American Brownies
2010-Jul-12, Monday 07:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chebeI like baking. Cooking, not so much. But baking, it's methodical, it's logical, there's measurement, experimentation, and delicious results. It requires a certain amount of exactness. In short, it appeals to me.
But I get frustrated by a couple of things. Many recipes available online are North American, and use short names for things we've never even heard of this side of the Atlantic (I understand half and half is half cream and half whole milk?). But also, especially with the North American recipes, but also with the tried-and-tested old recipes in my mother's books, is the problem of measurement. (Which I also think this is a source of failure for new bakers, an ounce is quite a large range. Metric on the other hand, is much more precise.)
Another pet peeve is one purely of convenience. 6oz gets converted to 175g. Baking supplies don't come in 175g. 8oz is 225g. Supplies now-a-days are sold in 100g, 150g, etc. In days past when we had plenty of time to spend baking day in, day out, that was okay, you could use up the balance the next day. Now though it can result in mostly full packets being thrown out because they've been open, and unused, for weeks or months!
So, my aim is to convert recipes to my style, and my tastes. This can seem quite complicated when written down, but when lining up the ingredients it makes so much more sense.
And so, without further a-do, I give you American Brownies, alá moi.
Ingredients:
Chocolate
You need two batches of chocolate; chocolate to melt, and chocolate chips to add later. In this case chocolate types are mostly interchangeable to taste. Plain (or dark) chocolate should be used for melting to give the brownies their characteristic heavy, dark flavour. But I have a massive sweet tooth, so I've a added a touch of milk to sweeten things. Which is also why I've used milk and white as the chips, for sweetness. If sweet isn't your thing use plain chocolate for the chips as well.
- For melting:
300g (2 x 150g bars) plain chocolate
+ 50g (half pack) milk chocolate chips
- For chips:
150g (1 & a half packs) milk chocolate chips
100g (1 pack) white chocolate chips
Butter
The original recipe actually calls for margarine, which you can use if you prefer. But I find margarine has a tendency to have the oil separate out. The only margarine I like to use is Stork's (a brand name) soft margarine made for baking. But I only use it in things I want to be really light and fluffy (like Victoria sponges or fairy cakes). For everything else I just love the taste of real butter. Exact measurement is not required, as long as you stay within the ounce (~8oz).
- 225g (just over half the pound, otherwise known as the large bar of) butter
Eggs
Eggs come in different sizes, usually printed on the carton. Free range eggs tend to be more yellow than other kinds (and kind of taste it too, but that may be my imagination). If your eggs are smaller you can make up the liquid with a splash of milk usually. But again, the measurement isn't exact, and brownies are very wet by nature, so you should be okay. (When I use eggs I like to break them against the lip of a small bowl, one at a time, then add to the mixing bowl. This allows time to remove any bits of shell that fall in, and, though rare, to catch any rotten eggs before throwing them in on top of all the other ingredients.)
- 3 x size 2 eggs
Sugar
There's lots of sugar. Icing (or confectionery) sugar is white, very fine powder, and very sweet. Caster sugar is regular baking sugar. Granulated sugar is the most coarse, and is used for tea/coffee, or to add coarseness to some cookies.
There's also different kinds of sugar. Regular sugar is very white, and the most processed. Also available is Golden Caster, Demerara, Light & Dark Muscovado, Light Golden Brown, Brown, and Rich Dark Brown. And that's just what's in my cupboard. The darker the sugar, typically, the richer the flavour. For example, Rich Dark Brown is usually only used in Fruit Cake, and Christmas cakes. I tend to like a little bit of the Golden Caster/Demerara/Muscovado mixed with regular Caster sugar, it makes things a bit sweeter, slightly more caramelly. I suppose there is a rule about using less sugar the darker it is, but I don't know it :)
- 225g caster sugar (I used 100g regular Caster, 125g Golden Caster)
VanillaEssence Extract
You all know vanilla, of ice-cream fame. The Essence is cheaper, weaker, and sold in the same bottles as food colouring. It is actually fine to use. But my mother has converted me to Extract. Previously only available in health food shops, now available in most large supermarkets. It has a stronger, richer, more noticeably vanilla flavour. As such, you can use less than is mentioned if the recipe calls for Essence. But, it's completely up to personal taste.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or to taste)
Flour
The world of flour is even more complicated than that of sugar. Unless mentioned otherwise, recipes use Wheat Flour. The two most common being Cream Flour, and Self-Raising Flour. Cream Flour is just regular, plain (usually heavily processed and bleached) flour. You typically have to add a raising agent (e.g. baking powder) separately. Self-Raising is the same flour, with the raising agent already added. The chemistry of raising agents (and whether you even want any raising) is quite complex. Just remember, one is not substitutable for the other. But you can learn how to compensate, or so I hear.
