Still waiting for a canele buddy

While waiting for next big flour deliver which pushed to monday (boo hoo) ot was canele again today - some tflers have expressed interest in trying out this delocious morsel and hoping for a pal soon. These are turning out nice but still havent figured out how to stop the popup (as may be evident in this batch where the mold edge can be seen as a horizontal line about midway up each one)

For what its worth of anyone os interested i tucked in to this batch and was a bit disappointed - they dont taste as good as other batches I've made and this is probably due to the over vanilla-ing that occurred. I accidentally added about double the amount and that completely upstaged the alcohol (rum and grand marnier) so the end result is just vanilla custard flavor - the crust as usual is great and really makes for a great few final bites that are very much like eating candy but in the end the alcohol flavors in combination with the crust is what makes a canele so good. If you're trying these out watch the vanilla content and even go on the low end (if in doubt)

look better than the ones posted with this tip:

The batter should be stirred as much as possible, not whisked. Whisking causes the batter to be aerated, thus producing a fluffy Canelé; we want the texture to be more compact and chewy for the end result.

Just throwing that out there. Going shopping in two weeks. see if I can find me some molds.

I recall previously some of your suggestions such as pouring on an angle and to date tried that to no avail. As for stiring, i definitely go as easy as humanly possible and even give sever tap downs to bring up bubbles (usually see one or two). Well on second though I usually wish when incorporating the tempered eggs and milk to the flour maybe thats the problem, from there its always been gentle mixing with a spoon so yeah, this suggestion may still have some life to it - will keep you posted and would love to see your efforts if you do source some molds. Tks !

I have made two batches. Well, more like one batch using two different kinds of molds. I bought six steel molds (bigger ones) and a silicon one with eight (I think) mini molds. I used this recipe and technique. I coated the steel molds with a mixture of about 35% beeswax and 65% butter, melted together. I decided I hate that technique; I didn't realize that beeswax only remains liquid at a high temperature and starts to set immediately, so the first mold was coated properly but the remainder had fairly thick coating with some goopy bits. When I used the silicon mini molds I just brushed them with melted butter.

The steel molds seemed to work quite well, with not much 'popup' happening. Maybe it is the shape; they're a bit more tapered than the little silicon molds which have pretty straight sides. Or maybe it was the beeswax. Anyway, the silicon ones were growing out of the molds like weird little mushrooms. I took the pan out of the oven a couple of times and poked them back down in, which resulted in several of them being a bit squished and wrinkled, or toppled over. I didn't take any pictures of the silicon batch. They did taste good though - nice and custardy in the inside and more or less caramelized on the outside. The big guys were much nicer:

Sorry I didn't post this earlier (I was thinking of you!) but didn't take many photos and was going to wait until I managed to get back to them again. I noticed when I put the remaining butter/wax mixture into a bowl to store it that it was still soft, though no longer liquid. I was wondering if I could just dip my finger into it and rub it onto the molds rather than trying to melt it and brush it on?

We don't eat too many sweets so I won't make them too often, but I will try again from time to time. They're so yummy!

So you did eventually use the molds - btw your metal molds are wuite different to mine they have 10 corrugations wheres mine and most others i have seen have 12 and hardly tapered at all. I never had a clumping issue with the beeswax and i usually freeze them which helps the butter / wax stick - either way though butter alone works very well, you just seem to get a more candy-like coating with wax mixed in. I think its a matter of getting thr right amount of wax to butter and admittedly this last time my mixture was a bit too waxy but not so much so that it caused difficulty applying it. Notice also the center of your are pale - i get thr same problem and find that tapping them around the last 5-10 minutes helps. Knowing what we know with your bake i would say the more tapered the mold the less mushrooming os likely to occur - will keep sharing experiences and hoefully conquer the mushroom rise (thsnks again for the follow up )

Hi Kendal,

As a long time canele obsessive I feel your pain regarding the puffing--it can be infuriating! However, your canele look great!

