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Delicious and tangy, these sourdough discard brownies are a sweet treat and a great way to use up your Sourdough discard.
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I have a confession to make. I’ve never really liked Brownies! I know, I know. My husband says it’s because I haven’t tried a really good one, so I decided to make one.
It worked, because I ADORE these sourdough brownies; with their fudgy, yummy centre and slight sourdough tang, I am a converted woman!! My kids are over the moon, since there’s definitely more brownies in our future!
Now I’m clearly not a brownie connoisseur, but I personally think these brownies are even better the next day, after a night in the refrigerator!
What’s so great about sourdough?
Sourdough is everywhere right now and during Lockdown, it seemed like everyone was trying it, but why? What is all the fuss about??
Sourdough is a collection of wild yeast that is caught from the air and multiplies to rise flour products in much the same way that baker’s yeast does.
Sourdough does something else though. A sourdough starter is a little system of different types of yeast and enzymes that start to break down the gluten and sugars in the grains, making them easier to digest. This means our bodies can use more of the nutrients in the food, like folate, magnesium and calcium, and it doesn’t cause as big of a blood sugar spike as normal bread does.
It produces a slight tang to the finished product, and this is what we want from our discard recipes.
Tips for making these Sourdough Discard Brownies
- There are 2 ways you can make this recipe
-The quick way: using the discard from your sourdough, mixing with all the other ingredients and baking.
-Slow ferment: for better nutrition, you can use active sourdough and start the day before.
- Leave to cool completely in the pan when the brownies are baked. I know it’s hard, but its worth it.
- Make sure your eggs are at room temperature.
- If you are new to sourdough, learn how to make a sourdough starter here
FAQs
Why sourdough and not normal brownies?
Its a great way to use up sourdough starter instead of throwing it out, and it adds a slight tang that cuts through the sweetness of traditional brownies.
Can I use active sourdough starter?
Of course! If you use the quick method with active starter it will be less tangy but still tasty.
Can I long ferment the brownies?
Absolutely. this will make them easier for our bodies to digest, so its a great idea to let the starter do its job! To long ferment, mix the flour, starter, sugar and half a cup of melted butter the night before and cover. (It can be left up to 24 hrs) then just add the rest of the ingredients and bake.
Things you’ll need:
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Mixing bowls of various sizes
Spatula
8×12 Baking dish (Mine is similar to this)
Ingredients:
butter
chocolate, broken into pieces
vanilla extract (click here for easy homemade vanilla recipe)
sugar
all purpose flour
cocoa powder
salt (or use salted chocolate! yum!)
eggs
and of course, the sourdough starter
Step by Step Instructions for Sourdough Discard Brownies
Lets dive right in and make them!
Preheat the oven to 175c/350f and line your baking pan with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on a low heat. Remove from the heat and add in the chocolate and vanilla and stir together to melt the chocolate.
Add in the cocoa powder and whisk until all the lumps are gone. Set aside to cool (so we don’t scramble the eggs!)
Once cooled, mix in the eggs, sugar and Sourdough discard until combined.
Gently mix in the flour and salt (leave out the salt if using salted chocolate), until just combined. Be careful not to over mix, we want a juicy fudgy brownie!
Pour the brownie batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 35-40 mins. The toothpick method doesn’t work for brownies, we want them slightly underdone, that’s where the delicious fudginess comes from. You’ll know when they are done when the edges are set but still appears slightly under baked in the centre.
Leave to cool completely ( if you can) as it will help them stay together better.
Then enjoy this little slice of heaven with a nice cup of coffee, or glass of milk. Or wait until tomorrow. Trust me, its a revelation!
Store in an air tight container for 2-3 days, but honestly, I doubt they will last that long… You could also freeze them for up to 3 months.
If you liked this recipe, and need more ideas of what to do with your sourdough discard, how about
And if you’re completely new to sourdough, check out my post on making a sourdough starter from scratch.
So let me know in the comments if these brownies hit the spot, and dont forget to share this page. Thanks friends.
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Sourdough Discard Brownies
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup (120g) Butter
- ! Cup (175g) Good quality dark chocolate Salted, optional
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 2/3 Cup (90g) All purpose flour
- 3/4 Cup (170g) Sugar
- 1/2 Cup (60g) Cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt (exclude if using salted chocolate)
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 Cup (60g) Sourdough starter unfed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175c/350f and line an 8 x 12" pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium pan, melt butter on a medium to low heat. Take off the heat and add in chocolate, stirring to melt.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder until there are no lumps, and set aside to cool. (we don't want the eggs to scramble!)
- Once cooled, add in the eggs, sugar and sourdough discard and mix well.
- Add in the flour and salt (if using) and gently mix until just combined. Don't overmix at this stage, go slow.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake for 35 mins, or until the edges look cooked and pull away slightly from the pan, and the middle is still slightly jiggly!
- Allow pan to cool completely before slicing and serving
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