Canelé Recipe

Ingredients

Whole milk: 260g (9.17 oz)
Butter: 14g (0.49 oz)
Sugar: 130g (4.59 oz)
Flour T45: 66g (2.33 oz)
Salt: 1g (0.04 oz)
Egg yolks: 26g (0.92 oz)
Fresh eggs: 26g (0.92 oz)
Dark rum: 26g (0.92 oz)
Vanilla bean: 1 piece

Preparation

Heat the vanilla bean, milk, and butter until they start to simmer. Mix half of the milk with the sugar, flour, and salt. Add the eggs and then pour in the rest of the milk. Add the rum. Let the mixture rest in the fridge overnight. The next day, gently stir and strain the mixture. Fill greased canelé molds. Preheat the oven to 250°C (482°F). Bake at 230°C (446°F) for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 170°C (338°F) and bake for 45 minutes.

The History of the Canelé

The origin of the canelé is still uncertain. According to legend, it was created by nuns in Bordeaux to help feed the poor. The main ingredients like sugar, vanilla, and rum are closely linked to Bordeaux’s wine trade and the city’s strong connections with the West Indies. Egg yolks were commonly available because egg whites were used to clarify wine.

The recipe was forgotten after the convent closed and slowly came back into use in the 1980s. Fluted molds were already mentioned in 1800, and some say their shape was inspired by the interior of the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux.

The first written mention of the canelé appeared in 1900 in a small pastry shop in Bordeaux, but it only became popular in the 1970s. Jacques Chaban-Delmas, the mayor of Bordeaux at that time, helped promote it by offering canelés at official receptions. Today, more than 30 million canelés are eaten every year.