- 75g self-raising flour (not a typo, it really only needs this little)
Nuts
I'm not the biggest fan of nuts, but I do find a small amount can add nice flavour and texture to some things. Here you can use walnuts, or pecans. If you can't find them pre-chopped you'll need either a food blitzer (not sure of the proper name, those bowls with a sharp blade that you press down on with the lid, often used for chopping herbs), or a sharp knife and an ability not to cut your own fingers.
- 100g (1 pack) chopped walnuts, or pecans (add more if you like, but at around 200g the texture starts to suffer)
Additional
Many recipes I've seen call for 2 teaspoons of instant coffee. I don't like coffee. I've been known to add half a teaspoon when baking for other people, it adds a nice dimension to the flavour. But generally I just don't like coffee. If you want to add it, dissolve in 2 tablespoons of hot water and add when beating the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Hardware:
- An oven. I trust you to know your oven. Temperature and time is given based on a 'typical' fan assisted conventional oven. If your oven is old, doesn't have a fan, or is just bad, you'll have to bake longer.
- A 12"x9"/30cmx23cm deep-sided baking tin / roasting tin / or one of these :D.
- A hob/hot plate/cooker.
- Medium-large saucepan (recipe calls for a double boiler, meaning melting in a bowl over a saucepan of water. This is really a slow, safe way to melt things. You can skip the double boiler if you heat very slowly (my cooker goes to 10, I heated at 3), use a heavy based saucepan, stir almost constantly, and stop at the first sight of burning).
- Electric beater (or very strong arm and patience). With bowl.
- Food blitzer (if using nuts, and they aren't pre-chopped), or sharp knife and chopping board.
- Weighing scales.
- Greaseproof paper.
- Spatula.
- Various spoons, including at least one metal one.
- I also recommend a wire cooling rack, and oven mits.
Directions:
Preparations:
- Pre-heat the oven to 190°Celsius/375°Fahrenheit/Gas Mark 5.
- Grease and base line your tin as needed. (Non-stick pans mean you mightn't need to do this, but it's still a good idea. Use a cooking oil (e.g. olive oil) or butter, and rub all over the inside of the pan. Cut out a piece of greaseproof paper to cover the bottom of the pan. Push into place, and rub some grease on this too.)
Melt:
- Melt the melting chocolate and butter, either in a bowl over a saucepan of water, in a double-boiler, or very carefully direct on low heat. Stir regularly to ensure mixing and smooth texture. When melted, remove from heat and allow to cool a little.
Beat:
- In a different bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat, and gradually beat in the chocolate mixture from above, until smooth and uniform texture.
Fold:
(Folding is a hand technique where, using a metal spoon (no, I'm not sure why, you'd have to ask my mother) you literally fold small quantities of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. You start with the spoon at the far side of the bowl, in the mixture, and pull the spoon towards you down the middle. Then you lift, turn, and scoop the spoon towards the left, and back into the very centre. (Yes, you will find a YouTube video more helpful.) Then you rotate the bowl about 90 degrees to the left, and repeat. Try not to let too much air out, and keep going until all the ingredients have been thoroughly mixed. Wow, I have not explained that well at all.)
- Fold in the flour, nuts, and chocolate chips.
Bake:
(Brownies are difficult to cook well, tending to slightly burnt at the edges, and slightly raw in the middle. That's why I got the speciality pan.)
- Pour mixture into prepared pan.
- Bake for about 30-45 minutes (depending on your oven), or until firm to the touch, and a dull, sugary, crust has formed. The cake will also be separating slightly from the pan walls by itself.
