Italian Rum Baba #TwelveLoaves May

Italian Rum Baba | Bakewell Junction

For this month’s #TwelveLoaves linky party, the theme is any bread we wish to share to celebrate the #TwelveLoaves anniversary. A long time friend of mine loves Rum Baba and she asked me to find an authentic and classic Neapolitan recipe which I’d like to share for #TwelveLoaves May. I can’t wait to make this recipe again for my friend – she’ll love them.

It was hard to figure out what the end result should be because I don’t like bakery made Rum Baba (it’s the picky thing again). On the up side, my Mom and a co-worker do like Rum Baba and they were able to help me with deciding which of the recipes I tried worked better. The first recipe was tasty but it wasn’t what I thought of as authentic Rum Baba. This recipe turned out to be authentic and, surprise of all surprises, my husband loved them too. I found the recipe I adapted on You Tube from the Giallo Zafferano kitchen. There’s a video but you can get the details too.

This is a relatively easy recipe and I recommend you give it a try. The syrup gives it a lovely sweetness. If you have brioche pans, you can use them to make these or you can use a cupcake pan like I did.

Enjoy!

Italian Rum Baba

Yield: 12 rum baba Cook Time: 20 minutes

Dough:

2 cups flour
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 1/3 tablespoons instant yeast
9 tablespoons of room temperature butter
1/4 cup of milk

Syrup:

2 cups water
2 1/2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup of rum

Directions:

Step 1: For the dough: Heat milk to 110 degrees in a microwave safe small bowl or a 1 cup measure. I heated the milk in the microwave in small intervals until the thermometer read 110 degrees. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and the yeast and mix briefly to combine. Set aside until the mixture begins to foam.

Step 2: In the interim, set up your electric stand mixer with the dough hook attachment. Add the flour to the mixer bowl. In another bowl beat the eggs and then mix in the salt. Turn on the mixer on low and add in the egg mixture. Then add in the yeast mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the flour is incorporated.

Step 3: While the flour is incorporating, in another small bowl mix the softened butter and remaining sugar together. Turn the mixer to high and add the butter mixture to the dough and knead until the butter is completed incorporated.

Step 4: Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl. You can use butter or cooking spray to grease the bowl. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours (see tips). The dough should double in size.

Step 5: Flour and butter the baba moulds, brioche moulds or cupcake tins to prepare them. Deflate the dough with a large spoon and fill the 12 moulds about halfway. Place the moulds on a baking sheet and let them rest for about 20 minutes in a warm place.

Step 6: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the batter at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake 10 minutes more. Remove the baba from the oven and let cool about 10 minutes; then depan and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Step 7: For the syrup: While the baba bake. Boil the water in a medium sauce pan. Add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Let the syrup continue cooking to thicken. After about 5 minutes add the vanilla and rum and mix to combine. Continue stirring and cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 8: Place the rum baba in the plastic container upside down. Prick the bottoms with a toothpick. Pour about 3/4 of the syrup over the Rum Babas and let them soak it in. Reserve the remaining syrup and any that’s run out of the babas to pour over the babas when serving.

Tips: To create a warm environment, you can boil a pot of water while preparing the dough and place the water and dough in a cold oven. The boiling water will create a warm moist environment in the oven for the dough to rise well. In addition, you can garnish with whipped cream but I usually see these plain.

Storing: Store Rum Babas in a sealed plastic container for a few days.

Enjoy!!!

Recipe adapted from Sonia and Giallo Zafferano on You Tube.

What is baking this May in the TwelveLoaves kitchens?

#TwelveLoaves May: Bake any bread, yeast or quick bread, loaf or individual. This #TwelveLoaves May 2013 is all about May is all about celebrating bread and the one year anniversary of #TwelveLoaves. Do you have a favorite bread? We would love to see it. Think luscious quick loaves, sinful scones, delightful Danishes. Any bread recipe you’d like to bake, share it with us! Let’s get baking!

Look at what our very talented #TwelveLoaves bakers have created this May!

Apple Kuchen by Liz at That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Basic Focaccia by Holly at A Baker’s House
Buttermilk Sourdough Waffles by Renee at Magnolia Days
Cinnamon Crescent Rolls by Krista at A Handful of Everything
Cinnamon Rolls by Dionne at Try Anything Once Culinary
Cinnamon Sugar Challah by Paula at Vintage Kitchen
Olive Bread by Rossella at Ma che ti sei mangiato
Mexican Hot Chocolate Bread by Lora at Cake Duchess
San Francisco Sourdough Bread by Karen at Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Zucchini Pineapple Quick Bread by Lyn at The Lovely Pantry

We would love to have you join our #TwelveLoaves group; it’s easy!
1. When you post your Twelve Loaves bread on your blog, make sure that you mention the Twelve Loaves challenge in your blog post; this helps us to get more members as well as share everyone’s posts. Please make sure that your Bread is inspired by the theme!
2. Please link your post to the linky tool at the bottom of my blog. It must be a bread baked to the Twelve Loaves theme.
3. Have your Twelve Loaves bread that you baked this May 2013 posted on your blog by May 31, 2013.

You are next… Click here to enter

Lora launched this Twelve Loaves this last May and there have been many wonderful recipes shared since then. I haven’t participated from the beginning but it’s been fun the past few months that I have participated.
Check out what we have been busy baking!

May theme: Focaccia
June theme: Corn Rolls
July theme: Challah
August theme: Summer Fruit
September: Say CHEESE!
October: Seeds, nuts and grains
November: Autumn Fruits: Apples and Pears
December: Boozy Bread
January: Clean Slate
February: Open Challenge
March: Holiday Breads
April: Berries