Tips for eggless baking

Hi folks. Hope you had a great weekend.

At Dare to Live Free Limited we seek to provide you with lots of useful information for persons with special dietary needs whether you have gluten intolerance, diabetes or some other need. Quite a significant percentage of Trinidad and Tobago’s population do not consume eggs either for health reasons or because of religious beliefs. At times people come across eggs in recipes and ask us how to work around that when preparing a gluten free or sugar free meal.

In today’s blog we will discuss:

1. what is the purpose of eggs in baking; and

2. what are some substitutes that can be used as substitutes.

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Why do some recipes call for eggs? In baking, eggs can serve three purposes:

1. as a moisturizer.

2. as a leavening agent ( that is to help the batter to rise);

3. as a binder (to keep everything together);

4. as an emulsifier;

5. for flavor.

Replacing egg as a moisturizer

The first step is to look at the recipe and identify the most likely reason egg was included. If you are baking and the recipe includes very little liquid (such as oil, milk) it is likely that egg may have been included to provide moisture or richness (as we love to say in the Caribbean). If, on the other hand, the recipe calls for egg whites, it is not included to provide moisture since egg white dry out the finished product.

If eggs were included on the recipe to provide moisture you can substitute eggs with the following:

fruit juice;

milk; or

water.

Replacing egg as a leavening agent

Yeast, baking soda and baking powder are leavening agents that help a baked product to rise. If the recipe does not contain these but contains egg, it is possible that egg was intended to be used as a leavening agent. In such a case egg can be substituted by buttermilk, yoghurt, baking soda.

Replacing egg as a binder

Egg is used in some recipes to avoid crumbling and hold ingredients together. This function is important in meals such as casseroles, cookies, muffins, burgers and vegetable loaves. If from the contents of the recipe it appears egg is meant to serve as a binder consider increasing moisture to the dish or using a moist egg substitute such as fruit puree.

Replacing egg as an emulsifier

Emulsifying means combining two ingredients that normally as difficult to combine, such as oil and water. Chia seed or flaxseed can replace egg when it is intended to serve as an emulsifier.

SUMMARY TABLE

Egg replacement: Arrowroot powder

How to replace 1 egg in the recipe: 2 tablespoons of arrowroot flour + 3 tablespoons of water can be used to replace 1 egg.

Comment:Special shout out to our friends from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Egg replacement: Baking soda

How to replace 1 egg in the recipe:1 teaspoon of baking soda along with 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Apple cider vinegar and white distilled vinegar can be used.

Comment:This is best used in cakes and cupcakes and will make cake light and airy.

Egg replacement: Buttermilk

How to replace 1 egg in the recipe:1/4 cup of buttermilk or yogurt for each egg to be replaced.

Egg replacement:Chia seed or flaxseed

How to replace 1 egg in a recipe:Grind flaxseed until you get a powder. Whisk/blend together 1 teaspoon of flax seed powder with 1/4 cup of water for each egg to be replaced.

Comments:Flaxseed is an important source of Omega 3 fatty acid. It has a nutty flavor so may be best for pancakes, breads and muffins. Chia seed has a milder flavor. Once flaxseed is ground the powder can be kept in an airtight container for up to a year.

Egg replacement: Pureed fruit

You can mash bananas or use unsweetened applesauce, pureed prunes, plumped raisins and softened dates as egg substitutes.

How to replace 1 egg in a recipe:1/4 cup for each egg. Increase yeast or leavening agent by 25-50%. Bake items slightly longer, if necessary.

Comments: Beware that the baked goods using pureed fruit as an egg substitute would n’t brown as easily but will be very moist. This will work best for brownies or sweetbread. Banana will alter the taste so if you do not like a banana flavor use apple sauce which has a milder taste.

Egg replacement:Silken or soft Tofu

How to replace 1 egg in a recipe: Puree the tofu to make sure there are no lumps (firm tofu will not blend very well).Use 1/4 cup tofu per egg.

Tofu will not fluff like eggs, but the texture is otherwise very similar to eggs

Comment: Excellent to replace the egg taste. Tumeric can be added to add colour.

Egg replacement: Vinegar

How to replace 1 egg in a recipe: 1 teaspoon of baking soda along with 1 tablespoon of vinegar. App (e.g. apple cider vinegar and white distilled vinegar).

Egg replacement:Yoghurt

How to replace 1 egg in a recipe: 1/4 cup of buttermilk or yogurt for each egg to be replaced.

RESOURCES

For excellent information on eggless cooking visit:

http://www.egglesscooking.com/egg-substitutes/

https://www.icedjems.com/2012/07/replacing-eggs-in-baking/or

http://www.wikihow.com/Replace-Eggs-in-Your-Cooking

Dare to Live Free distributes the Jinca Foods line of gluten free products in Trinidad and Tobago. If you have Celiac disease , gluten intolerance or simply are interested in leading a gluten free lifestyle look for our products at leading supermarkets and gourmet stores throughout the country. For wholesale enquiries e-mail us at daretolivefree1@gmail.com or call 868-487-6905.