Baking specialties with raisins: tips, tricks and recipes from pastry chefs to perfectly master their combination and how to incorporate them into your creations and desserts.
At BROVER you can choose between 3 varieties of
raisins
Sultanas, Golden, Australia. Each of these raisin varieties brings its own touch of character to your culinary preparations, whether in baking, baking or cooking
Sultanas, without any seeds, has a beautiful dark color and a sweet, delicate taste. It is now the most common type of raisin, accounting for 95% of the world’s production. Golden raisins, on the other hand, stand out for their slightly lighter color and slightly more intense taste. Originating mainly from Turkey and Iran, these raisins offer a tender texture and a more pronounced sweet flavor, perfect for premium use where appearance is paramount. Finally, Australian raisins, although less common, have a more full-bodied flavor and musky notes. Their slightly firmer texture makes them an interesting choice for recipes where a more robust texture is expected.
Sultanas, star ingredients at BROVER
BROVER Sultana grapes come from Turkey, from the Izmir region where they are harvested by hand between mid-August and mid-September. Once picked by hand, the grapes are cleaned in an olive oil/potash mixture that removes the natural wax from the fruit. They dry in 7 days, placed by hand on strips on the ground and then exposed to the sun. The colour of the grain is fixed by a colour number: 7 for the darkest to 11 for the lightest. The change in the colours of the raisins takes place during drying, the colour allows us to know the drying method: in the sun, in the wind or in water and tunnels. The grade describes the level of sorting set up at the plant: from D, the simplest sorting to the supreme level, Japanese sorting, grain to grain manually in a room dedicated to this purpose.
Nutrient Profile of Raisins
Raisins are a real little concentrate of energy because of their quickly absorbable sugar content. Sultanas is a seedless grape variety with a mild, sweet, brown flavour. They are highly concentrated in trace elements such as calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium. It is an excellent source of vitamins, fiber and antioxidants.
Which raisins for your pastries and bakery inclusions?
The Sultanine raisin is the preferred reference of craftsmen for pastries, both for its smaller size and texture and for its excellent value for money. It is a must for any bakery inclusion. These small grapes can be used in bread or brioche recipes for a sweet surprise with each slice. Raisins not only bring sweetness but also an interesting texture to the pasta to which they are added.
Use them in cookies for a burst of sweetness in every bite. They are also perfect for topping cakes or muffins, adding an unexpected sweet touch.
Which raisins for topping and decorating uses?
For toppings and decoration, we can choose Golden grapes, larger, softer with a beautiful golden yellow hue and a sweet honey flavor. These premium grapes are less amenable to inclusion.
Which raisins for your chocolates, confectionery and ice cream?
For confectionery, use Australian raisins, which are made from seedless Thompson grapes. Amber, round and fleshy, without any sulphur treatment, they fit perfectly into the specialities of confectioners, chocolate makers and ice cream makers.
Raisins can be incorporated into cereal bars or dried fruit mixes to add a chewy texture and sweet flavor.
They can also be added to chocolate bars to add an extra dimension of texture and taste. In ice creams, previously soaked in alcohol, they are used in the famous recipe for “Rum-Raisin” ice cream.
Which raisins for salty uses?
Use Sultana raisins in your catering, catering and snacking dishes, from tagine to tabbouleh, for a subtle sweet note that balances the flavours. Raisins are also delicious in salads, especially with ingredients like nuts and goat cheese.
