Being more interested in the bready-side of baking rather than the sweets-side, I can honestly say I’ve not made many brownies in my life. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy eating them, but in general I’d much prefer to have my hands in a sourdough bread dough than a brownie or cookie batter. Having said that, I am always on the lookout for great formulas to add to my repertoire, and this millet brownie first piqued my interest at the mini-grAiNZ gathering back in 2018 hosted at Q Le Baker in Prahran.

The formula comes generously from one of Australia’s best bakers – Quentin Berthonneau – a baker I have a lot of respect for and love his approach to his work which I think encompasses two main principles – consideration for quality in every ingredient, and sourcing locally wherever possible. I think these two pillars have been key elements of what has enabled Q Le to rise to become one of the best bakeries in Melbourne within only a couple of years of opening.

So, to the recipe. When cooked perfectly (aka barely set), this brownie formula has an insanely high ratio of fudginess. The quality of the ingredients are key, and will shine through, so I highly recommend using good quality free-range (and organic if possible) eggs and a really good quality dark chocolate as I think these two factors make a big difference to the final product. The millet is a really nice addition that provides a textural contrast of bite from the super soft fudgy interior and recommend including it, though of course it can be left out or potentially substituted with buckwheat groats, or maybe even amaranth.

Try it out and let me know what you think – at present this is the best brownie I’ve ever eaten!

FORMULA
Yields: 15-20 small squares

230 grams of dark chocolate (I used Green & Blacks’ 70% organic dark chocolate)
25 grams of cacao/cocoa powder
230 grams of unsalted butter
190 grams of white sugar
190 grams of brown sugar
5 medium-sized eggs
50 grams of wholegrain rye flour
1 teaspoon of fine salt
80 grams of millet (uncooked) / substitute buckwheat groats/quinoa/amaranth
65 grams of dark chocolate chips
A few pinches of sea salt flakes for sprinkling on top (optional)

METHOD

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius / 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 33x23cm baking tray & line with baking paper.

2. Fill half a saucepan with water and bring to a simmer, then place a heatproof mixing bowl (glass, metal) over the saucepan, making sure that the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Melt the butter and dark chocolate together in the bowl, stirring occasionally with a spoon to combine thoroughly. Once the mixture is well combined remove it from the heat and leave to cool slightly (but don’t let it set).

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and white sugar until the mixture has doubled in volume. Then begin adding the chocolate mixture gradually until it is all incorporated (avoid adding all at once as this could ‘cook’ the eggs in the batter if the chocolate mixture is still quite warm).

4. In another bowl, sift together the rye flour, cocoa/cacao powder and the salt. Gently fold this dry mixture into the bowl that now contains the combined chocolate and egg/sugar batter. Finally fold through the chocolate chips and the millet.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray (you can sprinkle your optional sea salt flakes at this point, or after baking as the brownie comes out of the oven) and bake at 160 degrees C (320 F) for 22-25 minutes. The top should be shiny with a few cracks. Cool for 30 minutes in the tray to help hold the structure of the brownie, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled cut into desired sized pieces.
6. BONUS OPTIONAL STEP – According to Quentin, “for an even fudgier texture, cover the brownie with baking paper when it comes out of the oven and press it down using something flat and heavy. It’ll change your world”! I’ve not yet tried this method but if you do and you love it then let me know!