Couple of things to suggest. Use a baking stone and start with the oven very hot 450F, use a 48 or 72 hour rest.

This past June I wrote a very detailed guide to all things canele (published in Saveur).

Judging by the color, may I also suggest baking them for another 20-30+ minutes? You have the copper molds so you should be able to get a deep mahogany crust.

Anyway there's 3 different pieces here: Story, guide and recipe:

https://www.saveur.com/how-to-make-canele

Let me know you you make out!

Niko

Niko Triantafillou, Contributor: Saveur; Wine4Food; Serious Eats NY; StarChefs; Dessert Professional Magazine; My latest story: "Diary of a Canelé Obsessive" on Saveur

In case you happen to return - http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/54126/nice-canele-surprise 

What a great article and thanks for your pointers - I'm very much a stickler for getting thr details right and when it comes to traditional recipes I demand perfection for my own obsesssive reasons so this is great and will yake all this advice directly to the kitchen. What I like about your article is that you've backed up suggeations with the reason for applying certain techniques. Btw thia particular bake is so far the least successful and yes i am aware they are under cooked but for whatever reason i became a bit paranoid this time that i would over do them - most other batches have been a nice mahogony color one was too dark. Generally the crumb is pretty good with occasional dense spots and / or cavities but the good batches have really delivered and it funny but the earlier ones turned out better and I seem to be at the point where you feel you fluked the first few (or maybe its just expectations raising). For the record heres my technique. 1. Heat milk and butter to 185f add vanillia (i use natural essence and havent tried beans to this point). 2. Temper egg yolks with milk etc 3. Add eggs to flour and granulated sugar and mix (I have been wisking gently at this point). Also I use imported T55 pastry flour from moulin d'auguste which I absolutely love) 4. Gently stir and tap out any trapped bubbles - add liquor (rum / grand marnier blend). 5. Wait 12-24 hours and bake in pan on stone. So it looks like a linger chill is a good idea as well as ditching the pan for direct stone contact. I find it hard to trust advice without reason as i have read elswhere that a longer chill is helpful but nowbthat i have digested your article its about time to test those waters. As mentioned previous batches despite all of them mishrooming have been very pleasing results - I dont think anyone can expect to avoid failures but the proof is always in how long a bake sits before its completely consumed and I don't find myself gravitating back to this batch impulsively ... There are still at least 5 sitting on the cpunter top. Well, I'm thinking its about time start mixing another batch for a nice ling chill so until next bake lets see what happens - thanks again and really excited to read you fantastic article !

Kendall,

Deepest apologies for disappearing (Had some deadlines).

In terms of tempering eggs into milk just let the milk cool, no advantage to mixing them in hot.

Re: longer rest/"chill" In terms of batter rest. Some experienced canele chefs have told me 48 rest not only helps with flavor but also hydration of flour. There is debate HOWEVER, All chefs I spoke with agree on improved flavor with longer >24 hour rest and I 100% agree with this. I do 72 hours and let the real vanilla pods soak in the container during this time.

One thing about using clarified butter or ghee is that the higher smoke points allows you to bake the canele much longer and darker without getting a burnt flavor. The Brooklyn, NY bakery Runner and Stone canele last almost 12 hours and are still super crunchy because they bake the *heck* out of them :)

So glad you found guide useful BTW.

An a completely separate note, I meant to write that your baguette's are looking serious ready for Paris competition! Especially holy crumb!

Baguette's have been my white whale and despite many bakes, I still haven't been able to get them right in my home oven. So this winter, I was hoping to nail them. Maybe we can trade advice? Primarily, it's been the crumb that's been the issue. I have had made some very ugly but nice yeasty flavorful baguettes but kinda inside have been dense and un-baguette like.

Anyway, going to go through the rest of this canele thread now!

