Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour (available on Amazon) comes highly recommended for yeast baked goods recipes.
Sugar: to add sweetness and a caramel undertone, I am using golden yellow sugar (also known as golden caster sugar). Sub with white sugar if you prefer.
Liquids: My go-to milk for baking is plant-based almond milk, which reacts well with baked goods (similar to whole dairy milk). Substitute with whichever milk you normally bake with. Water is also being used to help bind the pastry.
Butter: I am using unsalted plant-based butter to enrich the dough. Sub with dairy butter if you are not dairy intolerant.
Yeast/Salt: these two ingredients are essential to help create the puff pastry. I have not tried this recipe with instant yeast.
Egg: one egg adds richness and moisture which helps to bind the pastry. I have not experimented with a vegan version of this recipe (yet! It’s on my to-do list to attempt over winter). The second egg is used to glaze the pastries before baking.
For the Creme Patissiere:
This is a dairy-free creme that is used as part of the filling for the pastries. I have not experimented with a vegan option for the creme pat.
Liquid: I am using plant-based milk and egg yolks as the liquid base for the creme pat. Sub with dairy milk if you are not dairy-free.
Cornflour: acts as a thickening agent for the creme patissiere.
Sugar: white sugar adds sweetness. I do not recommend using golden or brown sugar unless you want to change the flavour profile.
Flavouring: vanilla bean paste is added for a traditional creme patissiere flavour.
For the Filling:
Raisins: you can sub with currants if you prefer
Orange Zest: adds an extra zing to the filling
Cinnamon: perfect for adding a warming spice to the pastry.
For the Icing:
This is a simple orange glaze that uses icing sugar and orange juice. Ensure that you use smooth (no bits) orange juice.
How to Make Pain Aux Raisins
There are multiple steps to make this recipe. Start by gathering all of your supplies and ingredients. Ensure that the eggs, milk, and 25 grams of butter are at room temperature before starting the recipe. The remaining butter should remain in the fridge until you are ready to start the lamination process.
Pastry Dough
Let’s start with making the enriched laminated dough for the pain aux raisin. Rub together 25 grams of butter and bread flour to form a breadcrumb consistency. To that add the golden yellow sugar, yeast, and salt and stir together. In a separate bowl or jug, stir together the warm water, plant-based milk, and one egg together then add that to the flour mixture.
Combine either by hand or using a stand mixer (I chose the latter). I find that the dough hook with the stand mixer works perfectly well whenever you’re making pastry as you can leave it kneading (and grab a coffee/tea) and then come back to it when it’s ready.
Turn onto a floured surface and give it a quick knead, adding more flour if it feels particularly sticky (especially if you live in a humid climate). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap (cling film) and pop it in the fridge for 1 hour. This will allow the gluten to develop.
Creme Patissiere
While that is chilling, make the creme patissiere. Add white sugar, egg yolks, cornflour (corn starch) and 1 tablespoon of milk into a bowl then mix together with a hand mixer or wooden spoon.
This will very quickly combine into a pale and creamy liquid.
Add the remaining plant-based milk and the vanilla bean paste to a saucepan and heat over a medium heat until it starts to boil.
Pour into the egg mixture while continuously stirring. Top tip – don’t stop stirring as it will cause the eggs to scramble! Once combined, pour all of the mixture back into the saucepan and then keep stirring it again until it forms a nice thick custard. Take the saucepan off the heat and pour the creme into another bowl. You can see how nice and silky smooth it looks.
Add a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the creme and allow it to cool down at room temperature for 10 minutes. Then pop the bowl into the fridge until it has completely cooled and set.
Lamination
This may seem like the most intimidating stage of making this recipe but honestly, I had the most fun during this stage and I hope you will as well. Lamination creates buttery layers that add flakiness to the pastry. Take your 225 grams block of butter from the fridge which should still be hard at this stage and beat it and roll it between parchment paper until you get a nice flat surface measuring 33 by 19 centimetres.
Note – I had never done this before when I first created this recipe and recommend that you do not stress out about trying to roll the correct shape. If you watch the video, you’ll see that I ended up trimming the butter and adding pieces where it was misshapen. Once rolled out, pop the butter slab back in the fridge as it needs to firm up again.
