Sourdough Discard Brownies Sea Salt (Print Version)

Fudgy brownies infused with sourdough discard and finished with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

# What You'll Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
04 - 1/2 cup sourdough discard, unfed with 100% hydration
05 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

06 - 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
07 - 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
08 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
09 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Mix-ins and Topping

10 - 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
11 - 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt for topping

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang for easy removal.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and sugar until glossy and well combined. Add eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until mixture is thick and lighter in color.
03 - Stir sourdough discard and vanilla extract into the wet mixture until fully incorporated.
04 - In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and fine sea salt.
05 - Add dry ingredients to wet mixture, folding gently with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix.
06 - Fold chocolate chips or chopped chocolate into the batter.
07 - Pour batter into prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle evenly with flaky sea salt.
08 - Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
09 - Allow brownies to cool completely in the pan before lifting out and slicing into squares.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • Your sourdough starter finally gets a worthy second life instead of going down the drain.
  • The discard adds a mysterious depth that makes people ask for the secret ingredient.
  • Fudgy, chewy, and done in under an hour with zero fancy techniques required.
02 -
  • Overbaking these is the quickest way to turn fudge into cake, so set a timer and check at 28 minutes—your toothpick is the real judge, not the clock.
  • The sourdough discard must be unfed (meaning it hasn't been freshly fed and aerated) because fed starter will make the brownies rise too much and lose that fudgy density.
03 -
  • Room temperature eggs mix in without creating little scrambled bits—set them out while you're gathering ingredients and you'll forget you did it.
  • If your sourdough discard is runnier than you expected, reduce it slightly by leaving the bowl out for 30 minutes, or just add an extra tablespoon of flour to compensate.
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