Fudgy Sourdough Brownies
The perfect fudgy brownie with a crackly top is made even better with a dash of sourdough discard. Can a brownie be both fudgy and airy at the same time? Yep!
A brownie can be both fudgy and airy if you add a cup of sourdough discard to the batter. These brownies are nice and rich, but with a surprisingly light crumb thanks to a little lift from the natural yeast in the sourdough starter.
But wait, there’s more…
The discard also enhances the flavor of the brownie. There’s a slight background tang that somehow makes the chocolate flavor even more chocolatey. It’s so, so good.
If you don’t have one, check out my post to learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter. Then check out my system to Feed and Maintain Sourdough Starter.
If you’re still craving chocolate but want something a little lighter than a brownie, you can make Sourdough Chocolate Cake too.
Scroll through the step by step photos to see how to make fudgy Sourdough Brownies:
Tips for making and storing Sourdough Brownies:
- The recipe can be halved and baked in an 8″ or 9″ square pan.
- Unfed sourdough starter will add a tangy flavor to the batter. I got great results with a starter that had been in the refrigerator, unfed, for about a week.
- Butter the pan and line with parchment paper. This not only prevents sticking, it makes it much easier to lift the brownies out of the pan.
- Stirring the batter vigorously after adding the eggs will incorporate air into the batter. This will help form a crust on the top of the brownies. If you prefer a soft top on your brownies, you can skip that step.
- Cool the brownies in the pan then use the parchment to transfer them to a cutting board.
- To appreciate the subtle tangy flavor, I prefer to serve these spectacular brownies without any frosting
- The Brownies will keep at room temperature for several days.
- Leftover brownies can be frozen. Layer them with parchment paper or plastic wrap to prevent them from sticking together. They’re delicious straight from the freezer or defrosted.
You might like these other fabulous brownie recipes: Classic Fudgy Brownies, Habanero Brownies, Chocolate Cherry Brownies, Malted Milk Brownies, Roasted Beet Brownies, and White Chocolate Raspberry Brownies.
You might also like these recipes for the brownies’ cousin, Butterscotch Ripple Blondies and Malted Milk Blondies
I know you hate to throw away that sourdough discard. Check out these recipes that use sourdough discard.
You might also want to try Sourdough Shortbread or Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies made with sourdough powder.
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a star rating and a quick comment. Ratings and comments help my recipes show in search results. Thanks!
Fudgy Sourdough Brownies
Ingredients
- 9 oz semi-sweet chocolate (chopped)
- 8 oz unsalted butter (cut into 1″ chunks)
- 8 oz granulated sugar (1 cup)
- 4 oz brown sugar (½ cup)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 8 oz sourdough discard (1 cup)
- 2 ½ oz all purpose flour (½ cup, see note)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Butter a 13"x9" inch baking pan. Line the pan in one direction with parchment paper.
- Combine 9 oz semi-sweet chocolate and 8 oz unsalted butter in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, stir to combine. Microwave in 30 second increments (stirring between) until all the chocolate is melted.
- Add 8 oz granulated sugar, 4 oz brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, stir to combine. Add 3 large eggs, stir until combined then stir vigorously for 30 seconds.
- Fold in8 oz sourdough discard. Add 2 ½ oz all purpose flour and stir just until combined. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Bake until the brownies puff up a bit and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (30 minutes).
- Cool in the pan to room temperature then refrigerate until the brownies are firm. Use the parchment paper to lift the brownies out of the pan onto a cutting board.
- Cut into 24 portions.
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Eileen,
Thank you for creating and maintaining this site. I am a baker, but this is my first foray into sourdough. I have my first loaf of White Sandwich Sourdough Bread rising now. I also am having the problem of using the discard, so I want to try this Brownie recipe today as a treat to my husband. Can I substitute dark chocolate chips for the bittersweet chocolate? I have the dark and semi-sweet chips, but don’t have any bittersweet chocolate bars.
Thanks for working to lead us all.
Sue
Yes, the chips should work. The texture might be slightly different since chips have some added ingredients, but I’m sure they’ll still be good.
OMG! These are the best brownies! My new favorite brownie recipe! Thanks for sharing.
If you make a half sourdough brownie recipe how many eggs would be used.
Thanks
You can either use 1 egg plus 1 yolk or you can whisk the second egg and pour half into the batter. Save the rest for egg wash or add to an omlet, give it to the dog, etc….
I have to be honest, your blog is basically always pulled up on my computer these days. I found you thanks to your sourdough sandwich bread, which now I make 2-3 times a week in our house. But now I have also made your sourdough scones and these brownies which are amazing! I have 3 different starters going at the moment so I am sure I will continue to work through your recipes 🙂
The starter do tend to multiply, don’t they? Working on a sourdough blondie recipe now!
Thanks so much for sharing your crusty sourdough brownie recipe! It is delicious, and I even reduced the amount of white sugar!
Cheers,
Laurene
Same. same. Same.=) i just look to see what i can make each day!
Hi Eileen, is it possible to use cocoa for this recipe and how could it be done? Thanks, Celia
Hi Celia, I haven’t tried making them with cocoa. But generally to replace semi sweet chocolate with cocoa for each oz of chocolate you would use 3 tablespoons of cocoa+1.5 teaspoon sugar+1 tablespoon of butter (or oil). So for this recipe that comes out to about 1 2/3 cups of cocoa+2 oz (1/4 cup) sugar+4.5 oz (9 tablespoons) butter. The butter and sugar amounts are in addition to what is already in the recipe. The texture of the brownies won’t be exactly the same, but it’s the best adjustment without having chocolate available.