Baking: brownies: eggs

Self-tutoring about baking: the tutor mentions a lesson he learned.

Sometimes I make brownies from scratch, sometimes from a box mix. Last night it was box – yes, Betty Crocker. I noticed, in small print, a suggestion: to make the brownies more like cake, you could add two eggs instead of just one.

I’ve always just used one egg, but last night I decided to try two. After all–who doesn’t like cake?

The brownies definitely came out lighter than usual. They’re already gone. However, for me, two surprises resulted: 1) Why would an extra egg make the brownies lighter? 2) Why wouldn’t everyone want that? (It turns out my wife prefers the way the brownies normally come out, using only one egg.)

I asked my wife how adding an egg makes the brownies lighter. “Egg white is a leavening agent,” she explained. “That’s why angel food cake needs so many.”

I guess I got schooled. I said I’d make chocolate cake after the brownies were gone, which they already are. That’s what I’m doing next:)

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.