Conditioning Raisins and other Dried Fruits

Conditioning is a process of soaking raisins and other dried fruits in water or another liquid before use. Conditioning plumps the fruit so it is not dry, hard, and flavorless in the final product. Conditioning also prevents dried fruit from absorbing moisture from batters and doughs. If too much moisture is pulled from batters and doughs, the product bakes up dry.

The raisin industry recommends that raisins not be soaked in hot or boiling water, because this easily overconditions them. Overconditioned dried fruits lose valuable flavor and sweetness to the soaking solution. They tend to tear during mixing and to stain batters and doughs.