BABA WITH RUM (BABA AL RUM)
A treat from Stella in Sicily.

Ingredients for the dough:

1 oz. yeast
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter
4 Tbs. raisins.

Ingredients for the syrup:

3 Tbs. sugar
1/2 cup water
4 Tbs. rum

Preparation:

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of warm milk and make into a dough with 4 Tbs. flour.
Place dough in a bowl, cover, and let it stand in a warm place for 30 minutes
or until it doubles in size. Make a fontana on a pastry board with the remaining
flour, a pinch of salt, the eggs, the sugar, the butter and the fermented dough.
Soak the raisins in lukewarm water, then squeeze out the excess water and work them
into the dough. Put the dough in a large buttered, sugar-dusted ring mold and
let rise again, in a warm place, until it doubles in size (it should take approx.
1 hour). Bake for 45 minutes at 375 F. oven. Prepare a syrup by dissolving the sugar
in the water, over a low flame. Add the rum. Unmold the baba while still warm.
Soak with the rum syrup and serve. NOTE: Small babas are made the same way by dividing
the dough and cooking them in little molds