Girelle - Italian Breakfast Pastry

Girelles are an Italian breakfast pastry made with sweet laminated croissant - style dough and filled with cinnamon and raisins. 

These pastries are made with half of  the same dough as the cornetti, or Italian croissants I recently posted. I was so happy with how the dough came together that I decided to make these girelles. 

Ingredients in These Girelle:

Yeast: You can use instant or active dry yeast. If you use active dry, just let it "bloom" in the water before mixing in the rest of the ingredients. 

Water: It should be warm.

Butter: Both for the dough and the butter block. 

Sugar.

Eggs: One for the dough and one for the filling. 

Flour: You will need half bread flour and half all-purpose flour. You will also need flour for dusting as well as to add to the butter layer. 

Salt.

Turbinado Sugar: For the filling. You could also use demerara sugar or granulated sugar. 

Cinnamon: While optional, it adds a nice flavor. 

Raisins: For the raisins, I used "raisins-on-the-vine." While any raisins will do, these are extra plump and soft and were perfect for these rolls. You can read more about them at Melissa's Produce. They're great for grazing boards. 

To Make These Pastries:

First, make the cornetti dough and then let it chill overnight. 

Next, roll the dough out into a rectangle and then brush it with an egg wash and sprinkle it with sugar. Top the dough with the raisins and then roll the dough up like you would cinnamon rolls. 

After that, slice the dough into 1 inch spirals and then let them rise until doubled.

Then, bake the rolls for about 25 minutes.

Finally, brush the rolls with a mix of apricot jam and water.

Make Ahead and Storage:

These rolls are best the day they are baked, but they can be refreshed by reheating briefly in the microwave or in a 350 degree F oven.

You can keep them in an airtight container for two or three days. They can also be individually wrapped and frozen.

Bread Bakers - Breakfast Breads:

This month, the bread bakers, hosted by Kelly of A Messy Kitchen, are baking breakfast breads.

• Brown Sugar Lemon Cassava Loaf from Food Lust People Love 
• Girelle - Italian Breakfast Pastry from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Greek Yogurt and Blueberry Oat Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Kheema Anda Paratha from Sneha's Recipe  
• Sourdough Gingerbread Waffles from A Messy Kitchen
• Sourdough Plum Almond Bread from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Zucchini Cassava Muffins from Passion Kneaded

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Girelle - Italian Breakfast Pastry

Yield: 12 Pastries

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 2 HourCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 16 HourTotal time: 18 H & 30 M

Girelles are an Italian breakfast pastry made with sweet pastry dough and filled with cinnamon and raisins. 

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 teaspoons (8 grams) instant or active dry yeast
• 3/4 cups (180 grams) warm water
• 1/2 stick (57 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons (40 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (163 grams) unbleached all purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (163 grams) bread flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) salt

For the Butter Block

• 2 sticks (225 grams) unsalted butter, cold, and cut into 1/4 inch pieces. Keep cold.
• 1/2 scant cup (63 grams) unbleached all purpose flour

For the Filling

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3 1/2 teaspoons turbinado sugar
• 1 2/3 cups (250 grams) raisins, soaked in water, drained, and patted dry
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons apricot jam
• 1 1/2 teaspoons water

Instructions

1. Add the yeast and butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat in the butter, sugar, and eggs until mixed with the paddle attachment. Add the flours and salt and beat for about a minute or two, until combined. Turn the dough out onto the work surface and knead by hand for about a minute. The dough will be very sticky.
2. Place the dough into an oiled bowl or dough rising bucket, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 90 minutes.
3. While the dough is rising, mix the butter and flour in the stand mixer. Beat for about a minute on low with the paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for 30 seconds, until smooth. Wrap and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll it out to a 20 inch by 12 inch rectangle on a floured surface, with one shorter side nearest you.
5. Break off 1/2 inch pieces of the butter block and dot them over 2/3 of the dough, leaving the top third without butter and leaving a one inch border.
6. Fold the top third of the dough over the center third of the dough and then fold the bottom third over the center. Pinch the borders closed to enclose the butter.
7. Lightly flour the top of the dough as well as the work surface and tap the top of the dough with the rolling pin. Roll the dough out again to a 20 inch by 12 inch rectangle and then fold the dough like a letter. Pinch the seams together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for about 45 minutes.
8. Lightly flour the work surface again and place the chilled dough on top. Lightly flour the dough. Roll it out to a 20 inch by 12 inch rectangle again. Fold it into thirds again. Repeat one more time and then wrap the dough and refrigerate it overnight. Be sure the dough is securely wrapped.
9. The next day, place the cold dough on a lightly floured surface and sprinkle the top with flour. Roll the dough into a 12 inch by 15 inch rectangle. Brush the surface with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sugar. Distribute the raisins over the top and sprinkle with the cinnamon.
10. Beginning with the shorter side, roll up the dough into a tight log and seal the seam with your fingers. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill.
11. Cut the dough into 1 inch slices and place them on parchment lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Gently press down on the tops of the rolls. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 3 hours.
12. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the pastries, one sheet at a time, for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack.
13. Heat the jam and the water in a small pot and stir to combine. LIghtly brush the tops of the rolls with the mixture.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

360

Fat (grams)

20 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

12 g

Carbs (grams)

42 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

40 g

Sugar (grams)

6 g

Protein (grams)

5 g

Cholesterol (grams)

82 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2026/06/girelle-italian-breakfast-pastry.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

pastry, girelle, raisins

bread

Italian

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @karenskitchenstories.com on instagram and hashtag it #karenskitchenstories

Recipe adapted from The Italian Baker.