- Makes 16 brownies – Ready in 4 hours (3 hours of cooling time is included) –
*Uses up 200g - 220g of sourdough starter discard*
These brownies are thick and dense inside (thanks to the hydrating effect of the sourdough starter and the melty chocolate chunks) - almost fudgy, which contrasts nicely with the crackly top layer. If you don't have a sourdough starter, here is an alternative recipe for equally delicious brownies.
Gather together…
200g dark cooking-chocolate (broken into pieces). Cooking chocolate melts far more easily than regular chocolate and is much less likely to shock and split. Sainsbury's own-brand cooking chocolate is sold in foil and card (so is plastic-free), Green & Black's cooking chocolate is plastic-free AND palm oil-free, but is too pricey for me to use regularly
100g milk cooking-chocolate (broken into pieces, of which 70g needs to be cut up further into 0.5cm x 0.5cm chunks).
115g butter (sliced-and-diced, ready for melting).
3 medium (free range) eggs.
115g brown sugar.
1 tsp vanilla extract (the Taylor & Colledge brand is fairtrade certified / the Dr Oetker brand is alcohol free).
Pinch of salt.
Also...
EITHER, 200g of room temperature, slightly bubbly / very bubbly, recently-active sourdough starter discard,
plus 20g of strong brown bread flour (or use strong white bread flour) - this flour is needed as the room-temperature 'new' discard will be runnier than a fridge stored batch of discard.
OR, 220g of fridge-cold, inactive sourdough starter discard. N.B. if there is a layer of watery 'hooch' present, pour the liquidy layer away down the sink, before weighing out and using the cold (and quite thick) sourdough starter.
Get making…
1. Boil a 1/4 full kettle of water.
2. Line (but DO NOT GREASE) a 9" x 9" (23cm square) baking tin with greaseproof paper, or even better use a reusable silicone liner (I use one shaped like this Toastabag reusable liner designed for a 1lb or 2 lb loaf tin, but which works well in many different tins, including the one we are using now). Don't grease the tin / liner or else the base of the brownie will be greasy. MAKE SURE that the liner or greaseproof sticks up above the sides of the tin, as you'll need to use the overhang to release the brownie, once baked-and-cooled.
3. Into a heat-proof medium bowl (or use the top pan of an official bain marie set if you are lucky enough to have one), weigh out the 200g dark cooking-chocolate and weigh out ONLY 30g of the milk cooking-chocolate (both types of chocolate need to be broken into chunks, along the lines the chocolate is imprinted with). Also add the 115g of sliced-and-diced butter to the heat-proof bowl.
4. Put the boiling kettle water into a small / medium saucepan (this will make the base of your bain marie) or into the base of an actual bain marie of you have one, on the hob and heat it gently to keep it warm. On top of this pan place the medium heat-proof bowl (ensure the bubbling water DOES NOT touch the bowl, it is the radiating warmth that should be heating the bowl not the water itself, or the ingredients will burn). This 'bain marie' set-up will gently melt the ingredients in about 10 minutes. DON'T be tempted to just melt them in a saucepan as the mixture WOULD stick and burn to the base. Stir the chocolatey-buttery mixture a couple of times during melting.
5. Once fully melted, turn off the hob and carefully REMOVE the heat-proof bowl from the hot saucepan - I usually pour out and save the hot water for washing up and put cold water into the base-pan instead, to speed up the cooling. Leave the bowl of melted chocolate/butter to cool to room temperature, for 10 FULL minutes at least, so you don't scramble the eggs!
6. Preheat the oven to 180 C (160 C fan) or to Gas 4.
7. Meanwhile, using handheld beaters / an electric mixer, in a mixing bowl, whisk the 3 medium eggs, the 115g of brown sugar, the 1 tsp vanilla extract and the pinch of salt together until the mixture is pale and has increased in volume (this will take 4 minutes with an electric mixer / electric whisk, or up to 10 minutes if you are whisking by hand). This step - called 'ribboning' - is worth doing as it ensures a lovely crackly top to your brownie bake.
8. GRADUALLY pour the slightly COOLED melted chocolate mixture into the fluffy sugary-egg mixture. As you pour the chocolate in, keep stirring VERY GENTLY but continuously with a metal spoon, until fully combined and not streaky, this will take up to 60 seconds - keep scraping down the sides and base of the bowl to ensure full mixing.
9. It is important to 'fold' the mixture when stirring from now on - meaning you carefully lift and stir, so you don't knock out the air, with a metal spoon, DO NOT use an electric mixer. So, 'fold' in the sourdough starter discard. Either 220g of inactive fridge-cold discard OR 200g of room temperature, runnier, recently-active discard (plus the 20g of extra flour if you are using room-temperature, runnier, recently-active discard) and the 70g of chopped milk cooking-chocolate chunks. Fold gently but well, with a spoon, for about 1 minute, until fully combined.
10. Check the prepared tin - does the liner or greaseproof stick up above the sides of the tin? As you'll need to use this overhang to release the brownie, once baked-and-cooled. Pour the brownie mix (it's very runny, which is fine) into the lined 9 inch x 9 inch tin. If all of the chocolate chunks seem to be in one area, spread them out with a spoon.
11. Bake the brownie for 25 minutes exactly - the top will show signs of cracking, the inside will still be soft (please be aware that the 'skewer test' doesn't work with this recipe, as the melted chocolate chunks will always show up on them, leading to overbaking if you rely on the skewer test).
12. Score the surface of the brownies As SOON AS they are out of the oven, to mark the 16 pieces (don't cut all the way through them yet, wait until they are cooled and solid to do that). Also poke a hole in each brownie, ready to add the 'maggots' later.
13. Sit the tin on a wire rack (to speed up cooling) and leave the scored-but-still-whole brownie slab in the tin to cool for 3 hours (yes, THREE hours) in a cool room. If you try and cut them sooner, you'll end up with a squidgy mess. You can leave them to cool for the final hour in the fridge, if you want a very set brownie to transport easily, to a party for example.
14. After the 3 hours of cooling, lift the scored-but-still-whole brownie slab onto a chopping board, using the sticking-up greaseproof or liner to lift it - it's best to get someone else to help you do this (two pairs of hands make it much easier, as you can grab all four corners of the liner).
15. Cut the FULLY COOL slab into 16 pieces - being careful not to accidentally cut the reusable liner (if using).
16. Cut the slab into 16 pieces - being careful not to accidentally cut the reusable liner (if using). Enjoy!
17. These brownies are best eaten on the day of baking. If you do keep them for up to 3 days, keep them cool and in an airtight container - I always stand them on a small wire rack (23cm x 17cm) inside the airtight container, to stop them going mushy underneath. Or you can keep them in the fridge, for up to three days, where they will become solid and dense - almost like fudge. These brownies freeze well on the day of baking, lasting up to 3 months, in an airtight box.
Adapted slightly from a recipe by Pip Sanderson on the shipton-mill.com website.
If you'd like to give these brownies a Halloween twist, then once cooled, poke a hole in each brownie with a knife and add 16 jelly worms. More information about the 'Maggoty Brownies' and an alternative, non-sourdough-starter brownie recipe is available here.