- Remove from oven, leave to cool in the pan. When completely cold cut into squares.
But I get frustrated by a couple of things. Many recipes available online are North American, and use short names for things we've never even heard of this side of the Atlantic (I understand half and half is half cream and half whole milk?). But also, especially with the North American recipes, but also with the tried-and-tested old recipes in my mother's books, is the problem of measurement. (Which I also think this is a source of failure for new bakers, an ounce is quite a large range. Metric on the other hand, is much more precise.)
Another pet peeve is one purely of convenience. 6oz gets converted to 175g. Baking supplies don't come in 175g. 8oz is 225g. Supplies now-a-days are sold in 100g, 150g, etc. In days past when we had plenty of time to spend baking day in, day out, that was okay, you could use up the balance the next day. Now though it can result in mostly full packets being thrown out because they've been open, and unused, for weeks or months!
So, my aim is to convert recipes to my style, and my tastes. This can seem quite complicated when written down, but when lining up the ingredients it makes so much more sense.
And so, without further a-do, I give you American Brownies, alá moi.
Ingredients:
Chocolate
You need two batches of chocolate; chocolate to melt, and chocolate chips to add later. In this case chocolate types are mostly interchangeable to taste. Plain (or dark) chocolate should be used for melting to give the brownies their characteristic heavy, dark flavour. But I have a massive sweet tooth, so I've a added a touch of milk to sweeten things. Which is also why I've used milk and white as the chips, for sweetness. If sweet isn't your thing use plain chocolate for the chips as well.
- For melting:
300g (2 x 150g bars) plain chocolate
+ 50g (half pack) milk chocolate chips
- For chips:
150g (1 & a half packs) milk chocolate chips
100g (1 pack) white chocolate chips
Butter
The original recipe actually calls for margarine, which you can use if you prefer. But I find margarine has a tendency to have the oil separate out. The only margarine I like to use is Stork's (a brand name) soft margarine made for baking. But I only use it in things I want to be really light and fluffy (like Victoria sponges or fairy cakes). For everything else I just love the taste of real butter. Exact measurement is not required, as long as you stay within the ounce (~8oz).
- 225g (just over half the pound, otherwise known as the large bar of) butter
Eggs
Eggs come in different sizes, usually printed on the carton. Free range eggs tend to be more yellow than other kinds (and kind of taste it too, but that may be my imagination). If your eggs are smaller you can make up the liquid with a splash of milk usually. But again, the measurement isn't exact, and brownies are very wet by nature, so you should be okay. (When I use eggs I like to break them against the lip of a small bowl, one at a time, then add to the mixing bowl. This allows time to remove any bits of shell that fall in, and, though rare, to catch any rotten eggs before throwing them in on top of all the other ingredients.)
- 3 x size 2 eggs
Sugar
There's lots of sugar. Icing (or confectionery) sugar is white, very fine powder, and very sweet. Caster sugar is regular baking sugar. Granulated sugar is the most coarse, and is used for tea/coffee, or to add coarseness to some cookies.
There's also different kinds of sugar. Regular sugar is very white, and the most processed. Also available is Golden Caster, Demerara, Light & Dark Muscovado, Light Golden Brown, Brown, and Rich Dark Brown. And that's just what's in my cupboard. The darker the sugar, typically, the richer the flavour. For example, Rich Dark Brown is usually only used in Fruit Cake, and Christmas cakes. I tend to like a little bit of the Golden Caster/Demerara/Muscovado mixed with regular Caster sugar, it makes things a bit sweeter, slightly more caramelly. I suppose there is a rule about using less sugar the darker it is, but I don't know it :)
- 225g caster sugar (I used 100g regular Caster, 125g Golden Caster)
Vanilla
You all know vanilla, of ice-cream fame. The Essence is cheaper, weaker, and sold in the same bottles as food colouring. It is actually fine to use. But my mother has converted me to Extract. Previously only available in health food shops, now available in most large supermarkets. It has a stronger, richer, more noticeably vanilla flavour. As such, you can use less than is mentioned if the recipe calls for Essence. But, it's completely up to personal taste.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or to taste)
Flour
The world of flour is even more complicated than that of sugar. Unless mentioned otherwise, recipes use Wheat Flour. The two most common being Cream Flour, and Self-Raising Flour. Cream Flour is just regular, plain (usually heavily processed and bleached) flour. You typically have to add a raising agent (e.g. baking powder) separately. Self-Raising is the same flour, with the raising agent already added. The chemistry of raising agents (and whether you even want any raising) is quite complex. Just remember, one is not substitutable for the other. But you can learn how to compensate, or so I hear.
