Rum Baba (Baba Aux Rum)

Rum baba isn’t a bread or pastry, it is something in between. It is delicious, elegant, melt in your mouth desert, that won’t leave you indifferent.

Make it for a special occasion to surprise your family or friends and it will be a hit.

Ingredients

Dough

• 150g milk
• 3 large eggs 
• 40g sugar 
• 3g dry instant
• 6g salt 
• 300g bread flour 
• 80g soft butter 
• Zest of 1 orange (optional for more flavor)

Rum syrup 

• 300g water
• 300g sugar
• 100g good dark rum
• Zest of 1 orange, sliced in strips

Glaze 

• 100g apricot jam
• 1 tsp rum

Chantilly cream 

• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream 
• 2 tbs sugar
• Vanilla 

Directions 

Day 1

• 8 am in a bowl of mixer add milk, yeast, sugar, eggs and whisk all together. Add flour, mix until no dry flour remains, cover and let autolyse for 1 hour.
• 9 am start mixing the dough on low speed of your mixing machine for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated. 

Note: dough will seem too liquid, but don’t worry it will come up together as soon as gluten will be well developed.

• Increase the speed to medium high and continue kneading for 10-15 minutes until the dough will start to look stronger, with some of gluten strings developed.
• Add salt and mix for a couple more minutes.
• Add soft butter, mix for 15-20 more minutes on high speed until the dough comes up together and will do popping sound during mixing.

Note: make sure the temperature of the dough won’t go higher than 82F/28C, otherwise gluten will start to break apart.

• Cover the dough and let it proof for 2-3 hours at 80F/ 28C.
• During that time perform 2 stretches and folds.
• The dough should become slightly puffy.
• 12pm -1 pm transfer the dough to the fridge for cold fermentation until next day, or at least for 4 hours.

Note: chilled dough will make shaping easier. 

Day 2 (or 4 hours later)

• Remove the dough from refrigerator.
• Prepare muffin tins, or donut molds
• If using donut mold, roll the dough 1.5 inch thick, use donut cutter to cut the donuts and place them into molds to proof. (You should get about 12 )
• If using muffin tins, divide the dough into 12 pieces, round each one, and place into a muffin tins to proof.
• Cover and let them proof  for 1-2 hours at 78-80F /26-28C  until they get bigger and puffy.

Rum syrup 

• Meanwhile prepare the rum syrup, by bringing sugar and water simmering, until sugar has dissolved.
• Remove off the heat and, stir in the rum, and orange zest strips.  Let cool down. 
• Before using, remove the strips off.

Glaze 

• To make the glaze, heat the apricot jam with the rum in a microwave or over low heat to liquefy the jam.

• Preheat the oven 350F
• Bake babas for 18-22 minutes until golden brown.
• Let them cool.
• Soak each baba into a rum syrup, about 30 seconds on each side. 
• Transfer each babas to a cooling rack. Slide a piece of parchment or foil under the rack to catch excess liquid. Pour all of the remaining rum syrup  on top of each rum baba.

• Brush each rum baba with the apricot glaze.
• Prepare the chantilly cream by whisking heavy whipping cream with sugar and vanilla until soft peaks.
• Serve rum babas by piping whipped chantilly on top, decorated with orange zest strips soaked in syrup.

Enjoy 😊