Recently someone was telling me about an episode of America’s Test Kitchen. I didn’t see it first hand, so I’m reiterating a reiteration; I may have some things wrong. In it, they decided to conduct a blind-taste-test between homemade and box-mix brownies. Again and again and again, people preferred the box-mix. They preferred the texture—gooey and chewy and fudgy—over the more cake-like consistency of the homemade. There’s a reason behind this, and it has to do with the ingredients… Homemade brownies are traditionally made with butter, and also traditionally do have a more cake-like texture; box-mix, with oils (...actually hydrogentated oils, more commonly, in box-mixes… which now I’m getting confused about; help! seriously, someone help!; oil has a lower melting point than butter, but hydrogenated oils a higher; AMK’s website won’t let me see the video myself without subscribing for a trial.). The point, somehow, was that butter produces a more cake-like texture than oil, which had someothing to do with either the oil having a lower melting point (so stays more liquid, which doesn’t fit with hydrogentated oils…) or the oil making the batter in some way denser/moister when baking… I’m going to have to look this up now, what a mess I’m making of my explanation. I’m sure now that I have some things wrong. Hopefully someone else will clear it up : | The two points that were somehow made: That butter and oil have slightly different baking chemistries, although I’m making myself muddled on exactly what. That brownies traditionally, pre-box-mix, were more cake like in texture; it’s only post-mix that we’ve grown a gooier expectation.
I’ll try to be of some actual help now—
– Substitute oil for the butter (I used olive oil [extra virgin to keep the flavor light] and my family was happy with the texture and flavor.—I like the idea of butter brownies more, so I’m not sure I’ll repeat, although it does force a moister texture.)
– Experiment with the way you incorporate the ingredients. I think you want to beat/mix as minimally as possible at the end; I remember making brownies at a friend’s house when I was younger, and we beat the egg whites into a meringue (and then you fold to incorporate), although I don’t remember what the end result was like; generally—the technique can make a difference, and while I can do various techniques don’t know baking chemistry well enough to know what everything is doing.
– Maybe try a butter-flour proportion somewhere between your brownie recipe and a gooey butter cake recipe?
– If all else fails, just mix in chocolate chips to have bites of melted chocolate. Maybe some walnuts too. If you can get the brownies to bake more evenly, a cakey texture can be just fine, and the chocolate (+ walnuts) can help make it seem more fudgy.
To help with the burning—
– If you’re using a glass brownie pan, try backing off the temperature by 25 degrees (from 350 to 325, say). I’m not sure why glass is different, I just know my mom always says this.
– Wrap tinfoil (shiny side up) around the edge of the pan like you would with a pie crust that’s darkening too quickly; it’ll help slow the bake of the outside, make it more even.
– Or try a different size pan (smaller/larger for thinner/thicker?). The center would bake quicker in a thinner pan, the edges would have longer in a thicker; this may also help alter the texture.
I’m really not as incompetent in a kitchen as I think I’m sounding now. I am perhaps a bit scatter-brained… But I’ve typed all this up already so I’ll post it… hope it helps…
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