Brown and sticky.

I tried to make crumpets again today. I say tried, I only really got as far as suggesting it before Ellie shut the idea down. It was already too much, potentially the third time baking crumpets within a week, she couldn’t take any more. I needed to expand my sourdough discard repertoire. Back to google I went and came up with the goods. Again, not really something I can take credit for because the recipe is from here, but it’s an ideal one to use in the spirit of not wasting flour because no extra flour is needed for this recipe. It also happens to be one of the best brownie recipes I've ever tried. The result is a crisp, chewy, meringue-y exterior, whilst maintaining exactly the sort of fudgy and gooey interior you are imagining as you look longingly at these photos. I’m not trying to be big-headed there, it’s just that seeing a photo of these brownies and then immediately going to bake your own brownies is an almost inevitable and foregone conclusion. Brownie to brownie transfer is (probably) scientifically proven to be more contagious than yawning and possibly even Covid-19.

I think due to the 50% rye content in my baby, the sourdough starter in these gives them a really earthy flavour. Not too sweet, not too bitter, just really rounded and rich in a way that feels pretty grown up. Casually sprinkling a pinch of flaky salt on top certainly left me with a further smug sense of maturity. Eating brownies for breakfast, elevenses and second lunch is, however, a swift reminder that I am but a greedy child in quarantine.