Il Cucinologo
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Cream and Raisin Swirls

17/11/2023

Cream and raisin swirls are a soft and indulgent leavened sweet that works well both as a snack and for breakfast. Here is the recipe to prepare them:

Ingredients

  • 500 g of 00 flour
  • 120 g of sugar
  • 120 ml of lukewarm milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 packet of dry brewer’s yeast or 15 g of fresh brewer’s yeast
  • 80 g of softened butter
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 200 g of custard
  • 100 g of raisins
  • Powdered sugar for decorating

Before starting the preparation of the recipe, soak the raisins in lukewarm water or, if you prefer, in a liqueur to flavor them.

Preparation

  1. In a bowl, dissolve the brewer’s yeast in the lukewarm milk together with a teaspoon of sugar taken from the total and let it rest for a few minutes until the yeast starts to form bubbles on the surface.
  2. In a large bowl, pour the sifted flour and make a well in the center where you will add the eggs, the remaining sugar, the softened butter, the grated lemon zest and the pinch of salt.
  3. Add the milk with the yeast and start kneading until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough.
  4. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise in a warm place away from drafts for about 2 hours or until the volume doubles.
  5. After rising, roll out the dough on a floured surface giving it a rectangular shape.
  6. Spread the custard on top and evenly distribute the well-squeezed raisins.
  7. Roll the dough onto itself starting from the long side to form a roll.
  8. Cut the roll into slices about 2 cm thick and arrange them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, leaving a little space between each.
  9. Let them rise again for about 30 minutes, then bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 20 minutes or until golden.
  10. Remove from the oven and let the swirls cool on a wire rack. Once cooled, dust them with powdered sugar.

Trivia

The swirls are an Italian version of the famous cinnamon roll, but in an even richer version thanks to the addition of custard and raisins. In some Italian variants, grated orange zest is also added to give a citrus touch.