- 75g self-raising flour (not a typo, it really only needs this little)
Nuts
I'm not the biggest fan of nuts, but I do find a small amount can add nice flavour and texture to some things. Here you can use walnuts, or pecans. If you can't find them pre-chopped you'll need either a food blitzer (not sure of the proper name, those bowls with a sharp blade that you press down on with the lid, often used for chopping herbs), or a sharp knife and an ability not to cut your own fingers.
- 100g (1 pack) chopped walnuts, or pecans (add more if you like, but at around 200g the texture starts to suffer)
Additional
Many recipes I've seen call for 2 teaspoons of instant coffee. I don't like coffee. I've been known to add half a teaspoon when baking for other people, it adds a nice dimension to the flavour. But generally I just don't like coffee. If you want to add it, dissolve in 2 tablespoons of hot water and add when beating the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Hardware:
- An oven. I trust you to know your oven. Temperature and time is given based on a 'typical' fan assisted conventional oven. If your oven is old, doesn't have a fan, or is just bad, you'll have to bake longer.
- A 12"x9"/30cmx23cm deep-sided baking tin / roasting tin / or one of these :D.
- A hob/hot plate/cooker.
- Medium-large saucepan (recipe calls for a double boiler, meaning melting in a bowl over a saucepan of water. This is really a slow, safe way to melt things. You can skip the double boiler if you heat very slowly (my cooker goes to 10, I heated at 3), use a heavy based saucepan, stir almost constantly, and stop at the first sight of burning).
- Electric beater (or very strong arm and patience). With bowl.
- Food blitzer (if using nuts, and they aren't pre-chopped), or sharp knife and chopping board.
- Weighing scales.
- Greaseproof paper.
- Spatula.
- Various spoons, including at least one metal one.
- I also recommend a wire cooling rack, and oven mits.
Directions:
Preparations:
- Pre-heat the oven to 190°Celsius/375°Fahrenheit/Gas Mark 5.
- Grease and base line your tin as needed. (Non-stick pans mean you mightn't need to do this, but it's still a good idea. Use a cooking oil (e.g. olive oil) or butter, and rub all over the inside of the pan. Cut out a piece of greaseproof paper to cover the bottom of the pan. Push into place, and rub some grease on this too.)
Melt:
- Melt the melting chocolate and butter, either in a bowl over a saucepan of water, in a double-boiler, or very carefully direct on low heat. Stir regularly to ensure mixing and smooth texture. When melted, remove from heat and allow to cool a little.
Beat:
- In a different bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat, and gradually beat in the chocolate mixture from above, until smooth and uniform texture.
Fold:
(Folding is a hand technique where, using a metal spoon (no, I'm not sure why, you'd have to ask my mother) you literally fold small quantities of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. You start with the spoon at the far side of the bowl, in the mixture, and pull the spoon towards you down the middle. Then you lift, turn, and scoop the spoon towards the left, and back into the very centre. (Yes, you will find a YouTube video more helpful.) Then you rotate the bowl about 90 degrees to the left, and repeat. Try not to let too much air out, and keep going until all the ingredients have been thoroughly mixed. Wow, I have not explained that well at all.)
- Fold in the flour, nuts, and chocolate chips.
Bake:
(Brownies are difficult to cook well, tending to slightly burnt at the edges, and slightly raw in the middle. That's why I got the speciality pan.)
- Pour mixture into prepared pan.
- Bake for about 30-45 minutes (depending on your oven), or until firm to the touch, and a dull, sugary, crust has formed. The cake will also be separating slightly from the pan walls by itself.
- Remove from oven, leave to cool in the pan. When completely cold cut into squares.
