These fudgy Sourdough Discard Brownies are probably the most indulgently delicious way to utilize your excess starter. Rich and extra chocolatey with an irresistible crackly top, these brownies are sure to become a new household favorite!
I am always trying new ways to utilize my sourdough discard and have had a lot of success over the years. But these brownies are on a whole other level. My husband says these are the best brownies he's ever had, and I am inclined to agree. Whipping the eggs with sugar until light and fluffy gives these brownies an insanely delicious crackly top, that almost resembles and very thin meringue. The sourdough starter gives a deep, very slight tang that really balances the rich chocolate flavor. I highly recommend topping these with some flaky sea salt and serving with glass or milk or cup of tea or coffee. Delicious!
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Equipment
- Mixing bowls: I like these Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowls.
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Stand mixer or Electric hand mixer: I will forever love my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer but the Kitchenaid Hand Mixer is also fantastic.
- 9x9 parchment lined baking pan: Such as this non-stick pro cake pan by Oxo.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Butter: I typically use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level, but you can absolutely use salted if you prefer.
- Chocolate chips: You will need a 10 oz bag of of chocolate chips to melt into the batter along with an extra ½ cup. I recommend using semi-sweet chocolate chips but feel free to mix this up depending on your preference and what you have on hand. You could substitute chips for chocolate chunks or chopped chocolate bars.
- Dutch cocoa powder
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- White granulated sugar and brown sugar: I like the combo of brown and white sugar, but you can use one or the other if preferred.
- Sourdough Starter: I typically use the starter that I would otherwise discard before feeding. But you can absolutely use active, fed starter as well.
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Espresso granules (optional): These are optional but really bring out that chocolatey flavor.
- Flaky sea salt (optional): I love finishing these brownies with a sprinkle of Maldon flaky sea salt.
Recipe FAQs
No, unfed, inactive sourdough starter discard works great for this recipe.
Not at all! The sourdough discard gives the brownies a slight tang, almost like you'd get from using sour cream or buttermilk in baking, but they definitely do not taste like sourdough, just like a delicious, fudgy, chocolatey brownie!
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for around 3-4 days, or in the fridge for a week.
Absolutely, these brownies would taste delicious with chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts.
Made these Sourdough Discard Brownies? Let me know how they turned out in the comments!
Recipe
Sourdough Discard Brownies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter (115 grams)
- 10 oz semi-sweet chocolate chip (285 grams)
- ½ cup Dutch cocoa powder (40 grams)
- pinch of espresso granules optional
- 1 cup white granulated sugar (200 grams)
- ½ cup brown sugar (110 grams)
- 3 eggs, large
- ½ cup sourdough starter (about 125 grams)
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour (120 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup semi-sweet, dark or milk chocolate chips (about 85 grams)
- flaky sea salt optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add 10 oz of semi-sweet chocolate, cocoa powder and a pinch of espresso powder. Stir continuously until melted together. Remove from the burner and allow it to cool while you whip the eggs and sugar.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer (or mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer) combine the white and brown sugar with 3 eggs. Beat the eggs and sugar together on medium speed for 7-9 minutes until fluffy and light in color.
- Add sourdough starter, vanilla extract and the butter and chocolate mixture to the bowl and beat on low until just combined. Add flour, baking soda and salt and beat for 15 seconds until just combined. Then stir in the remaining ½ cup of chocolate chips by hand until just combined.
- Pour the batter into a parchment lined 9x9 baking pan and smooth over the top. Bake at 375 F for 45-50 minutes until set and remove from the oven. Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan before removing and cutting into squares. Serve and enjoy!
Tisha
This is a great way to use up sourdough discard! They turned out amazing and will be doing this more often!
andrea
Super rich and fudgy with that perfect crackly top—hard to believe they use sourdough discard because they just taste like amazing brownies.
jamjarkitchen
So glad you enjoyed them!
Michele
A fabulous way to use sourdough discard ...they turned out perfectly.
Claudia
Just made these sourdough discard brownies—so rich and fudgy! Love that I got to use up my discard in such a tasty way. ??
Swathi
Yes sourdough discard always adds a nice twist to the recipe. thanks for sharing this.
suzanne musetto
Hi, I have chocolate discard. Can you use that and if so do you adjust the amount of chocolate that you include?
jamjarkitchen
Hi Suzanne, could you clarify what you mean by chocolate discard? Usually discard is just your regular starter, unless you're saying you are feeding it with cocoa powder. I've honestly never done this, but I think you could probably just use that discard as written and no need to adjust the chocolate amounts. It should still turn out great!
Dsm
Absolutely yummy! Rich, fudgey with a great crinkle top. Even better with ice cream.
jamjarkitchen
So glad you enjoyed them!