Canelés Not Evenly Browning

I've been having issues with my Canelés browning evenly.

I am using the 55mm tall copper tin lined molds. The top of the canelé (bottom of the mold) stays blond while the rest I can get to a rich very dark brown/black.

I have tried nearly every permutations of :

Baking at 450°F for 15mins then dropping the temp to 375°F;
Baking at 400°F for the entire bake time;
Placing the molds directly on a sheet tray;
Placing the molds on a rack on a sheet tray;
Placing the sheet tray as close to the bottom element as possible - for the entire time period and for the last 5 minutes;
Blasting the temp to 550°F for the last 5 minutes (so the bottom element stays on).
Extending the cooking time over 50% (90 mins total).

I was filling the molds by weight to 70g, but I find judging by eye quicker and easier. I am filling about 65-68g.

During the baking I am getting some souffling with the top of the pastry rising a good 20mm above the mold. It mostly collapses to the height of the mold once baking is finished. I am assuming this is due to the amount of butter I am placing in the mold as I am establishing the nonstick coating. The molds were deep fried before the first use.

While the mistakes are very tasty I am almost in need of a belly wheel (2000AD fans will know what this is).

Does anyone have other ideas I have not yet tried?

The image above was 450°F for 15 mins, then 375°F for a total of 75mins direct on a sheet tray as close to the bottom element as possible. They needed to go at least another 15 mins as the middle was under cooked.

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grant

I think the batter is too fresh I find that the soufflé a bit when too fresh or too whipped/Aerated. Which lifts them from the bottom, and removes the direct contact with the mold. Notice your blond ones do not share the molds form but the darker ones do. Try aging the batter, and or baking on a rack.

prince_of_porcelain

@Tim - Welcome back!

Not surprisingly, my emperical evidence seems to back up Grant. My best batch so far rested overnight. Very even browning in a popover pan. The previous batches never got dark on the bottoms (or is that the tops?).

Batch cooked immediately:

Rested overnight:

And now that I am looking at this pic, I realize, you can't actually see the bottoms (tops?) in the second pic, but trust me, they were much more evenly browned.

prince_of_porcelain

And a question of my own: What is the best way to store these in order to maintain a crisp crust?

Jack_Mayer_85396

@Brian - cool tip on using a popover pan!

@Tim, glad to hear your voice here again! It's been a screwy winter here in Dallas ...

Tim_Sutherland_52834

@Jack yes the weather in Dallas this winter has been very screwy.

Brandon_34695

I made two batches this evening with nice sides and very underdone tops, my oven was super stable throughout and I measured everything just so.

I think putting the molds on a rack instead of a sheet is going to be the next thing I try.

I thought Grant was on to something with not making contact due to souffleing but that was definitely not the case today.

I made the batter with the whisk today instead of the blender and rested it to rule out the aeration.

Baking rack sighting!

https://player.vimeo.com/video/68969615

Alex_36374

Perhaps you need to turn the rack around once in the middle of cooking? Oven's can have hot spots. To test, take some slices of toast, cover an entire baking sheet and bake. You'll learn more about where your oven's hot spots are that way.

Also, maybe some of your molds have more or less butter?

Brandon_34695

I've been having a lot of butter pooling at the top of the mold that might be a problem, I suppose the water content of the butter would act to keep the temp too low for browning. My second and better batch of the day, I didn't re-butter the molds, because they were already kind of buttery and they are starting to get pretty well seasoned from all these attempts!

Notes on storage. I've baked some of these late the night before and just left them right on the rack. So far this has been the best result. Definitely nothing airtight!

After allowing them to cool, I did an experiment by putting them in "semi-breatheable" cheese bags (http://www.amazon.com/Formaticum-Cheese-Storage-Bags-Count/dp/B00BEDW76W). They lost their crispness overnight, but it turns out it is pretty easy to refresh the crust. I put them in a convection oven at 350, 10 minutes, turning half way, and then sat them out to cool on a rack again. I think when they cool off they will end up with about as good a crust as last night.

ttpoker

I am using an aluminum madeleine pan from Fat Daddio for my caneles, but I have not had much success. It is very hard to remove the pastry from the mold, I had to mangle the caneles to remove them

I used what I thought was an excessive amount of butter in each mold and the caneles browned evenly... any tips for removing the pastry from this mold shape? I am not ready to commit $360 in molds just for caneles, so for the time being I intend to stick with this madeleine pan.

Alex_36374

Well seasoned molds has been key for me. I had the same issue with these tin molds from Surla Table. I had more success with non-stick pans, muffin tins, etc. I'm going to try the infamous "white oil" Beeswax mix. And let you know my results.

merridith

Here is a place you can get fairly reasonably priced molds:

http://www.jbprince.com/professional-culinary-molds/cannele-mold-20-inch-x-20-inch.asp

$15.70 each for the 1.75" size and $19.90 for the 2" size!

Tim_Sutherland_52834

I've been playing for a while with the caneles and I have read every website posted here (and then some) on how the fix the white arse.

I have changed the CS recipe a bit and I blend the sugar to form castor sugar then add the other ingredients. I let the batter rest for at least 36 hours.

My cook times are close to double for both the large and small molds, for the centers to be cooked and not raw.

