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Historical recipe: classic canelés
Published: November 8, 2022 at 1:21 PM
Difficulty 4/10
Total time: 1 hr and 45 mins
The mixture needs to be prepared two days beforehand and left in the fridge.
In every issue of BBC History Magazine, picture editor Sam Nott brings you a recipe from the past. In this article, we share a decadent pastry from France...
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Skip to ingredients
These pastries originate from the region around Bordeaux, France, and some sources suggest their origins can be traced to between the 15th and 18th centuries. They’re a great treat with a cup of coffee or, if you’re feeling particularly decadent, for breakfast. We have used silicone moulds, rather than the traditional copper moulds.
Ingredients
For the canelés:
- 450ml whole milk
- 3tbsp dark rum
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 100g plain flour
- 50g butter
- pinch of sea salt
- five large egg yolks
- 175g caster sugar
For the beeswax coating:
- 30g beeswax
- 30g butter
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Method
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step 1
Heat the milk in a pan until it just reaches the boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and rum.
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step 2
If you have a food processor, add the butter, flour and salt and pulse until it resembles small breadcrumbs. (If you don’t have a food processor, rub those ingredients together by hand.) Add the sugar and egg yolks to that mixture and pulse, or stir with a fork, until they are properly mixed in. Turn the processor on to a low speed, or gently stir, and begin adding the hot milk in a slow stream. Mix until the batter is just combined.
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step 3
Strain through a sieve into a clean bowl, cover with cling film (which should touch the batter), and refrigerate for 24–48 hours.
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step 4
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 190°C. Place the moulds on a baking tray and put them in the oven to warm through for five minutes. Melt the beeswax and butter in a small pan and paint it carefully on to the inside of the moulds. A silicone brush might be useful.
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step 5
Turn the moulds upside down above a wire rack placed over baking paper to let any excess drip out. If your kitchen is cold, the beeswax will set nearly instantly; if not, put the moulds in the freezer for 15 minutes.
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step 6
Remove the moulds from the freezer, and pour the batter into the waxed canelé moulds, filling them about three-quarters full. If you have more batter than you do moulds, you can return it to the fridge for later use.
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step 7
Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes. (Silicone moulds need slightly longer than copper ones, so take those out nearer the 75-minute mark.) The bottoms of the canelés should be a rich brown; they won’t be firm at this point, but you should be able to press them gently with a finger.
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step 8
Allow the canelés to cool for five minutes, then turn the moulds over on to a wire rack (be careful – the silicone will be hot). The canelés will come out, but may need a bit of patience. They will firm up as they cool.
Discover more historical recipes, including:
Recipe by The Vintage Chef, Olivia Potts
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