Remove the pastry dough from the fridge and knead lightly on a floured surface. Roll out to roughly 50 by 20cm then lay the slab of butter on top so that it covers two-thirds of the pastry dough.
Next we are going to fold the dough to encase the butter. Take one third of the dough and fold it over as shown below so that it covers half of the butter.
Then take the last third and fold it over so that the edge lines up. The butter will soften as you are folding so don’t worry if it seems hard to fold it. Wrap the dough back up in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Repeat the rolling and folding process and chill in the fridge for another 20 minutes. Reroll and fold one last time then reroll the dough to a 30cm square.
Now it’s time to start adding the filling. Start by spreading the creme patissiere onto the dough. I recommend using a cranked spatula to ensure that you spread it evenly.
Top with raisins, orange zest, and cinnamon.
Finally, it’s time to roll up the dough. If you’ve ever made cinnamon rolls before, this is the same process. Start rolling from the furthest edge into a tight spiral (also like a Swiss roll) and tuck in the edges. Don’t worry if some of the filling oozes out the sides. Just wipe that off so that it doesn’t burn when the pastries are baking.
Cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces then add to parchment paper lined baking sheets. Make sure you evenly space them because they will spread a little bit as they bake now. When you place each pastry on the parchment paper, tuck the little cut piece of dough underneath. Clean up any additional filling that has seeped out (don’t worry – it happens!). Cover the baking trays loosely with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow to prove for an hour in a warm area.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit then give the pastries a quick egg wash with a beaten egg.
Bake for approx 20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool completely (and try not the eat them right away!).
Let’s have a close look at the lamination and caramelization underneath! Gorgeous.
Finishing Touches
In a small bowl or jug, combine the orange juice and icing sugar. The icing needs to be at a slightly pipeable consistency so that it won’t run off the sides of the pastries.
Transfer the icing to a tipless piping bag, snip off the end, and pipe over the pain aux raisins. Don’t they look so inviting!
These dairy-free pain aux raisins are a great way to start your day. Why not make them on a Saturday to enjoy for a lazy Sunday breakfast or even as a grab-and-go breakfast for the start of the week? Perfection.
Common Pastry Questions
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave if desired (they are so good warmed up the day after baking!).
Absolutely. Check out my ingredients guide for substitution tips.
This recipe will work well with any dried fruit. Just ensure that you cut the fruit into small pieces, similar to raisins. Dried cranberries work wonderfully in this recipe as a sub for raisins.
Craving More Breakfast Treats?
Check out these family favourite recipes:
- Easy Pancakes with maple syrup (dairy free)
- The easiest Cinnamon Rolls you’ll ever make (30 minutes, no yeast – dairy free)
- Grab and go Blueberry Burst Muffins (dairy free)
- And if you prefer zesty muffins, check out my lemon drizzle version (vegan)
Dairy Free Pain Aux Raisins
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 375 grams Strong Bread Flour (3 US Cups and 2 tbsp)
- 250 grams Plant Based Butter (unsalted) (1 US Cup plus 1.75 tbsp)
- 30 grams Golden Sugar (2 tbsp)
- 7 grams Dried Yeast (2 tsp or just under 1 packet)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 125 ml Plant Based Milk (1/2 US Cup)
- 50 ml Warm Water (10 tsp)
- 1 Egg (large)
- 1 Egg (beaten) (for glaze
For the Creme Patissiere
- 50 grams White Sugar (1/4 US Cup)
- 2 Egg Yolks (large)
- 20 grams Cornflour (2 tbsp)
- 250 ml Plant Based Milk (1 US Cup)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
For the Filling
- 100 grams Raisins (can also use currants)
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Orange Zest
For the Glaze
- 200 grams Icing Sugar (1 2/3 US Cups)
- 60 ml Orange Juice (Approx juice from 1 orange or use No Bits Orange Juice – 4 tbsp)
Instructions
Prep:
- Gather all of your supplies and ingredients. Ensure that the eggs, milk, and 25 grams of butter are at room temperature before starting the recipe. IMPORTANT: The remaining butter should remain in the fridge until you are ready to start the lamination process.
For the Pastry Dough:
- Rub together 25 grams of butter and 375 grams Strong Bread Flour to form a breadcrumb consistency. Add the 30 grams Golden Sugar, 7 grams Dried Yeast, and 1 tsp Salt and stir together. In a separate bowl or jug, stir together 50 ml Warm Water, 125 ml Plant Based Milk, and 1 Egg then add that to the flour mixture.
