I’ve foraged on venturing into the baking world of einkorn flour with this latest adaptation of my classic brownie recipe. I think, I like the einkorn version better then my original one. Einkorn’s lower gluten content provides the brownies with a more delicate and less chewy crumb while also imparting all those whole grain nutritional benefits.

I’ve never really understood this question, but I know that someone is going to ask it, someone always does – are these brownies caky or fudgy? The answer is a true brownie should always be neither. If it’s caky, it is a cake, not a brownie. If it’s fudgy, it is improperly cooked (aka raw) dough, not a brownie. A brownie should ALWAYS be soft and gooey on the inside and crusty along the edges, if not, IT IS NOT A BROWNIE. End of Story.

Clearly there are a bunch of awful baked goods out there, trying to pass themselves of as brownies, if “are these brownies caky or fudgy?” has become the pervasive question for people to ask when being offered a brownie. Not that I blame them. Did anyone see the brownie episode of “The Great British Baking Show”? It almost brought me to tears. A total disgrace. Almost as wretched as the season when they attempted to make fruit pies – that one did bring me to tears. Apparently the only edible pie in the entire tent was a lemon meringue pie that the contestant added key lime juice too, and then proceeded to call it a key lime pie. Painful. Tragically painful.

Anyways, there are a few key things that I always check for in a brownie recipe, just to make sure it’s legit.

1) The recipe should have no powdered leavening (baking powder or baking soda) in it. Powdered leavenings immediately place the recipe into the cake category over the brownie one. Yes, brownies should rise a little during baking, but you want to obtain that effect through the inclusion of eggs, not leavening powders. Using leavening powders will give you a uniformed sponge throughout the bake, as we would expect and desire from a cake, but the use of eggs allows you to obtain that unique brownie texture of crusty edges and a soft gooey middle.

2) Any single batch of brownies (usually a 9″ x 9″ pan) should always have less then one cup of flour in it. Flour should be the least prominent ingredient in any batch of brownies, other then the flavorings (aka salt and vanilla). You do need the flour to give your brownies their shape, but it should always come secondary to the sugar, butter, eggs, and chocolate.

3) The type and quantity of chocolate used can easily effect the outcome of a brownie recipe. Make sure that the chocolate required by the recipe balances well with both sugar and fat content of the recipe. For example, if the recipe calls for cocoa powder, you should expect to see a higher amounts of sugar and butter in the recipe, then what you might expect to find in a recipe that calls for semi-sweet chocolate pieces.

Recipe makes a 9″ x 9″ pan of brownies.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (1/2 lb) Butter
• 12 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate (broken or chopped into pieces)
• 4 Eggs
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 3/4 cup Einkorn Flour
• 3/4 cup chopped Walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Line a 9″ x 9″ cake pan with greased aluminum foil.
3. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler or carefully in the microwave.
4. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and the brown sugar together.
5. Add the vanilla and salt.
6. Add the melted chocolate, and continue to beat.
7. Sift in the einkorn flour.
8. Beat until all of the ingredients are combined.
9. Fold in the walnuts.
10. Pour the batter into the greased pan.  You may need to use a knife or spatula to even it out.
11. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes.