Rhum babas in jars

Latest recipe for gourmet Christmas gifts, this time only for adults, rum babas in jars! The recipe is rather easy, and you can flavor the rum according to your taste; here I made vanilla, but you can macerate it a few days before with fresh fruits, leave it plain, or make a mojito version. I did that last year, I used white rum instead of amber rum and added lime wedges and mint leaves, the result was very good too! The advantage of this recipe is that if you decide to sterilize your jars, it's a recipe you can make well in advance, the jars will keep without any problem for several weeks or even months. A good idea to always have a dessert ready in case of surprise guests ;)

Prep time : 30 minutes + 1h30 rest+ 12 minutes cooking
For about 10 jars of 0,75 liter :

Babas :

255g T45 flour

25g sugar

5g salt

12g fresh yeast

10g milk

150g eggs

75g butter

Place the milk with the fresh yeast in the robot bowl with the kneading accessory.

Cover with the flour, then add the sugar, salt and eggs.

Knead for a few minutes so that the dough is homogenous and detaches from the sides of the bowl.

Add the butter cut in small pieces, then knead again until you have a very elastic and homogeneous dough.

Form a ball and let the dough rest for 45 minutes at room temperature.

Degas it and then put it in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Then form your little balls; if like me you want mini babas you have to make balls of about 8g. Put them in your moulds and let them grow for 30 to 40 minutes at room temperature.

Bake in the preheated oven at 180°C for approx. 12 minutes. After removing from the oven, allow them to cool down. If you make them in advance, in order to consume them several weeks later, I advise you to let them dry overnight in the open air before dipping them in the syrup.

Rum syrup :

2.5L water

1,2kg sugar

200g vanilla flavor (optional): I make my own, if you use a more concentrated commercial flavor you can reduce the amount.

850g brown rum

Bring water, sugar and vanilla to a boil.

Remove from the heat and add the rum. Let cool a few minutes.

Place the babas in the jars; remember that they will swell a lot (at least triple in volume). Cover them with the syrup.

If you plan to sterilize your jars to keep them longer, fill them to the maximum at ¾ to avoid overfilling when cooking.

For sterilization: put a cloth at the bottom of a pot filled with water. Remember to use new rubbers for your jars.

Place one or more jars in the kettle; if you put more than one jar in the kettle, be careful that they do not knock against each other, using the cloth. The water should cover the jars with at least 2 or 3cm apart. Heat gently while waiting for boiling. When the water boils, continue "cooking" for about 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let cool in the water. When the water is cold, remove the jar(s) and start again with the next jars.

That's it, your babas in jar are ready, enjoy!