How do I make my chocolate brownies 'fudgy'?
What are the key requirements, in terms of both ingredients and techniques, for baking chocolate brownies with a fudgy centre?
Best Answer
Every time I make brownies, I always get compliments on how fudgy they are. There may be some variations based on the recipe you use, but the three things I've found to be most important in my experience are:
- Don't even think about using a boxed/pre-made mix! Bake from scratch - it adds a whole 3-5 minutes of extra prep time for brownies, but the taste and texture would be worth it even if it added an hour.
- Use fewer eggs. I use the King Arthur Flour "Grandmother's brownies" recipe; I can only find an online copy for the 200th Anniversary edition, but those instructions aren't the same as the older version my mom's cookbook has. The recipe calls for 2-4 eggs per batch (a batch is a 9x9" square pan), and instructs you to use more eggs for a cakier brownie, fewer for a fudgier one. I've found that 3 eggs works best for me.
- Use brown sugar for at least some of the total sugar in the recipe. The King Arthur Flour recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar, either white or brown. I typically split 50/50; the brown sugar adds a nice flavor, and I think the moisture in it helps achieve that fudgy consistency, too.
There's another element to changing the consistency, too: cooking time. Most brownie recipes I've seen say to bake for 35-45 minutes; I almost never bake them for more than 30 because I find that the edges start to get really dried out. Undercooking slightly will keep the brownies moist and fudgy.
The ingredients from the old "Grandmother's Brownies" King Arthur Flour recipe: 4 ounces (squares) unsweetened chocolate [can substitute 1-ounce square = 3 tbs cocoa powder + 1 tbs butter); ½ cup (1 stick) butter; 2 cups sugar and/or brown sugar; 2 to 4 eggs; ½ teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoons vanilla; 1 cup flour
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How do I make my brownies fudgy?
Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones. So add more fat -- in this case, butter and chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. The amount of sugar and eggs does not change whether you're going fudgy or cakey.What makes brownies gooey?
Fudgy brownies baked three minutes too short can be unpleasantly gooey; chewy brownies baked three minutes too long become tough and dry. I encourage you to invest in an oven thermometer (about $6), a valuable help in ensuring consistent results.What makes something fudgy?
Making good fudge is all about controlling the size of the sugar crystals. If you've ever had fudge that had a grainy consistency, it was because the sugar crystals were too big. Controlling the size of the sugar crystals comes down to two major factors: temperature and fat.How do you make brownies chewy or cakey?
By adding one more egg, the entire structure of the brownie is changed from chewy to cakey. Adding a bit more flour also helped get rid of some of the moistness in the recipe.The Best Fudgy Brownie Recipe | Simple Way Of Making The Perfect Fudgy Brownie
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Answer 2
Shirley O. Corriher's Bakewise discusses fudgy vs. cakey brownies. The key is the proportion of fat and chocolate to flour.
Fudgy brownies will have less flour than normal; this will give the brownie less structure via gluten, and gooey middle. Cakey brownies will have more flour.
Shirley's fudgy brownie recipe can be found here: http://www.projectfoodie.com/spotlights/cookbooks/shirley-o.-corriher---bakewise-the-hows-and-whys-of-successful-baking.html. She has thoughtfully measurements in ounces and grams in addition to volumetric measurements.
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