Egg Role

• Eggs are a versatile ingredient when it comes to baking. Though eggs can be replaced in a recipe, it is important to know what role the egg is playing before doing so. Eggs help baked goods rise, add moisture or thickness, bind ingredients together, keep things from falling apart in the end and even provide fat. Typically an egg serves one or two roles at a time, making it easier to substitute, if necessary. Some recipes call for the egg whites, some for yolk, some for the entire egg.

Reaching New Heights

• You can determine what ingredient in your recipe will make the dish rise by learning what each ingredient does and how they work together. If your recipe contains mostly dry ingredients, the egg may be adding moisture. If your recipe does not contain other leavening agents but has acidic ingredients, chances are the egg is added for height or fluffiness. If your recipe does have plenty of moisture and includes leavening agents but is lacking a binding agent, then the egg is to help hold the other ingredients together. Your recipe may contain all of the above and still ask for an egg; typically, this means the egg is for both moisture and binding.

Raising the Baking Roof

• When your recipe calls for an egg to help make it rise, it cannot be left out without using something else in its place. Other leavening agents include baking soda, baking powder, yeast, self-rising flour and commercial egg replacements. These ingredients are not swapped out 1 for 1, but rather adjusted or added according to the other ingredients in the recipe. Baking powder and baking soda need liquid and heat to be activated, and baking soda also requires an acidic ingredient. Yeast helps breads rise by way of fermentation. It needs moisture and a warm environment in which to work. Self-rising flour contains baking powder and salt to assist in rising.

Multiple Baskets

• If you are looking to eliminate eggs from your recipe and have discovered it is not needed to make the baked good rise, consider subbing other ingredients for the egg. When moisture is needed in a baking recipe, replace the egg with mashed banana, applesauce or even silken tofu. Ground flaxseed or chia seeds, when combined with warm water, will create the gelatinous consistency needed for binding ingredients.