Things got out of hand one week and I found myself spending 100 hours making a batch of brownies. What happened during those 100 hours and is it worth trying again?
The Recipe:
225g Butter
225g 75% Chocolate
4 Large Eggs
450g Caster Sugar
60g Cocoa Powder
Pinch of Salt
190g Plain Flour
90g 55% Chocolate
90g 75% Chocolate
The Method:
For the 100 Hour Brownie:
Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm baking tray (you can use a different sized tin, just be careful as this will affect the baking time)
To make your brownie batter begin by making your beurre noisette (also known as brown butter) by heating your butter in a pan until you see the white milk solids turn brown, once golden pour the hot butter over your chocolate and whisk until smooth. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar until pale and thick (when you lift your whisk out it should leave a trail which holds for a few seconds). Combine your dry ingredients into a third bowl. Finish the mixture by folding your butter chocolate mixture into your whisked eggs, being careful not to knock out any air and finish with your dry ingredients. Decant into your baking tray and smooth the top.
Now the interesting part… Wrap your tray in clingfilm and put your brownie in the fridge for 72 Hours. This fermentation process will mellow the sweetness and develop a lovely depth of flavour from the nutty butter! Setting in the fridge even for a little while will also ensure an even bake and prevent too much rising in the oven (ensuring a denser, fudgier texture…something we learnt in the previous brownie experiment)
After the 72 hours preheat your oven to 180c and bake your brownie for 30-35 minutes (it will have a bit of wobble in the middle). Once baked, remove from the oven and place it in the freezer for 30minutes. This will lock in the moisture and prevent the brownie drying out…
Once chilled wrap in clingfilm once again and put in the fridge for a final 24 Hours. This will set the brownie nice and solid and enhance the flavour one final time!
Now the 100 Hours are up, bring your brownie up to room temperature, slice and enjoy! You will have a rich and fudgy brownie like no other!
For the 1 Hour Brownie:
Preheat your oven to 180c. Make your batter exactly the same way as the 100 Hour Brownie, except this time you are going to bake it straight away! This should take 30-35 minutes but check the middle for no wobble before taking out. The warm mixture will rise in the oven and you will have a lovely light and crumbly textured brownie. Leave to cool at room temperature before enjoying!
The Science:
The 72 hour fermentation - This step not only helped created the soft gooey texture, it was a game changer for the flavour. Bringing out a natural sourness from the fermentation process helps to moderate the sweetness from the sugar and enhanced the rich chocolate flavour.
Perhaps 24 hours would have sufficed? But who cares when the results were delicious!
Freezing after baking - Temperature shocking your food to stop the cooking process isn’t a new concept, it’s used every day in savoury kitchens when blanching vegetables, so this clear impact of stopping the cooking of the brownie straight out of the oven ensures it doesn’t dry out any further while it cools down at room temperature.
Chilling after baking- as a general rule now with all my brownies, whether I’m spending 100 hours making them or not, some time spent chilling and setting in the fridge after baking is a great hack to ensure a fudgy brownie.
Would I make it again? BRB I’ll let you know in another 100 hours….
