Brownies have been one of my favorite sweets since I was a kid. This recipe uses up leftover sourdough discard to make a rich, fudgy, and chewy brownie with a bit of tang!
Looking for more sourdough discard recipes? Try my Sourdough Crackers or Sourdough Focaccia next!
About This Recipe
This sourdough brownie recipe is a riff on my childhood friend's mom's traditional brownie recipe. His mom made the best brownies ever, and I used to eat them all the time when I went to their house. Since I've been on a sourdough kick lately, I decided to make her recipe, but adapted it for sourdough instead. And might I say...they came out fantastic!
It was surprisingly easy to adapt the recipe for sourdough discard. Since discard adds extra moisture, I removed one of the egg whites and added a tiny bit more cocoa powder since cocoa powder is hygroscopic (absorbs water).
They came out fudgy and chewy, but the extra gluten from the discard did give them a slightly cakier texture. If you want brownies that are less cakey, I'd suggest using discard that is less than two weeks old.
Key Ingredients
Sourdough discard: This recipe requires ยฝ a cup of sourdough starter/discard, unfed preferably, but fed works too.
Cocoa powder: Of course we need some cocoa powder to give it the chocolate flavor.
Sugar: Most brownie recipes use about 1.5 cups of sugar. I decided to stick with this amount because I didn't want the brownies to be too unhealthy. That said, you can increase the amount but up to ยฝ a cup.
Eggs + yolk: You'll need 2 whole eggs and 1 yolk for the recipe. We remove one egg white to make up for the extra moisture in the discard.
Oil: Oil keeps the brownies moist and tender. You can also use melted butter.
All-purpose flour: Make sure to spoon and level this into your measuring cup to avoid overmeasuring.
Vanilla extract: For warm flavor.
Salt: Enhances all the flavors.
Chocolate chips: Use your favorite chocolate chips! I typically use dark chocolate, but sourdough brownies are a bit tangier, so sweeter chocolate chips would work great here.
Instructions
STEP 1: Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for lifting out the brownies later.
STEP 2: In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs, yolk, and sugar for 2-3 minutes until thick and pale. Mix in the sourdough discard, oil, vanilla, and salt.
STEP 3: In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, and chocolate chips.
STEP 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
STEP 5: Scrape the batter into the baking dish and smooth it out with a rubber spatula.
STEP 6: Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out with a few crumbs. Let the brownies cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
๐ Recipe
Sourdough Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 ยฝ cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- ยฝ cup sourdough discard
- ยฝ cup oil (or melted butter)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- โ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and levelled)
- ยฝ cup chocolate chips (any kind)
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350ยฐF. Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for lifting out the brownies later.
- In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs, yolk, and sugar for 2-3 minutes until thick and pale. Mix in the sourdough discard, oil, vanilla, and salt.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, flour, and chocolate chips.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
- Scrape the batter into the baking dish and smooth it out with a rubber spatula.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out with a few crumbs.
- Let the brownies cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
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