Babas Infused with Limoncello
- 1 package (2 teaspoons) dry yeast
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, softened, plus more for the bowl and molds
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup limoncello
- A food processor fitted with the metal blade
- Baba molds or mini cake molds
- To make the dough, dissolve the yeast in 2 tablespoons warm water in a small bowl and let it sit for several minutes to start to bubble.
- Put the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of the food processor, and run the machine for a few seconds to blend the dry ingredients.
- Mix the beaten eggs with the dissolved yeast.
- With the food processor running, pour all the liquid into the flour, and process for 20 seconds or so.
- A stiff dough will gather on the blade and clean the sides of the bowl.
- Now drop in the soft butter, and process for another 20 to 30 seconds, until it is fully incorporated.
- Turn the soft dough out, knead by hand briefly to form a smooth round, and drop it into a lightly buttered bowl.
- Cover it with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for 30 minutes or soit does not need to double.
- Butter the baba molds.
- Deflate the dough, and cut it into twelve equal pieces (about 2 ounces each).
- Roll each piece into a round, and place dough in the molds to fill them two-thirds full.
- Let the babas expand to fill the molds, about 30 minutes or more.
- Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400, arranging two racks if necessary.
- Bake the babas for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are dark gold on top; shift the pans on the racks for even baking.
- Turn them out of the pans, and cool.
- To make the syrup, bring 3 cups water, the lemon juice, and the sugar to a full boil in a wide pot; add the limoncello, and boil for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, and immediately push as many babas as will fit into the hot syrup, weighting with a plate or pot cover to keep them submerged.
- When they have soaked up enough syrup to expand, in about 10 minutes, remove them from the pot, and drain on a wire rack set over a dish.
- If you have more babas to soak, heat the syrup to the boil again, then submerge another batch.
- Serve the soaked babas within a short time, or set them, sitting in a shallow layer of syrup, in a pan to stay moist.
- For serving, slice them in half lengthwise, and spoon in your filling.
- If you like, drizzle some warm syrup over the top.
yeast, flour, salt, sugar, eggs, butter, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sugar, limoncello, processor, molds
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/babas-infused-with-limoncello (may not work)