Rum Baba

Delightful, airy, appetizing, well-soaked rum babas will impress even the most discerning gourmet. I'm sure you will love such an impressive and delicious pastry! Let's cook!!!

INGREDIENTS

For sweet yeast dough:

milk 300 ml

flour 600 g

yeast 40 g

eggs 3 pcs

butter 150 g

vegetable oil 50 g

sugar 0.5-0.75 cup

brandy or rum 1 tbsp.

salt a pinch

For brandy syrup:

sugar 4 tbsp.

water 6 tbsp.

brandy 1.5-2 tbsp.

For sugar glaze:

sugar 250 g

water 150 ml

lemon acid solution 1/4 tsp.

Number of servings 4-6

Prepare the sweet yeast dough.

For the sponge. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar and salt in warm milk (38 degrees), add yeast and stir well until the yeast is completely dissolved. Gradually add 1.5-2 cups of flour and mix well. The dough should have a consistency similar to that of pancakes. Place the resulting sponge in a warm place without drafts for 40-60 minutes, until it rises and increases in volume by 2-2.5 times. The sponge will be ready when it has increased several times in volume and then begins to fall. Tip. It is very convenient to place the sponge in the oven to rise. It should be slightly (!) heated for 1 minute at the lowest temperature (I set the temperature to 40-50 degrees); it should not be hot inside the oven, just a little warm (the dough will not rise in hot air). While the sponge is rising, you can prepare the sweet mixture. Melt and cool the butter. Combine the melted butter with the vegetable oil. Separate the egg yolks from the whites (the whites are added to the dough last). Beat the yolks with sugar. Add the beaten yolks to the risen sponge and mix the dough well. Then add the melted butter and vegetable oil. Add 1 tablespoon of brandy to the dough. Mix the dough well again until uniform. Finally, gently fold in the whipped egg whites. Gradually add the sifted flour and knead a soft dough. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead by hand for about 20 minutes until it becomes soft and elastic and easily separates from your hands. Transfer the kneaded dough to a large bowl and let it rise in a warm place for 1.5-2 hours - the dough should increase several times in volume. Once the dough has risen, knead it slightly on the table for about 2-3 minutes. Roll the dough into a thick rope. Cut the rope into small pieces and roll each piece into balls. Tip. To roll a piece of dough into a ball, you should not just roll it between your palms into a round shape, but do the following: flatten the piece of dough slightly into a pancake with your hands, then fold the edges of the pancake towards the center - thus tucking all the edges inward. The seam formed in the center of the pancake is called a "lock". Place the formed balls "lock" side down. Grease the baking forms (fluted) with oil, place the prepared balls "lock" side down, and set the forms in a warm place for the dough to rise slightly. The forms should be filled with dough no more than 1/3 full. When the dough rises to 3/4 of the height, place the forms in an oven preheated to 180°C and bake for about 30 minutes. You can check readiness with a wooden stick. Remove the finished "babas" from the oven and let them cool without taking them out of the forms. Then gently shake the form, carefully remove the "babas" from the form, and place them wide side down on a wooden surface or clean towel. Let the finished babas rest for 6 to 12 hours, depending on their size, in a pot covered with a lid or in a plastic bag. Then poke each "baba" with a wooden stick halfway through from the narrow end and dip it in warm syrup with the narrow end for 10-12 seconds. After soaking (in syrup), place the babas narrow side up so that the syrup penetrates all the pores. Glaze the finished "babas" with sugar icing. To do this, dip the baba narrow end into the icing heated to 40-45 degrees; while taking it out of the icing, raise and lower the "baba" 3-4 times with a hand motion to reduce drips (you can glaze the babas using a teaspoon or a pastry brush). To prepare the brandy syrup. In a saucepan, add sugar, pour in water - stir until the sugar dissolves. Heat the syrup over high heat until boiling, removing the foam. Cool the finished syrup to 40°C, add 1 tablespoon of brandy, and stir. To prepare the sugar glaze, boil the sugar syrup until the soft ball stage, add lemon acid, and quickly cool the syrup. Then beat with a wooden spatula or mixer (beat with a mixer using dough hooks) until a white crystalline mass forms. Knead the finished glaze with a spatula and heat it to 40-45°C, stirring constantly and add a little rum or brandy. Enjoy your meal!