Fudgy Brownies with Sourdough and Browned Butter
Decadent fudgy brownies using sourdough starter discard and browned butter
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Small - Medium Bowls - To hold measured ingredients
- Medium Saucpan
- Whisk
- Rubber Spatula
- 9 x 9 Glass Baking Dish OR 9x9 Metal Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 10 tbsp + 1 tsp Unsalted Butter
- 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder OR 4 oz. Bakers chocolate OR Semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 Cup Sourdough Starter Discard
- 1/2 Cup Walnuts - Chopped
- 1/4 Cup Bittersweet or Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Grease baking dish with 1 tsp butter or spray dish with cooking spray.
- In a small bowl mix together the flour and salt. Set aside.
- Chop the walnuts. Set aside.
- Crack eggs into a small bowl. Set aside.
- Measure out the remaining ingredients into individual bowls or measuring cups and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan heat butter over low-medium heat until the milk solids have browned (see blog notes), stirring constantly. Butter starts to brown when it gets foamy. Stir from the bottom up and tilt the pan to see the browned bits, the desired color is similar to peanut butter.
- Remove the butter from the heat. Quickly whisk in the cocoa powder and sugar, whisking until the sugar has dissolved 1-2minutes.
- Let cool for 5 minutes.
- Whisk in eggs 1 at a time until fully combined. Mixture will thicken and look gloppy.
- Allow batter to cool until it reaches a temperature of 120° F or less. You can measure the temperature with an instant read or candy thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer, allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in the vanilla and sourdough starter discard.
- Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the flour and salt mixture. Be sure the flour is fully incorporated but do not overwork. Batter should be smooth and glossy.
- Fold in the walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- While the batter is resting, preheat oven to 350°.
- Before baking sprinkle the chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out slightly moist with a few crumbs.
- Allow the brownies to cool for about 30 minutes before serving. Cut into 9-12 pieces and serve.
Notes
Sourdough starter discard can omitted. The recipe is delicious even without it.
Browning the butter is optional. You can melt the butter and continue with the recipe.
The batter can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated from 1-12 hours. Follow the steps up to pouring the batter in the baking dish. Cover the dish and refrigerate. Remove from the fridge about an hour before baking. Transferring the glass dish directly from the fridge to the oven can cause the dish to break. I have not tested transferring a metal pan to the oven directly from the fridge, I'm not sure if it would affect the pan or cooking time.
Gluten free option – Omit the sourdough starter (unless you have a GF one), substitute the AP flour with AP gluten free flour (I recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 AP Flour), add ½ tsp baking powder, and skip step 14.
You can omit the walnuts or substitute with pecans or any other nut that you prefer.
For extra flavor, toast the nuts for 5-8 minutes in a 350° oven prior to chopping.
Substitute white chocolate or butterscotch chips for the chocolate chips for different flavor experience.
Delicious alone but also good with a scoop of ice cream.