Cookbooks
By Michelle Eshkeri
3.8
(17)
Photo by Patricia Niven
Rye has an affinity with chocolate, evidenced by various bakeries across the world making incredibly delicious brownies and cookies using both these ingredients. The first time I came across the combination was in Claire Ptak’s Violet Bakery Cookbook some years ago, which is the basis for this recipe and what struck me about using rye flour was the danger of failure was vastly reduced; it was a dislike of dry brownies that had more or less put me off making them at all. Rye is low in gluten so is more forgiving than the more commonly used wheat flour which can make brownies dry and tough especially if overbaked. If you ignore the peculiar color of egg fermenting with rye flour and proceed to the end you will find these brownies a fudgy, sweet and lightly fermented addition to your brownie repertoire and a good use of any spare rye starter—you could use old starter here too instead of making it according to the refreshment schedule below.
Recipe information
Ingredients
Stage 1: Refreshment
72g (2¾ oz) wholegrain rye flour
57g (2¼ oz) water
36g (1½ oz) rye or wheat starter (8–12 hours after last refreshment)
Stage 2: First mix
194g (6¾ oz) wholegrain rye flour
250g (9 oz)/5 whole eggs,beaten
100g (3½ oz) sugar
Stage 3: Final mix
195g (6¾ oz) unsalted butter
475g (1lb ½ oz) dark chocolate, at least 66% cocoa solids
77g (3 oz) sugar
265g (9¼ oz) dark brown sugar
70g (2¾ oz) good quality cocoa powder
5g (⅛ oz) vanilla extract
3g (⅛ oz) baking soda
2g (⅛ oz) sea salt, plus extra for sprinkling (optional)
Preparation
Step 1
Place all the stage 1 ingredients in a 300ml (½ pint) jar or container with a lid, mix, cover and leave at warm room temperature for 4–6 hours.
Step 2
Place the stage 2 ingredients plus 125g (4 oz) of the starter in a large bowl, stir well with a whisk, cover and leave in a warm place for 1–2 hours or more time if it suits you. It won’t rise much but you should see some bubbles as evidence of fermentation on the surface of the mix.
Step 3
In the hour before you plan to do the final mix and bake, melt the butter and chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes. Line a 25cm (10 in) square tin with baking parchment.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/gas mark 3.
Step 5
Add the melted chocolate and butter plus the remaining stage 3 ingredients into the bowl with the batter. Whisk until well combined. Pour into the lined tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon so it is evenly distributed.
Step 6
Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top looks dry but it still has a slight wobble. It’s difficult to overbake these. Sprinkle with additional sea salt, if liked, after they come out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin. When cool cut into squares to serve. The brownies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
From Modern Sourdough by Michelle Eshkeri. Copyright © 2019 Quarto. Reprinted with permission by White Lion Publishing, an imprint of The Quarto Group.Buy the full book from Amazon.
TagsBrownieBar CookieCookieDessertRye FlourFlourCocoaChocolateSnackNut FreeBakingChristmasCookbooks
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Reviews (17)
Back to TopTriangleThis were delicious, very rich and somewhat gooey. The rye does go really well with the chocolate and in the brownie. I was surprised. This would be a great dessert to take to a potluck or dinner party. It was so rich, however, that it was a bit much for everyday snacking. I would try again with less sweetener.
Lea Gemmell
Sacramento, CA
12/3/2022
Adding Stage 2 isn't mentioned please?
FlyingOma
Toronto, Canada
2/13/2022
Best brownies ever! Just skipped the vanilla and additional sugar in the 3rd step/ used only the brown sugar- and the result is a winner! This recipe is definetely is a keeper.
aslihan1
Westchrster, New York
7/29/2020
These taste like brownies that are trying to be healthy without the benefit of actually being healthy. They aren't bad, just not great. I cooked them in a 9 x 13" pan for 45 minutes. The outer part was cooked well and had great rise with a classic brownie texture, the middle sunk, and had a very gooey, texture. My husband couldn't stomach the middle because it seemed uncooked, but I actually liked the texture. The taste was just blah.
Cookingjax
Albuquerque
6/13/2020
After 35 min definitely looked done from description. But after letting it cool the whole thing was raw. Back into the oven checking every 15 min, it took another 45 min before the edges weren't goo. Maybe a larger pan? Good but not worth the hype.
sunnitopp1570
Michigan
5/20/2020
Super tasty from the chocolate, a little gritty from the rye. I think I didn't whisk it enough because mine didn't get a shiny top.
laurahine
4/13/2020
Best brownies I've ever made. Like DJSalem I used sourdough starter. I accidentally added an extra 4 oz of my plain sourdough starter at Step 2 (prep instructions confused me) and it was very hard to mix the batter, but it turned these into the most fudgy, moist, delicious brownies eh-vah.
Fanzzzy
Chicago, IL
2/9/2020
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