Add Soy Sauce to Baked Goods
It’s no secret that adding a pinch of salt can bring out the sweet taste. I love a good salted cereal caramel as much as everyone else, but the fleur de sel did a good job, so can we make way for a more sophisticated dessert seasoning? Add depth of flavor to your fall baked goods with soy sauce.
Soy sauce is made from fermented soybeans in brine and is often added to savory dishes because it provides a lot of umami. Soy sauce is a powerful flavor enhancer thanks to naturally occurring sodium and glutamic acid, the building blocks of monosodium glutamate (monosodium glutamate). Monosodium glutamate activates glutamate receptors in the mouth, which can give us an increased perception of these flavors in our food. This applies to both sweet and savory foods. Adding a small amount of soy sauce to our desserts can effectively open the door of flavor and allow us to experience the richness of other flavors on our palate.
If you’re hesitant because soy sauce makes you think of vegetables or meat instead of chocolate brownies, I understand. You can allay your fears. Soy sauce added to chocolate desserts is subtle at first. This doesn’t seem like a terrible mistake. In fact, it seems that you have done a lot more work than you actually did. The soy sauce adds just the right touch of saltiness to the baked goods, as well as noticeably rich caramel notes and a light maltiness. Since the glutamate receptors in the mouth will be activated, the earthy, bitter notes of the chocolate used will be enhanced in the best possible way, so use good quality chocolate.
For those who like to experiment, adding soy sauce to baked goods is as easy as adding vanilla extract, just measure out a teaspoon or two and mix in with other wet ingredients. For those who don’t want to make any guesses, there are plenty of recipes out there that already include soy sauce as an ingredient, like my chocolate brownie recipe below, or this soy sauce cookie .
I find soy sauce to enhance darker, warmer flavors well. Pair it with desserts that include chocolate, vanilla, caramel, spices, or nuts. To achieve a warmer caramel flavor, the brownie recipe below uses a higher amount of brown sugar, which pairs well with soy sauce.
Brownies with dark chocolate and soy sauce
Ingredients:
- 1 oz bittersweet chocolate (chopped)
- 7 tablespoons butter (cut into ½ inch pieces)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
- 2 eggs (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup flour
- Toppings such as Reese’s Pieces or nuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8″ by 4″ bread pan or an 8″ cake pan (for thinner cakes) with butter and parchment.
In a microwave safe bowl, add chocolate and butter. Microwave for a minute or two, stopping to stir every 20-30 seconds, until melted. Stir in soy sauce and vanilla extract.
Place sugar and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Stir and crush with the back of a spoon to break up any lumps of cocoa powder and spread over the sugar. Add chocolate mixture to sugar mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the eggs, one at a time. Add half of the flour and stir until just combined. Add second half and stir until combined.
Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan, smooth and sprinkle with caramel or nuts. (Stuff lightly, they will sink if they get too heavy.)
Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 25-30 minutes or until edges are puffed up and center is set. This recipe can be doubled for a larger, thicker portion of brownies. Store them at room temperature in an airtight container for five to seven days (as if they won’t be eaten in a few hours).