- Combine together either by hand or using your stand mixer. I recommend using the dough hook. Turn out onto a floured surface and give it a quick knead, adding more flour if it feels particularly sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap (cling film) and pop it in the fridge for 1 hour. This will allow the gluten to develop.
For the Creme Patissiere:
- Add 50 grams White Sugar, 2 Egg Yolks, 20 grams Cornflour (corn starch) and 1 tablespoon of milk into a bowl then mix together with a hand mixer or wooden spoon.
- Add the remaining plant-based milk and 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste to a saucepan and heat over a medium heat until it starts to boil. Pour into the egg mixture while continuously stirring. Top tip – don't stop stirring as it will cause the eggs to scramble! Once combined, pour all of the mixture back into the saucepan and then keep stirring it again until it forms a really nice thick custard.
- Take the saucepan off of the heat and pour the creme into another bowl. Add a layer of plastic wrap directly on top of the creme and allow it to cool down at room temperature for 10 minutes. Then pop the bowl into the fridge until it has completely cooled and set.
Lamination Process:
- Take the remaining 225 grams block of butter from the fridge which should still be hard at this stage and beat it and roll it between parchment paper until you get a nice flat surface measuring 33 by 19 centimeters. Once rolled out, pop the butter slab back in the fridge as it needs to firm up again.
- Remove the pastry dough from the fridge and knead lightly on a floured surface. Roll out to roughly 50 by 20cm then lay the slab of butter on top so that it covers two thirds of the pastry dough (see recipe post for photos of this stage if you are unsure).
- Take one third of the dough and fold it over as shown below so that it covers half of the butter. Fold the last third over so that the edge lines up. The butter will soften as you are folding so don't worry if it seems hard to fold it. Wrap the dough back up in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Repeat the rolling and folding process and chill in the fridge for another 20 minutes. Reroll and fold one last time then reroll the dough to a 30cm square.
Constructing the Pain Aux Raisins:
- Start by spreading the creme patissiere on to the dough. I recommend using a cranked spatula to ensure that you spread it evenly. Top with 100 grams Raisins, 1 Orange Zest, and 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon.
- Time to roll the dough. Roll from the furthest edge into a tight spiral (also like a swiss roll) and tuck in the edges. Don't worry if some of the filling oozes out the sides. Just wipe that off so that it doesn't burn when the pastries are baking.
- Cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces then add to parchment paper lined baking sheets. Make sure you evenly space them because they will spread a little bit as they bake now. When you place each pastry on the parchment paper, tuck the little cut piece of dough underneath. Clean up any additional filling that has seeped out (don't worry – it happens!). Cover the baking trays loosely with plastic wrap or a tea towel and allow to prove for an hour in a warm area.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit then give the pastries a quick egg wash with 1 Egg (beaten).
- Bake for approx 20 minutes until golden. Cover with foil for the last few minutes if they are browning too quickly. Allow to cool completely (and try not the eat them right away!).
Finishing Touches:
- In a small bowl or jug, combine 200 grams Icing Sugar and 60 ml Orange Juice.
- Transfer the icing to a tipless piping bag, snip off the end, and pipe over the pain aux raisins. And finally eat!
Video
Notes
- Yield: This recipe makes 12 dairy free pain aux raisins.
- Gluten-Free: For an easy gluten free option, see my substitution guide in the main recipe post.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave if desired (they are so good warmed up the day after baking!).
- Nutrition: information is based on 1 pain aux raisin per serving with 12 servings per recipe. Please note that nutrition information is calculated based on the ingredients in this recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
This came out so good. We are having the leftovers for breakfast today. super tasty and absolutely doable.
So pleased that you enjoyed then Gunjan.
Oooh, would love to start the day with these Pain Aux Raisins. They look fantastic, especially with that drizzle over the top.
They’re such a great breakfast treat.
Love this recipe, I am making this tomorrow.
Thanks Chara. I hope you enjoyed them.
I am loving the orange and raisin combination of these fabulous pastries. My family are going to love them.
It’s such a great combination! Enjoy!!
This looks absolutely delicious. I love all the raisins and that wonderful glaze.
Thanks Beth. The glaze finishes them off wonderfully.