Spoiler alert! It’s not flax!
The most asked question I get, and that I see on all the groups I belong to in social media is: “Help! What egg replacer should I use!”
The most common answer I see in response to that question is “use flax meal!”
Nooooooo! I cringe when i see that because that is not the one size fits all answer!
But I get it.
The “what egg replacer do I use” question was the same question I also had when I first transitioned to vegan baking.
And of course my first experience with egg replacers as I tested my recipes to make them vegan was indeed FLAX!
Perhaps why my initial experiences with vegan baking was so horrific!
I’ll say it again, there is not a one sized fits all answer when it comes to egg replacers!
But knowing what I know now about egg replacers from flax, chia, proprietary blends like EnerG Egg Replacer and Bob’s Red Mill I have a much better understanding of how each one is different from the next and why there is not just one straight up simple answer for all recipes when it comes to replacing eggs.
After all, eggs are the most important part of baking successful recipes since they lend so much to the recipe itself.
In order to determine how to replace such a key ingredient, we need to first look at what that ingredient is doing in the recipe in the first place.
The Almighty Egg- What makes the egg so important in baking?
In baking we are familiar with the whole egg, the white and then the yolk.
Each part of the egg lends different properties and when applied in different ways (ie: mix methods and heat) they aid differently in the final result of the baked product.
Whether it is binding the recipe, leavening it, lightening it, adding fat (flavor) and body; all of these properties are typical of the chicken egg.
So in order to mimic those same qualities in a vegan recipe, it is there we must start when deciding which egg replacer is best for that specific recipe.
- Binding: The first thing most think about when asked what the egg is really doing in the recipe is binding. Meaning it is the “glue” that holds all the ingredients together. Through mixing and heating, eggs will coagulate and bind ingredients together while also adding flavor, body and leavening action.
- Leavening: Because eggs are made up of proteins that when agitated create a strong matrix that trap air which turns to steam in the oven, recipes made with eggs not only bind but they also aid in rising the baked good.
- Flavor/Fat & Body: Eggs have a high amount of fat in them per each whole egg. As we know fat = flavor and why cakes and pastries are not listed on the diet menu! So in order to recreate the properties of the egg in our recipes we also have to consider the fat and moisture contents we are going to be missing by taking them out of the equation.
With those three main topics in our focus we can now start to understand what the egg was doing in our recipe in the first place.
So when you set out to replace the eggs in your recipe you must first ask yourself “How is the egg working in my original recipe and which (of my new plant based options) is best suited to replace it?”
In my course at Vegan Baking Mastery my focus is all around egg replacers.
I take eight of the most popular natural (flax, chia and aquafaba) as well as some proprietary blends on the market (including some homemade options for those who cannot get those commercial blends).
I dissect each egg replacer to it’s specific ingredients and show you visually how each one works in a controlled recipe experiment.
You will quickly see that not all egg replacers are created equally and not all recipes will call for the same egg replacer every time.
By taking my course you will learn how to replace eggs in all your favorite recipes with no fail results every time.
No more sorting through hundreds of recipes trying to find egg replacers that are foreign to you, since after learning what I have to teach you, you will be able to create your own recipes and replace eggs in all recipes based on your new found knowledge.
Watch this short video below with a sample of what you can expect in the course, to see if Vegan Baking Mastery is for you!
For just $49.99 you can master the science of vegan baking and have no fail results in all your recipes going forward!
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