My Personal Canelé Rabbit Hole

[JeffGC]

Yesterday’s test: Wolfert 450/350 Convection (fan) steel. Four were perfect. Five were slight CB. Three were a total mess. Conclusion: Wolfert recipe is not suitable for high/low method. Also, I am less fond of the Wolfert recipe since it lacks a strong vanilla flavor (Uses extract). Next test (Final?) is my original recipe with the Wolfert mold prep. 

[gfweb]

14 minutes ago, JeffGC said:

Yesterday’s test: Wolfert 450/350 Convection (fan) steel. Four were perfect. Five were slight CB. Three were a total mess. Conclusion: Wolfert recipe is not suitable for high/low method. Also, I am less fond of the Wolfert recipe since it lacks a strong vanilla flavor (Uses extract). Next test (Final?) is my original recipe with the Wolfert mold prep. 

 

Wondering if the difference can be accounted-for by uneven preheating/heating of the pan

[JeffGC]

I don’t know. Pan was a room temp but I did have a layer of aluminum foil on it. Gap? Molds were frozen for a couple of hours. Oven was preheated for 90 minutes. 

[rotuts]

@JeffGC

 

as @gfweb has suggested 

 

if you got 4 Perfects

 

its not the Rx. thats the problem.  

 

think about where those 4 were 

 

in the oven , and go from there.

[JeffGC]

Good points

[ElsieD]

Have you tested the temperature of your pre-heated oven in several different spots to see if the temperatures are the same?

[JeffGC]

I have not. I am,at this moment, researching Wolf convection modes. 

[rotuts]

@JeffGC 

 

any pics of your baking set-up

 

your containers 

 

etc

 

would be appreciated 

 

insight for progress

 

is in those 4 that were perfect .

 

Im always ready to 

 

inhale all the rest.

 

 

[AAQuesada]

Maybe you did but how about rotating the pan half way through 

[CookBot]

I would cover my oven rack with slices of plain bread and bake them to check for hot and cold spots.  And I'd check every quadrant of the oven with one of those infrared temp guns.

 

I'm fascinated by the one that blew out (middle row, far left.)  Interesting how that might happen.  Did it rise and then fall, or did it never rise?

 

(And for the record, I'd still happily eat them all.)

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by CookBot
typos, always with the typos (log)

[JeffGC]

CookBot-Was planning to do an evenness test and plain white bread was already on the list. Please explain measuring temp in each quadrant. I have an IR temp gun. 

[rotuts]

there is the wrinkle of the fan.

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, JeffGC said:

CookBot-Was planning to do an evenness test and plain white bread was already on the list. Please explain measuring temp in each quadrant. I have an IR temp gun. 

 

Bread is one method. If you have an IR thermometer you could just put an canele pan in the oven and bake as you normally do, taking temps periodically of various locations on the pan.

 

Should the pan be empty or with batter?  I'd start with empty and if differences aren't obvious then do one with batter

 

Is the pan pre-heated prior to adding the batter?

Edited December 18, 2022 by gfweb (log)

[Pete Fred]

No update for a few months. I hope this is down to the OP finally living their best life in canelé paradise, rather than descending into madness.

 

Anyway, this deep dive was in my feed today. I'm not sure that it generates more light than heat, but somewhere in there might be the key that unlocks the puzzle for @JeffGCor anybody else who's struggling with this little pastry.

[JeffGC]

Pete Fred - Thank you! I’ll review the linked info. My research continues. 
 

Jeff

[gfweb]

10 hours ago, Pete Fred said:

No update for a few months. I hope this is down to the OP finally living their best life in canelé paradise, rather than descending into madness.

 

Anyway, this deep dive was in my feed today. I'm not sure that it generates more light than heat, but somewhere in there might be the key that unlocks the puzzle for @JeffGCor anybody else who's struggling with this little pastry.

 

Fabulous link.

Most of my canele have been eaten in Bordeaux. Never have a seen a cul blanc displayed. I suspect that they eat their failures.

[JeffGC]

Pete Fred - The linked article is incredible. 

[CookBot]

On 3/12/2023 at 10:29 AM, Pete Fred said:

Anyway, this deep dive was in my feed today. I'm not sure that it generates more light than heat, but somewhere in there might be the key that unlocks the puzzle for @JeffGCor anybody else who's struggling with this little pastry.

 

Amazing essay.  I might even screw up my courage and give them a try again one day, after that illuminating read.

