I had some nervous energy to use up last night, so I decided to try out a new brownie recipe. I've been eyeing up this one from Northwest Sourdough for a few days now. It looked pleasingly simple and seemed like a nice way to use up a bit of starter. Plus, I figured TF and the Kidlet would be well-pleased to discover a fresh pan of brownies waiting for them.

In the end, these came out a bit more like a chocolate cake than a brownie. An ultra-rich, very delicious chocolate cake, but still leaning a bit more cake than brownie. Although the author does note that if you use the full amount of starter called for, it will make them a bit cakier, and if you reduce the quantity of starter, they will be denser. I used the full 200g of starter for this time through, but I think I'd try cutting it back to 150g next time and see how that comes out. I'd also be tempted to omit the baking soda next time. I just wasn't sure if the alkalinity was needed to counteract the tang of the starter. Maybe I'll just experiment with reducing it somewhat for now. We'll see how it goes...

The only other small change I might try making is to microwave the butter with the sugar (rather than starting with the butter and chocolate toghether). I found a post on the King Arthur blog that suggests heating the butter and sugar together and then stirring in the chocolate. I'm not sure how much of a difference changing up the order of the ingredients will make to the final result, but I figure it's worth a shot.

Sourdough Chocolate Brownies

Slightly adapted from Northwest Sourdough

Ingredients

• 113g unsalted butter
• 100g sugar
• 230g dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 150g ripe (active/fed) sourdough starter @ 100% hydration
• 100g dried cherries (optional)
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract (optional)
• extra chocolate (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a 23cm (9") square pan.
2. If using both cherries and almond extract, combine them in a microwaveable bowl, cover, and nuke until hot. Then set aside to cool while you mix the batter.
3. Melt the butter with the sugar until hot and bubbling.
4. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth and melted.
5. Stir in salt and vanilla.
6. Mix in eggs.
7. Sift in baking soda and stir to combine.
8. Stir in starter.
9. Stir in any inclusions (like cherries, walnuts, raspberries, chocolate chips, peanut butter, marshmallows, M&Ms, etc.).
10. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~25 minutes.
11. Remove from oven. If desired, sprinkle top of brownies with chocolate chips or more chopped chocolate.
12. Let cool completely before serving.