Here’s a long ferment sourdough brownie recipe for those who love an easy, one bowl brownie that is fudgy and delicious! You can use active or discard sourdough starter for this homemade treat. These are the best and simplest sourdough brownies you’ll ever make!
It may surprise some to know that you can make delicious treats with sourdough starter! These treats are sweet with a bit of tang.
They’re also healthier, as far as treats go!
Is Sourdough Healthier?
Sourdough starter is a collection of healthy bacteria and yeast that ferment the starches in grain, breaking them down and essentially pre-digesting them. This makes them healthier for you!
To learn a little more about how sourdough operates, please visit our post: Easy Sourdough Bread.
For a broader discussion on using sourdough discard in recipes, please visit our post: Sourdough Discard Sandwich Bread.
Why Long Ferment Sourdough Brownies?
All of my sourdough recipes are what’s known as long-fermented. This means that the mixed dough sits to ferment for at least six hours, sometimes longer.
Here’s an excerpt from the article Easy Sourdough Bread that explains a little more:
The purpose for this long-ferment is to be sure that starter has had time to sufficiently consume the sugars to raise the dough. This also means that the sourdough bread will be healthier!
A short list of health benefits to sourdough include:
- Lower carbs than other grain breads.
- Usually easier to digest for people with gut problems.
- Contains probiotics, as does any fermented food.
It’s also filling as far as a fiber-rich food is concerned.
As Cultures for Health points out in their article, Short vs. Long Ferment in Sourdough Baking, that using a long ferment also means you don’t need to work your dough as much since the sourdough does most of the work for you.
- Read their article for more info on that, or leave a question in the comments section!
Another added benefit of long-fermentation is that the phytic acid is broken down by the sourdough culture. Phytic acid acts as an anti-sprouting agent that coats the seed of grain.
This acid serve the useful purpose of preventing the grain from sprouting too early in the season as it rests on the ground. It basically stops the “digestion” of the grain by protecting it in the field.
However, for people, phytic acid can cause severe stomach upset that presents as an averse reaction when we eat flour products. Sourdough solves this problem by consuming the acid!
Sourdough Brownie Recipe (Long Ferment)
Make this long-ferment sourdough brownie recipe that is fudgy and rich, without being too sweet. Made with cocoa powder and melted chocolate, these whip up in one bowl for a homemade brownie that’s more like fudge!
Sourdough Brownie Recipe
Equipment
- 1 9" Pie Plate
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Butter Or coconut oil
- 1 1/4 Cup Chocolate Chips
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Paste Or regular vanilla
- 1 1/2 Cups Coconut Sugar For more sweet, use raw sugar.
- 1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp. of Cocoa Powder
- 1 tsp. Sea Salt
- 3/4 Cup Organic White Flour
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon Optional
- 1/2 Cup Sourdough Discard
- 2 Eggs
Instructions
- Melt the 1/2 cup of butter and stir in the 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips until they melt. Stir in one tsp. vanilla paste.
- In a medium sized bowl, add 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar, 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder, and 1 tsp. salt. Add the butter mixture.
- Add the 3/4 cups of flour and 1/2 cup of sourdough discard and mix all the contents until incorporated.
- Add the eggs one at a time and mix.
- Line a 9" glass pie plate with parchment and scoop the brownie mix into it and smooth it out.
- Cover tightly and place in the fridge to ferment at least 8 hours, but overnight is better.
- When it's time, remove the pie plate and uncover. Place into a cold oven and heat to 350F/177C to bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. If the brownies are getting too dark, cover them with foil the last 15 minutes.
- Cool completely before cutting.
Notes
Sourdough Brownie Recipe Notes
Once you melt the butter and chocolate, just toss everything into a bowl and mix until just incorporated. Continued mixing will result in a tougher, more bread-like finished product.
You can ferment this brownie mixture on your counter and bake after 6 hours if you’re using pasteurized eggs to prevent possible salmonella contamination.
These brownies are super fudge-y and dense, and they taste fantastic with homemade whipped cream.
- You can also use active sourdough starter for this recipe.
- Be sure to cool the brownies completely before cutting to help them hold together.
More Long Ferment Sourdough Treats
Sometimes, we think of sourdough as being limited to bread recipes, but pretty much any dessert recipe can be modified for long ferment sourdough.
Here are just a few:
Sourdough Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sourdough Banana Bread (with discard)
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