Canelés (Cannelés) Bordelais - A Traditional French Pastry from Bordeaux

Canelés or Cannelés are a traditional pastry from the Bordeaux region of France. They are wonderfully crunchy on the outside and custardy on the inside, with the color and texture of the exterior coming from a mix of beeswax and butter which coat the unique molds.

A couple notes on molds: There are several different options ranging from silicone to metal non-stick and tinned-lined copper molds. I do not recommend the silicone molds as - although the wonderful taste will be there - you will be unable to get that crunchy outside texture with them. The textural contrast between the exterior and interior of this pastry is a key component of what makes canelés so unique and delicious! Metal non-stick molds are an inexpensive option to copper molds but I find that they cool very quickly when trying to coat them with the beeswax/butter mixture, and the coating can sometimes end up being a tad thick. These however, are a great option if you want to try making canelés for the first time or only occasionally. I should mention, that if the coating is a bit thick, you can also put the molds upside down briefly in the oven to let the excess wax/butter drain out. In the video I used both copper and inexpensive non-stick aluminum molds so you can see both.

When it comes to baking times, it really depends on your oven and how close the molds are together so you may have to experiment. In general, after 15 minutes at 450°F, I’ll bake for 45 minutes at 350°F. However, at times I’ve extended the baking time to 60 minutes at 350°F. The best way to check is to take one of the canelés out of the oven, unmold and see how the colour looks. If it looks pale or not mahogany colored the. You can return it to the mold and back in the oven with the rest. Just monitor every 5 minutes.

And finally, these can be made gluten-free! I’ve made them several times using Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour and they still turn out great!

Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think!

Recipe below:

Canelés Bordelais (also Cannelés)
2 1/4 (500g) cups whole milk
3 Tbsp (50g) unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped out (or 1 Tbsp vanilla extract)
2 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (can also use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour)
1 cup (225g) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 (60ml) dark rum
————
30g beeswax
30g unsalted butter or ghee

And don't forget to follow @ChefonaBoat on:
Instagram: https://bit.ly/2KwIr5P
Facebook: https://bit.ly/2KBj0Ad
Twitter:   / gregk_nyc