So for my mini chem project, I decided to make brownies!!! What's so scientific about brownies you say? Well here's the answer (according the the various websites I researched):- Flour is used to make the bread or whatever you're baking to supports the ingredients as it rises. In the case of bread, CO2 bubbles are released to make the bread light and airy.
- Sugar is almost like a catalyst, it feeds the yeast, causing the CO2 reaction to happen faster.
- Baking Soda forms CO2 in this equation: NaHCO3 + H+ → Na+ + H2O + CO2.
- Eggs are used to keep the CO2 from escaping too soon and also to bind the ingredients together.
- Fat (butter) gives what you are baking a lighter texture.
- Why so much talk about CO2? It's because CO2 helps the dough rise, and that's definitely important when it comes to talking about bread!
So anyways, here's the ingredients for the brownies I made (based off of Food Networks' Ina Garten):
- 1 pound unsalted butter
- 1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
- 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 6 extra-large eggs
- 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
The recipe actually called for stiring the eggs instead of beating them, and since the egg yolk is used to keep the CO2 from escaping, and CO2 is used to help the brownies rise, My brownies ended up to be almost 2 in tall!! I think I overcooked them a little, but they were still delicious! This sure was a yummy project!
Photo credit: my dad! :)
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