Avoid flaky brownie top

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johG

Assistant Cook
Joined
Dec 8, 2015
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19
Location
Europe
Hi all.

I am thinking of making a fudgy brownie (not with fudge, but fudgy consistency) and I want to avoid getting a flaky top, as I'm glazing the brownie. Any ideas for how to avoid flaky top? Should I place a baking sheet on top of the brownie as it cooks?

And also, if I'm making a butterscotch sauce and placing it in the fridge - will it keep on as a sauce, or does it get hard?
 
Hmm, I think the flaky top is one of the best parts!

For an extra fudgy brownie, I bake them at 325 and check them at the lower time. Baking them slower makes them gooeyer and will probably result in a smoother top. Also, a taller brownie in the pan would help as well.
 
Hmm, I think the flaky top is one of the best parts!

For an extra fudgy brownie, I bake them at 325 and check them at the lower time. Baking them slower makes them gooeyer and will probably result in a smoother top. Also, a taller brownie in the pan would help as well.
Yeah, but if you were to glaze the brownie, a smooth brownie surface would give the best looking result - so I'm still wondering about how to avoid getting a flaky top - but thank.
 
If you make the glaze thick enough, it will fill in the spaces in the top, making it nice and smooth. And as LP said, baking at a lower temperature "will probably result in a smoother top." It will not set as fast at the lower temperature. Give it a try.
 
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I may be, but I can't say my brownies are flaky. They do get crumbs things along the edges when cut.

I wonder if you spread a very thin glaze, and then spread a second glazing a little thicker, then you may achieve a smooth glazed topping. I think I have seen that as a technique when frosting a cake.
 
Re butterscotch syrup.

When you take it out of the fridge, it will soften up at room temperature. I make chocolate syrup all the time. I put it in the fridge and it becomes like fudge. If I need it in a hurry, run it under hot water. Make sure you don't overcook it. Remove it from the heat a second or two after it starts to color. It will continue to cook and darken as it cools down.
 
My brownies always turn out like cake rather than the goo-ey result that I'm told they are meant to be. I follow the directions to the letter and I check the oven temp with an oven thermometer.

I have a fan oven and an ordinary oven as part of my gas cooker and I've tried the shelves in various positions in both ovens but the result's the same.

Also tried various recipes in Brit and US cookery books so it must be me not the recipes.

They're alright to eat but not the texture I think they should be.
 
My brownies always turn out like cake rather than the goo-ey result that I'm told they are meant to be. I follow the directions to the letter and I check the oven temp with an oven thermometer.

I have a fan oven and an ordinary oven as part of my gas cooker and I've tried the shelves in various positions in both ovens but the result's the same.

Also tried various recipes in Brit and US cookery books so it must be me not the recipes.

They're alright to eat but not the texture I think they should be.
You need to make these. Very rich, very fudgy, never fail.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/06/AR2007020600438.html
 
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You could make a chocolate ganache to pour on top instead of a glaze.

You know, because more chocolate.
 
Late to this thread but I usually make brownies in a parchment lined pan and then dump the whole pan out onto wax paper prior to cutting. This puts the flaky side down and leaves a perfectly flat top surface for glace or powered sugar, etc

You can always slide the wax paper back into the pan with the load of brownies on it if you want to store them in the pan...
 
The flakiness comes from the high amount of sugar that a brownie has compared to a cake. Maybe find a recipe that has a lower ratio of sugar to flour.
 
:shock: Right you are! Good eye, Kayelle!

Here's another version - the original, actually. There should be two cups of flour: Recipe: Man-Catcher Brownies

I'll ask a mod to change the link in my earlier post, to prevent confusion in the future. Thanks, K.

You're welcome GG.
No wonder I hate to bake, as it seems fatal recipe mistakes are all too common as I remember my "Cranberry Cake" from Christmas. ;)
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f41/opinions-from-those-who-bake-97058.html
 
We all have our failures. But there is always hope that it will turn out better the next time.
 
Addie, once again you've missed the point. If a recipe is flawed, there's no hope of a failure "turning out better next time".
If a recipe fails, I would not use that recipe again. I'd ask people I know who bake, like here and a Fb friend who is a graduate of culinary pastry school, for suggestions and try a different one. That's how it can turn out better next time [emoji2]

But I understand being wary of trying if you've had a lot of failures. I used to think I wasn't a good baker. After reading Cooks Illustrated for many years, including the baking recipes, I felt confident that I understood the science well enough to be successful. And that's what happened.
 
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GG, just to expand a little about the science of baking, one must trust the recipe formula is accurate to have any hope of success. I'm amazed that blog link was created years ago and nobody has ever said anything about the recipe has no flour listed, and yet people raved about the recipe! It makes no sense to me.
 

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