A canelé is a small French pastry from Bordeaux traditionally flavoured with rum and vanilla. It has a beautiful custard centre with a dark, thick caramelized crust. An amazing balance of flavour and texture! They are known to be notoriously hard to perfect.
Utilizing the Anova Precision Oven and Anova Precision Chamber Vacuum Sealer, I get perfect canelé every time! By running the batter through a vacuum cycle in the chamber vacuum sealer, you can skip the 24 to 48 hours typically needed to rest the batter before baking. Starting with a high-temperature convection bake in the Precision Oven and then finishing with moderate heat allows for a crisp, generously caramelized crust without worrying about overbaking.
If you don’t have a chamber vacuum sealer, transfer the prepared batter to an airtight storage container and refrigerate for 24 to 48 hours before baking.
Serves
9
Prep Time
01:30
Cook Time
01:10
0
173
Ingredients
350 g (1 ½ cups)
whole milk
40 g (3 Tbsp)
unsalted butter
2 g (1 tsp)
ground cardamom
½
vanilla bean, seeds scraped
60 g (4 large)
egg yolks
40 g (3 Tbsp)
dark rum
180 g (1 cup minus 2 Tbsp)
sugar
95 g (⅔ cup)
all-purpose flour
1 g (¼ tsp)
fine salt
Steps
1. Flavour the Milk
Combine the milk, butter, cardamom, and vanilla in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then remove from the heat and let steep, uncovered, until the mixture has cooled to 38°C (100°F), about 1 hour.
2. Preheat the Oven
Rack
Sous Vide Mode: Off
Steam: Off
Temp: 450°F
Heat: Top, Bottom
3. Finish the Batter
Whisk together the egg yolks in a medium bow. Whisk in the cooled milk mixture, followed by the rum. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and whisk to combine.
Strain through a conical fine-mesh strainer into a large (at least 4-cup) liquid measuring cup.
4. Quick-Hydrate
Pour the batter into a chamber vacuum pouch. Place in the Anova Precision Chamber Vacuum Sealer and run the strong vacuum once. (If making ahead, use the strong vacuum with the strong seal and then refrigerate the batter until ready to use.) Return the batter to the measuring cup.
5. Heat the Moulds
Rack
Place 9 canelé moulds on a sheet pan, transfer to the oven, and heat for 15 minutes.
Sous Vide Mode: Off
Steam: Off
Temp: 450°F
Heat: Top, Bottom
00:15 Timer
6. Melt Beeswax
Meanwhile, melt a few tablespoons of beeswax pellets in the microwave or on the stovetop.
7. Coat the Moulds
Once the moulds are fully heated, remove them from the oven but leave the oven settings as-is. Very carefully brush the interior of the moulds with the beeswax, pouring off any excess. Return to the sheet pan, open-side up, and let the beeswax set.
8. Fill and Bake
Rack
Fill each mould with the batter until it is about 5mm (¼ inch) from the top. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Sous Vide Mode: Off
Steam: Off
Temp: 450°F
Heat: Top, Bottom
00:20 Timer
9. Let Oven Adjust to Lower Temperature
Rack
Let the oven automatically reduce its temperature and continue to bake the canelés until they’re deeply caramelized on top, 35 to 40 minutes.
Sous Vide Mode: Off
Steam: Off
Temp: 350°F
Heat: Top, Bottom
00:35 Timer
10. Cool and Serve
Let the canelés cool in the moulds for 10 minutes, then flip them out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.