Can brownie dough sit?

Question

I've been making brownies lately, and my last brownie turned out like dwarf bread. As the recipe and the oven/time haven't changed, my guess is that the preparation went wrong.

I mixed all the ingredients, (just like always) and then walked away to have lunch. After lunch, I tried to pour the batter in the mold, but it was impossible to pour.

Is my analysis correct and, more importantly, is there anything that can be done if the batter does have to sit for a while? Can it be gently heated?

Edit Chocolate & Margarine gently heated together. Sugar and Eggs beaten. Mixed together. Added flour & hazelnut.

Answer

If the flour is self-rising flour, then it shouldn't be allowed to sit for too long. However, this wouldn't result in it being "impossible to pour" - it would just prevent the item(s) from rising properly when baked.

If I had to guess, I would point to the chocolate as the culprit. If your batter/dough recipe uses melted chocolate (as opposed to just cocoa powder) then it is almost certainly going to solidify again as it cools. In which case, you can simply heat it again (gently - you don't want cook the eggs!) to loosen it up a little before pouring it.

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