baba

Individual Babas au rhum- 10/2/10

Babas are part of French folklore, so much so that the expression "tout baba" means "bowled over with delight". The story goes that one day in the 18th century, Duke Stanislas of Lorraine improved his morning Kugelhopf (part bread, part cake) with a sprinkling of rum. The result was so delicious that he thought himself transported to Ali Baba's world of the One Thousand and One nights and so was born the best yeast cake of all, Baba au rhum. Babas are usually baked in characteristic small, bucket-shaped molds and presented tipped on their side. For best results, allow the babas to dry for a day or two so they absorb a maximum of syrup. Babas are often served plain or you can decorate them with whipped cream and fresh fruits such as strawberries or raspberries.

The babas absorbed all the rum syrup and gave it a wonderful flavor.

Close look at the Babas.

Serving a piece of baba with whipped cream

The cake is really moist thanks to the rum and I also like the currants.

Preparation work..

Ingredients:

For the babas

1 tablespoon dry yeast

3 tablespoons warm water

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

3 eggs beaten to mix

3/4 cup of dried currants

3 tablespoons dark rum

1/2 cup butter, softened + more for the molds

Rum Syrup

2 cups sugar

3 cups water

1/2 cup dark rum + more to taste

Equipment: Stand Mixer

Decoration: Strawberries, raspberries

Whipped cream

First soak your currents with rum and set aside.

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let it stand until dissolved, about 5 minutes

Sift the flour, salt, and sugar into a bowl. Mix all the ingredients together and pour it in the mixer.

Pour the beaten eggs in the mixer bowl on top of the flour.

Next, mix and knead the dough with the dough hook for about 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes the dough should look shiny and smooth.

Put the dough into a bowl...

cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes.

When the dough has risen, knead it lightly to knock out the air. Add the softened butter and continue beating with your hand until the butter is incorporated (about 1 to 2 minutes). Pour the soaked rum into the dough

Generously butter your mold. Drop the dough into the molds, filling them about half full.

Set the molds on a baking sheet, cover them with a dry cloth and leave to rise in a warm place until the molds are full, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Here you can see that the dough has fully risen. Preheat the oven at 400 degrees.

Bake the babas until golden brown - about 20 to 25 minutes

Turn them out of their molds and put them on a cooler rack.

Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is dissolved and bring the syrup to a boil about 2 to 3 minutes.