[tikidoc]

On 3/12/2023 at 10:29 AM, Pete Fred said:

No update for a few months. I hope this is down to the OP finally living their best life in canelé paradise, rather than descending into madness.

 

Anyway, this deep dive was in my feed today. I'm not sure that it generates more light than heat, but somewhere in there might be the key that unlocks the puzzle for @JeffGCor anybody else who's struggling with this little pastry.

I used this recipe. The flavor was a little sweet for my tastes but the family loved them. Might cut back on the sugar a little next time. Also the kids request slightly less dark. I like the caramel flavors, the kids prefer it a bit less pronounced. Overall, I was pleased though. No white asses.

 

 

[JeffGC]

I've been away from this project for a while but now I'm back to it. Last weekend I reviewed eleven recipes and plan to produce each of them. I know keep a detailed diary; I'll cut and paste to post as I work through them.

 

27 August 2023

Reviewed every recipe I’ve saved. Aggressively cleaned every mould with the goal to start at the beginning, with initial seasoning. Made a list of every seasoning method/material: beeswax, butter, vegetable oil, vegetable shortening. Decided to go with beeswax, preforming multiple times. The best description of the process is Kitchen Project. After this is completed, the plan is to prepare, carefully following each recipe. And carefully document!

 

Molds were seasoned with 100% beeswax. 400F oven, repeated three times (total of four seasonings).

 

Notes regarding portable burner: When initial seasoning, I melted on 5 and the reduced to 3. When I did normal coating. I melted at 3. Went slow but will use only 3 in the future.

 

Standard coating is 50/50. Molds pre-heated in 170F oven. The first few seemed thin. I will monitor release at baking.

 

6 September 2023

Buutocxu recipe 

https://buutocxu.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/caneles-canneles-de-bordeaux-the-recipe-the-madness-the-method/

 

Yielded about 1000g of batter. Filled by eye instead of weight. 8 at a time. Followed recipe exactly, including turns. Molds with light 50/50 coating were marked for review.

 

Baked the full 45 minutes, without checking earlier. Rather pleased with the results. No discernable difference with the release from the lightly coated molds (on left).

 

 

A few had minor cul blanc but all were acceptable. Next coating, I might increase 50/50 to setting 4 and see if it produces lighter coating. Also on next bake, I will remove the wax spot at the bottom of the molds.

 

Second batch (7) made the same way. Thinner 50/50 coating on left, with no noticeable difference. A few didn’t release well from the molds and one was a liquid mess. A few minutes more in the oven and they released easily. 

 

 

This recipe has a much more custard-like interior. Different. Aside from the few CB, I am impressed. 

[JeffGC]

7 September 2023

Thinking about the mold coating process. The new burner seems to work very well since it’s thermostatically controlled. I did notice the molds cooling during the coating process. I just ordered 1/8 sheet pans which I’ll use for mold warming. I’ll remove from the oven in small groups of three or four molds and coat immediately. I’m certain this will result in a more even 50/50 coating.

[ElsieD]

Following with great interest.

[ElsieD]

I started testing different baking temps/times/pre-mold treatments today, baking one at a time.  I used different baking temperatures and times for each one, as per various recipes.  Also, some instructions said to freeze the molds before filling them, others say to get them blazing hot.  One was inedible, (surprisingly, that was Dorie Greenspan's) another slightly charred but edible and the third was actually pretty good.  I have more batter in the fridge so will be doing some more tomorrow.  Any ideas why some say to chill the molds while others say to pre-heat them?  I have the proper 55mm copper molds.

[JeffGC]

ElsieD-What you are doing is great but it might provide some misleading info. Some websites mention the drastic drop in oven temperature when the canelés are placed inside. Baking one at a time would doubtfully have any effect on the temperature. Placing 12 might.

[JeffGC]

As I mentioned in a previous post, my plan is to go through all of my saved recipes/websites. I've looked at many more but many were terrible. These are the keepers:

 

https://buutocxu.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/caneles-canneles-de-bordeaux-the-recipe-the-madness-the-method/

 

https://jasonyehmd.wordpress.com/

 

http://www.ironwhisk.com/2017/08/caneles-canneles-de-bordeaux/

 

https://www.baking-sense.com/2019/11/08/caneles/

 

https://partylicious.net/french-canele-recipe/

 

https://tasteofartisan.com/canele/

 

https://www.theperfectloaf.com/canele/

 

http://www.paula-wolfert.com/recipes/canele.html

 

https://kitchenprojects.substack.com/p/kitchen-project-99-canele

 

https://www.tasteatlas.com/canele/recipe