(original recipe - I adapted some things - in french here)
With this recipe I'm making around 22/24 "big" cannelés (see this tweet for picture)
1 liter of fresh whole milk (lait frais entier) 2 eggs 4 egg yolks 280g of flour 475g of sugar (yes that's a lot, but it's why I get beautiful crusty brown cannelés) 50g of butter 10cl of dark rum 3 big vanilla beans
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Get the milk boiling with butter rum and vanilla cut in half lengthwise. When it's boiling, stop and let it infuse for 15 minutes.
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In another bowl, mix the eggs (2 whole plus 4 yolks) and the sugar till a creamy color (it's called Blanchir les oeufs "whiten the eggs" in French, idk how it translates)
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Take the vanilla beans off of the milk and with a knife extract all the grains and add that to the egg mixture. Put the beans back in the milk.
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Put the milk mixture on the fire back and get it to simmer (not boiling, just simmer). Let it sit for 2 minutes and add a small portion (20%) to the eggs+sugar mixture. Mix until smooth. Add the flour. Add the rest of the milk, mix again. We're doing it that way to avoid flour lumps.
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Now, let that mixture sit for 24 hours. No need to put it in the fridge. Just cover it with a clean tea towel. Come back once in a while to mix a little so the foam gets mixed back with the rest.
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24 hours later, mix for 2 minutes so the butter is well reintegrated with the rest.
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Pre-heat the furnace to 275 celcius. It's a lot I know, but the magic of cannelé crust happens with a 2 temperature cooking. First realllyyy hot so it creates the crust, and second lower to cook the inside without burning the whole thing.
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Now, depending on the molds you have (it's better to have coper molds because it conducts the heat better. Alluminum molds are good too, silicone is the worst but we do with what we have): I personnaly use baking spray to help me unmold the cannelés once it's cooked but use anything you have. Know that butter usually burns at this temperature so it's not ideal. My cooking spray is make out of Colza oil mostly, it resists high temperatures.
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Fill the molds up to 2-3mm to the top (this step might require testing with your molds/furnace). The cannelé will rise, cook, and downsize during the cooking step, do not be afraid.
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10-15 minutes at 275 (first temperature), and without taking them out or opening the door lower it to 200 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Again timing might require testing with your furnace/molds. If you see that your cannelés are not cooked the same, next time open the door, turn your molds 180 degrees (u-turn) to cook them all the same. I used to do that before I changed my furnace.
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Once it's cooked, take them off the mold right away. I used to wait for them to cool down, but they just stick more to the molds. Put them on a grid to rest and cool down. If you try to eat one right away, you'll burn yourself. Been there, done that.
