Chocolate rye brownies with bay and almonds

Try these delicious brownies that substitute plain flour for rye flour, bringing a nutty flavour and a delicious chocolate bitterness.

Credit: Hardie Grant Books / Andrew Montgomery

• serves

  8-10

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Rye flour and good chocolate are extraordinarily delicious together. I often use rye in place of a plain flour in my baking – it brings its delicate roasted, nutty notes to chocolate cakes, fondants and biscuits, and plays off the bitter qualities of dark chocolate in a new and wonderful way.

These rye brownies also contain aromatic bay, which accentuates and permeates the chocolate and- rye marriage with its distinct perfume. A crunchy, sugary almond topping finishes off the brownies with an amazing extra texture.

Ingredients

• 200 g (7 oz) good-quality dark chocolate, at least 70 per cent cocoa solids, broken into pieces
• 180 g (6¼ oz) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled, plus extra for greasing
• 2 pinches of fine sea salt
• 4 eggs
• 100 g (3½ oz) golden caster sugar
• 80 g (2¾ oz) soft brown sugar
• 150 g (5½ oz) light rye flour, plus extra for dusting
• 100 g (3½ oz) whole, skin-on almonds
• finely grated zest of ½ orange
• 50g (1¾oz) golden granulated sugar
• 6–8 bay leaves

Instructions

Heat the oven to 160°C/315°F/gas mark 2–3. 

Grease and lightly flour a medium baking tin (about 20 x 30cm/ 8 x 12in). Melt the chocolate pieces and butter, with 1 pinch of the salt, in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of very gently simmering water for 6–8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the chocolate is smooth and delicious-looking. (Don’t let the bowl touch the water.) Remove the bowl from the heat and set aside.

Separate 1 egg. Divide the white in half as best you can. In a large bowl, use an electric whisk to beat the remaining eggs, as well as the yolk and ½ egg white of the separated egg, with both the sugars until light, airy, pale and fluffy. Reserve the remaining ½ egg white.

Beat the whisked egg mixture into the melted chocolate mixture, then fold in the rye flour until the batter is fully combined. Pour the batter into the prepared tin.

To make the topping, whisk the reserved egg white in a bowl until light and airy, then fold in the almonds, orange zest, granulated sugar and remaining pinch of salt. Tumble together until the almonds are well-coated and the mixture is fully combined.

Spoon the almond topping evenly over the brownies, then dot the bay leaves over the top, pushing the base of each leaf a little way into the batter. Bake the brownies for 20–25 minutes, until they are cracked and firm on top, but gooey in the middle. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin, then cut into squares. Serve individually with cream, ice cream or thick, plain yoghurt; or as they are with a cup of tea or coffee.

Recipe from Gather by Gill Meller (Hardie Grant Books, hb, RRP $49.95). Photography: © Andrew Montgomery. Read our interview with Gill here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Rye flour and good chocolate are extraordinarily delicious together. I often use rye in place of a plain flour in my baking – it brings its delicate roasted, nutty notes to chocolate cakes, fondants and biscuits, and plays off the bitter qualities of dark chocolate in a new and wonderful way.

These rye brownies also contain aromatic bay, which accentuates and permeates the chocolate and- rye marriage with its distinct perfume. A crunchy, sugary almond topping finishes off the brownies with an amazing extra texture.