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Mai Tai Rum Babas

Little bread rolls halved and placed cutsidedown in a dish of lime syrup. Whipped cream on the side.
Photo by Laura Edwards, Prop Styling by Polly Webb-Wilson, Food Styling by Annie Rigg
  • Prep Time

    30

  • Active Time

    30 minutes, plus proving

  • Total Time

    45–50 minutes, plus proving

There's nothing better than puffy yeasted buns saturated in rum syrup, especially when it’s inspired by the citrusyMai Tai cocktail. Combining two types of rum with zesty orange and lime, this tiki flavor sensation gives the baba a new meaning.

Ingredients

Makes 4 large or 8 small babas

Baba:

Oil, for greasing
75ml whole milk
100g butter, cubed
225g all-purpose flour
25g superfine sugar
1 (7g) packet fast-acting dried yeast
1/2 tsp table salt
2 eggs, beaten
Grated zest of 1 large unwaxed orange
Grated zest of 2 unwaxed limes

Soaking syrup:

300g caster sugar
Juice of 1 large orange
Juice of 2 limes
200ml dark rum
100ml white rum
200ml heavy cream, to serve
Grated unwaxed lime zest, to serve
You will also need 4 (10cm) savarin molds or a 12-hole muffin tin and a disposable piping bag.
  1. Step 1

    Grease the savarin molds or 8 holes of the muffin tin with oil and set to one side.

    Step 2

    Pour the milk into a small saucepan and add the butter. Heat gently over a low heat until the butter has melted, then remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

    Step 3

    Place the flour in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and add the sugar and yeast to one side and the salt to the other. Make a well in the center and pour in the lukewarm milk and butter and the beaten eggs. Stir until a soft, sticky dough forms then beat in the orange and lime zest.

    Step 4

    Knead the dough in the bowl for 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Alternatively, knead the dough using a stand mixer fitted with the dough- hook attachment for 5 minutes. Cover the bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and leave the dough to rise at room temperature for 1–3 hours until doubled in size.

    Step 5

    When the dough has risen, knock it back in the bowl and divide it into 4 equal sausage shapes or 8 round pieces (depending on which tins you are using). Place the dough in the tins and cover with oiled plastic wrap, then leave to rise at room temperature for 1 hour or until the dough has risen above the top of the tins.

    Step 6

    Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Bake the babas for 20 minutes if using savarin moulds, or 15 minutes if you have used a muffin tin, until golden brown all over.

    Step 7

    这样在做饭,反对派而大盗syru浸泡p. Place the caster sugar in a saucepan and pour in the orange and lime juices. Heat over a low heat, stirring all the time, until the sugar has dissolved, then turn up the heat and simmer for 2 minutes until the mixture has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum.

    Step 8

    When the babas are cooked, remove them from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes then remove from the tins. Pour a small amount of syrup into the bottom of the empty tins, then return the babas to the tins to soak up the syrup. Spoon some of the remaining syrup over the babas and leave to cool.

    Step 9

    When you are ready to serve, turn the babas out on to plates and drizzle over the remaining syrup. Whip the cream into soft peaks and pipe it on to the top of the babas then sprinkle them with lime zest.

FromCrave: Brilliantly Indulgent Recipes© 2018 by Martha Collison. Published by HarperCollins Publishers. Buy the full book fromHarperCollinsor fromAmazon.
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  • Lilythedog—please don’t make Americans look stupid. Surely, you’re smart enough to do the conversions or simply look it up on the Internet? Wonderful, different dessert.

    • loriltx

    • Houston

    • 4/9/2020

  • Great recipe. With the internet it's so easy to do recipe conversions nowadays :)

    • horsinround1974

    • Spokane, WA

    • 7/15/2019

  • Delicious! Finally a recipe for the rest of the world!! Weight is way more accurate than volume. Thanks for this!!

    • lisa_hoven

    • The Netherlands

    • 7/9/2019

  • Would Be Nice If It Was Made With American Measurements !!!!

    • lillythedog

    • Kansas City Mo.

    • 7/9/2019

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