Name: Fudgy Sourdough Discard Brownies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter; 1/2 cup cocoa powder; 2 tsp vanilla; 1 cup chocolate chips; 1 cup sugar; 1/2 tsp salt; 3/4 cup flour; 2 eggs; 1/2 cup sourdough discard

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fudgy sourdough brownies with milk and towel

These fudgy sourdough discard brownies are simple and easy to make, and delicious when served with homemade ice cream. There’s just something about fudgy chocolate brownies that are fresh baked that makes the whole family happy. These easy sourdough brownies are the perfect addition to any meal, and they also work great for desserts in lunches, on a picnic or anytime you have chocolate cravings. The sourdough discard gives them a slight tang that complements the rich chocolate flavor, making them rich and decadent. I’m confident you’ll be making these fudgy brownies on repeat.

If you’ve been hanging around my blog for awhile, you probably know something about the health benefits of baking with sourdough. When you make a recipe that includes sourdough starter, and allow it to set out and ferment for a few hours before baking, you’ll get some amazing health benefits. The gluten in the additional flour you added to the recipe will be almost 100% broken down, and the phytic acid in the flour (which inhibits nutrient absorption), is also gone. Eating long-fermented sourdough is great for your gut health and makes your food much easier to process. For these sourdough brownies, you can either make them last minute right before a meal, or if you plan ahead you can allow the batter to ferment for a few hours before baking.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Delicious – Once you eat sourdough discard brownies, you’ll never go back to eating regular brownies made from a box. The sourdough tang makes them SO good!
Simple and Easy Recipe – this recipe can be whipped up in just a few minutes without having to use any fancy ingredients.
Can Be Prepped Ahead Of Time – As I mentioned earlier, you can make the brownie batter ahead of time and allow it to long ferment on the counter for a few hours or in the refrigerator for a day or two. This gives you the added health benefit of the brownies being easier for your body to digest and allow you to bake these in just a few minutes for a quick dessert.
Can Be Made Without Prepping Ahead – If you’re like me, and forget to plan ahead sometimes, you can certainly just mix up this entire recipe and bake it right away. You’ll lose out on the long fermented sourdough benefits, but if you’re not diabetic, or gluten intolerant, then it probably won’t matter.
Made With Cocoa Powder – I like that this simple brownie recipe is made with cocoa powder instead of having to melt baking chocolate.
A Great Way To Use Up Sourdough Discard– this recipe uses sourdough discard which I usually keep stored in my refrigerator, so you don’t have to think ahead and feed your sourdough starter ahead of time. If all you have is active starter, and you don’t have any sourdough discard, that will work fine as well. This is a great way to use up excess sourdough starter.

What is Sourdough Discard?

Sourdough starter discard is fermented flour and water that has to be removed or discarded from your sourdough starter before you can feed your starter more flour and water. It should never actually be thrown out (or discarded) though, because it can be used in hundreds of different recipes. I always try to keep a fair amount of sourdough discard in a jar in my refrigerator. That way anytime I want to make this sourdough discard brownie recipe or any other discard recipe, I can do so quickly.

For more of our favorite sourdough recipes, click here.

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour – I like to buy my flour in bulk from Azure Standard
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – I like to order all natural cocoa powder from Azure Standard
Fat – I prefer melted butter or beef tallow, but use whatever liquid fat you have
Vanilla Extract – learn how to make your own vanilla extract here.
Brown Sugar – you can also use cane sugar or granulated sugar, but I like the flavor that brown sugar gives these delicious brownies
Salt – Redmond salt with all of it’s natural minerals is my favorite
Sourdough starter – learn how to make your own sourdough starter here.
Eggs – farm fresh is always best
Semi-sweet Chocolate chips, optional – they give the brownies an extra fudgy texture and flavor

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here

Tools

Square baking pan – I like to use an 8″ x 8″ pan.
Medium saucepan
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Parchment paper

How to Make Sourdough Discard Brownies

In a medium-sized saucepan, add the butter or beef tallow, chocolate chips and vanilla extract and melt over medium-low heat.

mixing up chocolate, butter and vanilla for brownies

Place all dry ingredients and the eggs in a bowl and mix together.

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Then add the chocolate mixture.

adding melted chocolate to brownie batter

Mix until creamy. This helps to give the brownies a crackly top.

For the long fermented version, allow the batter to set out at room temperature for up to 24 hours before baking.

When ready to bake, pour the batter into a greased (or parchment-lined) 12″ cast iron skillet or a 9″x13″ baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Allow to fully cool before cutting if possible.

Serve with homemade ice cream!

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.

If you try this recipe and love it, please come back and give it a 5 star rating! Tag me on Instagram @wagonwheelhomestead21. I can’t wait to see what all you make!

Tips

To get fudgy sourdough brownies, be careful not to overbake and allow the brownies to fully cool before cutting into them.
For the maximum health benefits and best flavor, allow the batter to ferment for a few hours or overnight before baking.
For an extra special treat, sprinkle the brownies with flaky sea salt immediately after baking.

FAQ

Yes, just let the batter set out at room temperature for up to 24 hours before baking.

Yes you can freeze brownies once they have cooled after baking. Just wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months. To thaw: allow them to set out at room temperature.