Niko

The little single I just baked was a step up on the ladder. No muffin top mean no interfering (via tapping and rattling etc) amd as a result zero dense zone as usually find mine a bit custardy sometimes toward the bottom. This adhoc extra single was at last 5mm taller and the crumb was much ! better (see pics they're blurry [sorry camera is being difficult]). The bottom remained a dome and as eating experince well, sometimes that little difference makes all the difference.

So! To your point about baguettes, are you kidding of course. I'm a bit like you with baguettes, the first bite as a 16 year old in antibes is a lasting memory and since then always on the scout for a decent baguette here in los angeles. I finally gave up looking and just decided to take on the challenge amd you probably figured crumb development was on the top of my list (actually flavor of a real french loaf was number one for me). I do them to the book - yeasted version and if you read some posts you can see progress over time and finally satisfied as of the last few months. Another tfler (and baguette rockstar) has sic'd me onto levain baguettes ... See alfanso's blog as I am sure he'd be pleased to help too. Pm me and I would be more than happy to return the favor !!

Regards,

Geremy

and fell in love with them. I tried them in several places to determine the best place to get them...they were all wonderful. There is much to love about France and the French. One of the many things I admire about the French and France is the love of food, truly great food, and that preserving France's food ways is a source of national pride.

Anyway, I left France wondering if I'd ever taste those pieces of heaven again and thinking, apparently incorrectly, that making good canele at home was beyond me.

And then I read this thread, including the Saveur articles and following the links to the molds on Amazon.

So, you have your canele buddy. It might take me a week or so to get up and running, but you've got your buddy.

BTW - just for grins, how long do these things last? Are they best the day they are made? How are they the next day? I can eat cake for breakfast, but a dozen canele in one day might be more than I can manage.

I've got 15 people for Thanksgiving, and I'm in charge of desserts and bread. Fortunately, the desserts I'm planning on are best after a day or two - Stack Cake (an Appalachian cake), and Oreshki (Russian Walnut Cookies) all benefit from being made in advance. And then there is the star of the line up, Steamed Pumpkin Pudding with Maple Creme Anglaise. I have determined that the Maple Creme Anglaise will be divine on the Stack Cake.

My stupendous idea was to pass a tray with the Oreshki while the plates are cleared, the mid-meal kitchen is put to rights, and I get the two cakes and sauce ready to go. A canele would be a nice contrast to the Oreshki.

If any of you are looking for a make-ahead Thanksgiving pumpkin dessert, I recommend a steamed pudding. You will need a pudding mold - a specific piece of cookware, but not too expensive - the pudding is served warm and is able to be warmed on the stove, and is simplicity itself to transport. It can be made up to 5 days in advance with absolutely no decline in taste or texture. If it's frozen, it can be made a month or more in advance with no decline in quality. The sauce can be made 3 days in advance.

If you've followed my thread you should,see,I have the same love for baguettes along with a few others here like alfanso and the reat of the 'baguette brigade'. If you are just embarking you are in for a treat especially if you have good molds and serious ready to go the distance. I cam tell you the shelf life is short maybe 6 hours up to 12 perhaps. They come out soft and glistening and then harden as they cool. Beat eaten about an hour later. The next few hours they are in their prime and then by day two. And before 24 hours have passed they soften up again and although still edible have lost the crunch that you so crave. As mentioned the beeswax adds a sort of candy factor which I for one really relish although butter lining alone is not bad so if you're invested you gotto go the diatance. Looking forward to hearing more !

The mold should be delivered today or tomorrow. I'm going to follow Bruno Albruze's recipe - he use rum and Grand Marnie.

I might be able to bake them the day they are eaten - ie, Thanksgiving morning - but they will be a few hours old by the time they are consumed. Maybe not worth the effort.

I have beeswax.

I love baguettes, but I can't shape them. I'm working on it, but I just don't bake enough of them to get good at shaping them.

ones that are already in the dough? Try pouring from a higher height. The long stream will pop large bubbles. Try it and see.

I've seen that method before somewhere, I think on Bruno' kitchen. It works with puddings and stuff. Might work with this.