Souffling and sticking are no longer issues. Getting all the arses to be nonwhite is.

It is frustrating having some turn out perfect while others mere cenitimetres away do not - yes the pan is rotated during the baking.

The other items on the rack are Dents de loup. It is amazing what other things you find when buying canele molds online.

Mike_Minh_Truong_54120

@Tim Sutherland,

Skip the wax?

Tim_Sutherland_52834

I use butter in the molds, they are still newish so I need some fat in there.

I think it is more of an oven heat issue as the caneles have the shape of the mold, so the batter is staying in contact with the mold at least long enough to set. As you can see from some of the caneles the arse is only half white, so I think I need to rotate the pan and each mold to see they all get even heat.

Mike_Minh_Truong_54120

Must try the wax ( 50 wax/ 50 butter). Magic happens!

Tim_Sutherland_52834

I'll get some wax and try that too.

Brandon_34695

I just did some field research.

First up, Boullette's Larder SF. Rated by Eater as best in the country after an indeterminate amount of testing. Rich color and thicker crust than I'm getting, a touch thicker. The inside was a bit drier and sweeter. I would be willing to give them a slight win over my home version, but I prefer the flavor balance of mine in spite of some mild technical flaws.

Second - LaBoulange SF. 2 out of 5 stars. Good browning, but soggy texture. No real snap to the crust, its a bit denser than the inside, perhaps it was stored overnight or something and lost its crispness. Mine at home are way more enjoyable.

Thanks Grant!

prince_of_porcelain

I'm in France at the moment and was pleased to find Caneles at the market this morning. I expected that , if my mind wasn't blown completely, I'd at least have a new standard to compare my own against. Let me just say, I was severely disappointed. Though they looked pretty, the crust was weak and the inside gummy. These don't even come close to the worst batch I've made after the instruction here. (For the record, I was at the inlaws who claimed they had flour, but turned out to only be whole wheat. They were still good, just not up to the standard of prior batches.) Did I just find a substandard patisserie here in France?

ren_74229

@Brian Where in France are you? And I'd venture to say yes to your question.

prince_of_porcelain

Spent a couple days in Paris, and now a few km south of Poitiers. Caneles aside, the market here was fantastic. Wish I had similar quality and variety at home.

Brandon_34695

They are common at patisseries in San Francisco right now, but most not worth mentioning. With the exception of Boulette's Larder, above.

Dominique Ansel in New York sells one that is less custardy and more bready than Grant's version.

Grant's is still my #1 pick after a lot of, er, research.

ren_74229

@Brandon_ Maybe it's time to try Shawn Gale's https://www.flickr.com/photos/ulteriorepicure/8666005511/ =D

prince_of_porcelain

Tried another in La Rochelle today, and it may have been worse than the last. Crust was flaccid. Inside wasn't gummy like the last, but was dense and tasted overwhelmingly of almond extract. For how easy it is to get something very good with just a little effort from Grant's recipe, I was expecting something exquisite from every pastry shop I could find here. So far, nada. If these were the only caneles I'd ever tried, I'd have no interest in ever trying another. I'll be driving through Bordeaux in a couple days. Maybe I'll have more luck there.

prince_of_porcelain

Ok, after ~2 weeks in France trying every canelé I came across, I've come to the conclusion that perhaps France has ceased to care about the quality of it's canelés. They looked good sitting there. Classic shape. Dark Crust. However, time and time again, after a disappointing bite, I was begging someone else to eat the remainder of the 'canelé' just so that I wouldn't have to. I was told that the crust of a canelé is supposed to be soft. I disagreed. They told me that's what canelés are like in France. All evidence suggests they are right about that. That doesn't make it ok though. I wanted so much to find a great canelé by which to set my canelé standard. I even went to a (very touristy) fairy tale town in Bordeaux (Saint-Émilion for the record). But even in this village flush with canelés none even remotely approached the ones I make at home. And I'm not saying I make a great canelé. I've just never had a better one. Thanks @Grant for ruining my French canelé tour.

Manfred_18311

@Brain_

Douglas, First I hope you had good summer trip beside your canelé experience. What

names a problem I meet more often through the years; the number of places I visit

serving a lower quality food than I actually make at home is raising. Resulting

in; cooking even more at home and going for a truly enjoyable dining becomes increasingly

more expensive.

Anyways I hope you could collect soem good bottles of Bordeaux.

prince_of_porcelain

Thanks @Manfred. My ranting on the canelés is definitely somewhat tongue in cheek. I know what you are saying though. The list of restaurants where I feel I get good value for my money has dwindled as I've increased my capabilities to cook at home. I've paid a lot for meals where I've walked away disappointed. But you also learn to really appreciate places that do things right, whether they are a Michelin starred kitchen, or just a local diner that takes pride in the food they prepare.

Overall though, had a great trip! We took the family and the kids had a blast. Saw the major tourist highlights, and still had time to discover plenty of places that were off the beaten path. I even got to work a couple of really phenomenal meals into the itinerary.

Cheryl_71360

I know this is almost a year old, but I wanted to share a video from Chef Bruno Albouze. I haven't tried this recipe, but have made many others and they always turn out fantastic. His croissant recipe is the best I've ever made. He's a bit goofy, but he is a great chef and instructor. Hope this helps...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfklt2KQ0x4