Currant Roll
A buttery, flaky pastry filled with sweet, spiced currants, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of almond. This currant roll is crisp and golden on the outside with layers of tender pastry and warmly spiced currant filling throughout.
Ingredients
Pastry
- 1½ cups 180g all-purpose flour
- 8 tbsp 113g unsalted butter , cold and cut into pea-to-marble-sized pieces
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp 45g ice water , plus more only if needed
Filling
- 2 tbsp 28g unsalted butter , softened
- ¾ cup about 110g currants
- 3 tbsp 38g packed brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp almond essence (extract)
For Finishing
- Milk for brushing
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl.
- Add the cold butter and cut it into the flour using a pastry cutter or your fingertips. Leave visible pieces and streaks of butter throughout the dough. You don't want to work the butter into fine crumbs; those larger pieces are what help create flaky layers.
Bring the Dough Together
- Gradually add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing gently with a fork after each addition.
- Stop adding water as soon as the dough holds together when pressed. It should look shaggy and slightly rough rather than smooth.
- Pat the dough into a rough rectangle, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Make the Filling
- While the dough chills, combine the softened butter, currants, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and almond essence(extract).
- Mix until the ingredients are evenly combined and the filling becomes slightly paste-like.
Roll the Dough
- Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll the chilled dough into a rectangle about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick.
- If the dough begins sticking to the surface or rolling pin, dust the surface with additional flour as needed and continue rolling. Avoid adding large amounts of flour at once, as too much flour can make the pastry tough.
- Try to keep the rectangle as even as possible. If the dough becomes noticeably soft while rolling, return it to the refrigerator for a few minutes before continuing.
Fill and Roll
- Spread the currant filling over the dough in a thin, even layer, leaving a small border around the edges.
- Roll the pastry into a log slightly loosely. Don’t roll it so tightly that the filling gets squeezed out or the layers have nowhere to expand.
- Pinch the seam gently to seal.
Chill Before Baking
- Transfer the roll to a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Finish and Bake
- Brush the top of the roll lightly with milk.
- Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the pastry is deeply golden brown and the layers are visibly baked through.
Cool
- Let the currant roll rest on the baking sheet for 5–10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack.
- Allow it to cool slightly before slicing so the filling has time to set.
Notes
Chrissy’s Baking Notes
- Keep the butter cold. You want pieces of butter remaining in the dough rather than completely blending it into the flour.
- Don’t overwork the dough. A rough, shaggy dough is exactly what you want before chilling.
- ⅛ inch is the sweet spot for rolling. Thicker dough can make the roll feel heavy, while rolling it much thinner can make the pastry difficult to handle and leave you with too little pastry around the filling.
- Don’t overfill. The currant mixture should form a thin layer. Too much filling can squeeze out while rolling or make the center difficult to bake through.
- Roll loosely. The pastry needs a little room to expand as it bakes.
- The finished roll should have a deep golden exterior, flaky layers, and visible pockets of currant filling, just like the texture shown in your test.
- A little extra flour for rolling is okay. If the dough sticks to your work surface as you roll, lightly dust the surface with flour and continue. The goal isn’t to keep the dough completely flour-free; it’s to use just enough flour to prevent sticking without building up a thick layer of flour on the pastry.
Pairs Well With
Currant roll is lovely on its own, but it’s especially good with:- A cup of tea: black tea, spiced tea, or your favorite herbal blend makes a simple afternoon pairing.
- Coffee: the buttery pastry and spiced currant filling pair beautifully with a warm cup of coffee.
- Custard Snow Ice: a fun hot-and-cold combination, with creamy frozen custard alongside the flaky, spiced pastry.
- Fresh tropical fruit: mango, pineapple, or papaya adds a bright, refreshing contrast to the sweet currant filling.
- Fresh juice
Ingredient Alternatives
Some substitutions listed below have not been personally tested in this recipe and may affect the final flavor, texture, or consistency. For the best results, follow the original recipe as written.- All-purpose flour: Pastry flour can be used for a more delicate pastry, though the finished roll may be slightly more tender. If using a different flour, the amount of water may need to be adjusted.
- Unsalted butter: Salted butter can be used; reduce or omit the added ¼ tsp salt.
- Currants: Raisins can be substituted, although they are larger and juicier than currants and will give the filling a slightly different texture. Chopped raisins can help create a more similar filling.
- Brown sugar: Granulated sugar can be used, but brown sugar adds a little extra moisture and a deeper caramel-like flavor to the filling.
- Almond essence: Vanilla extract or vanilla essence can be substituted, though the flavor will be less characteristic of the original currant roll.
- Freshly grated nutmeg: Ground nutmeg can be substituted. Freshly grated nutmeg gives the filling a warmer, more aromatic flavor.
- Milk for brushing: An egg wash can be used instead for a deeper, shinier golden finish.
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