Stand mixer with paddle (K beater)
Foto di Your Best Digs · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Tortine · Soft, springy and soaked right through
Neapolitan rum babas
Neapolitan babas are small yeasted cakes with an extremely springy, spongy crumb, made from an egg-rich dough and then dipped in a fragrant rum and citrus syrup.
PrepAbout 50 min
RisingAbout 2–3 hours
Baking20–25 min
RestOvernight recommended
Quantity
1
Mold used: 2 molds with 8 cavities, Ø 55 × h 60 mm
01
Get the ingredients ready
Lightly beat the eggs and split them into two parts, 220 g for the first mix and 80 g to add later. Bring the butter to a soft, creamy texture.
The eggs shouldn’t be fridge-cold, or the dough will struggle to develop and to absorb the butter.
02
Start the first mix
Fit the paddle (K beater) on the stand mixer. Put the flour, sugar and Caputo dry yeast in the bowl. Start on low speed, roughly 1–2 on a scale up to 10, and gradually add 220 g of beaten egg.
Pour the eggs a little at a time so the flour absorbs them gradually.
03
Develop the gluten
Raise the mixer to medium-low speed, roughly 2–3, and keep working the dough. It should start to come together, gain elasticity and slowly pull away from the sides of the bowl.
At first the dough will look very soft and loose. Keep working it without adding flour.
04
Add salt and eggs
Add the salt and work in the remaining 80 g of egg in 3–4 additions. Wait until each addition is fully absorbed before pouring in the next.
If the dough loses its strength for a moment, don’t add anything else until it turns elastic again.
05
Work in the butter
Add the 83 g of soft butter in 4–5 additions, keeping the mixer on medium-low speed. Add the next piece only when the previous one is fully absorbed.
The butter should be soft but not melted. Butter that is too warm makes it harder to keep the dough strong.
06
Finish developing the dough
Keep kneading until the dough is glossy, smooth and very elastic. When you gently stretch a small piece between your fingers, it should form a thin film without tearing straight away.
The whole kneading takes roughly 30–35 minutes. If the dough gets too warm, stop the mixer for a few minutes.
07
First rise
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at 26–28 °C until it has almost doubled. It will take roughly 60–90 minutes.
Watch the volume of the dough above all, since the room temperature can change the timing a lot.
08
Fill the molds
Carefully butter the 16 cavities. With lightly buttered hands or a piping bag, put about 44–45 g of dough in each cavity.
Try to keep the surface of the dough as even as possible and avoid smearing the edges of the molds.
09
Second rise
Gently cover the molds and let them rise at 26–28 °C until the dough reaches the rim of the cavities and forms a small dome.
It can take roughly 60 to 90 minutes. Bake when the dough is ready, not just by the clock.
10
Bake the babas
Bake in a preheated conventional oven (no fan) at 175–180 °C for about 20–25 minutes, until the babas are puffed up and evenly deep golden.
A good deep colour helps the babas keep their shape when you soak them.
11
Unmold and cool
Gently unmold the babas and let them cool completely on a wire rack. For the best result, bake them the day before and let them rest until it’s time to soak them.
A slightly dry crumb absorbs the syrup better without losing its structure.
12
Make the syrup
Put the water, sugar and lemon and orange zest in a pot. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has fully dissolved, then let it simmer briefly.
Take only the coloured part of the zest and avoid the white pith as much as you can, as it can make the syrup bitter.
13
Add the rum
Turn off the heat, remove the zest and let the syrup cool to about 40 °C. Then add 220–240 ml of dark rum and stir.
Adding the rum when the syrup is warm, not hot, keeps more of its aroma.
14
Soak the babas
Dip the completely cool babas in the warm syrup. Turn them several times and let them soak until they are soft, heavy and evenly soaked right to the centre.
Soaking time depends on how dry they are. Don’t take them out as soon as the outside is wet, as they need to absorb the syrup all the way through.
15
Drain the babas
Gently lift each baba, press very lightly to remove only the excess syrup and place it on a wire rack or in a container.
Don’t squeeze hard. The baba should stay very moist but keep its shape.
What I used
Equipment
The exact reference images, so there is no “wait, which one should I buy?” moment.
2 molds with 8 cavities, Ø 55 × h 60 mm
Foto di Cooks & Kitchens · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Digital scale
Foto di smial · FAL · Wikimedia Commons
Large pot for the syrup
Foto di Mewa767 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wire cooling rack
Foto di Donovan Govan. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Piping bag (optional)
Foto di oskay · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
✦Small details,
Sofi’s tips
Small details,
great result.
01Don’t add flour even if the dough looks very soft or almost creamy.
02Add the eggs and butter gradually, always waiting until they are fully absorbed.
03Speeds 1–2 and 2–3 are a guide for a stand mixer with a dial up to 10.
04The dough is ready when it is glossy, elastic and stretches into a thin film.
05Put 44–45 g of dough in each cavity for even babas.
06For better soaking, bake the babas the day before and soak them the next day.
07The syrup should be warm and the babas completely cool.
08Add the rum only once the syrup has cooled to about 40 °C.
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