Sourdough Canelés

Ready to take your sourdough starter on a journey to France? Let's make some Sourdough Canelés-a classic French pastry with a soft, custardy centre and a perfectly caramelized crust!

Jump to:

• But What Are Caneles?
• Ingredient Notes
• Step-By-Step Method
• Recipe FAQs
• Troubleshooting
• More French Sourdough Recipes
• Sourdough Canelés

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But What Are Caneles?

Canelés are a traditional French pastry from the Bordeaux region. They are famous for their unique texture: a rich, custard-like interior surrounded by a thick, caramelized crust. Originating in the 18th century, canelés have become popular worldwide for their perfect balance of creamy and crispy, often enjoyed with coffee or as a dessert.

Most Canele recipes require you to use copper moulds and beeswax. Truth be told, we don't own copper moulds (too expensive!) and don't use beeswax in our recipe. Instead, we employ Silicone Canelé moulds (8 x 70ml)!

If you would like to make these, but don't keep a sourdough starter, don't worry! Head to our Canele de Bordeaux recipe!

Ingredient Notes

• milk: since we are diluting the mixture of canelé batter with the water in the sourdough starter, we highly recommend using full-fat milk (a.k.a. whole milk).
• butter: we use unsalted butter and add a pinch of salt to the batter, but you may choose to use salted butter instead.
• eggs: we use medium eggs in the UK, so you may need large eggs in the US.
• caster sugar: also known as superfine sugar.
• vanilla bean paste: or beans from 1 vanilla pod.
• plain flour.
• sourdough starter: you can use either active sourdough starter or sourdough discard, but it has to be 100% hydration.

Find the ingredient quantities, full instructions and nutritional information in a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step-By-Step Method

DAY 1:

1. Pour milk in a pan and and add the butter. Heat it on low heat until butter melts and then take it off the heat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the caster sugar, vanilla, a whole egg and a yolk. Then add the sourdough starter, flour and a pinch of salt and whisk to combine.

TIP: If you have a large enough jug (like a measuring jug), mix everything in it. You can then place it in the fridge for an overnight chill and it will be easier to pour the canelé batter into the moulds the next day for baking.

3. Pour the lukewarm milk mixture into the egg mixture. Whisk continuously until you get a smooth mix without any lumps. The batter will be quite thin, resembling a pancake mix.
4. Cover with cling film and leave the mixture to rest overnight in the fridge.

DAY 2:

5. When you're ready to bake, remove the canelés mixture from the fridge to come to room temperature and preheat your oven to 230°C Fan.
6. Give the batter a good stir before pouring into the moulds, but make sure to leave ½ cm from the top unfilled, as your pastries will rise a little.
7. Bake in the oven at 230°C for 15 minutes only, then lower the temperature to 180°C for a further 40-45 mins.
8. Remove from the oven when the tops or canelés are dark brown and crispy. Leave to cool down for at least 15 minutes before attempting to remove them from their moulds. Canelés should be cooled down to room temperature before eating them.

Recipe FAQs

Troubleshooting

I am not going to sugarcoat it, canelés are not the easiest thing to get right. Here are a few things that may happen.

Why Does Canelé Rise Too Much? Why Are My Canelé Mushrooming?

If your canelés are rising too much and mushrooming, it could be due to overfilling the moulds or baking at too high a temperature initially. Here are a few tips to prevent this:

• Fill the moulds correctly: Leave about ½ cm from the top unfilled to allow space for the batter to expand.
• Temperature control: Start with a high temperature to set the crust, then lower it to allow the inside to cook without excessive rising.
• Rest the batter: Ensure your batter rests overnight in the fridge, which helps it stabilize and reduces the likelihood of mushrooming.

Why Are My Sourdough Canele Not Crispy?

I have to admit that bakery-bought artisan caneles baked in copper moulds tend to be crispier, so you may consider investing in some proper moulds and some beeswax.

However, sourdough caneles made in silicone moulds should still have a crispy exterior. Two main reasons for soggy canele: 1. The temperature for the first 15 minutes was not high enough, 2. You have not removed the caneles from the moulds soon enough and they started "stewing" in their own steam inside the moulds.

Why Are My Sourdough Caneles Hollow?

This typically happens if the batter is too cold when it goes into the oven. Make sure to bring it to room temperature before baking.

More French Sourdough Recipes

From Sourdough Croissants, Sourdough Pain Aux Raisins and Pain Au Chocolat, to Sourdough Brioche and Fougasse, we use sourdough starter in everything...