What does an egg do in baked goods? It provides liquid, fat, and protein. It helps emulsify ingredients. It adds structure. It contributes to tenderness. And it has a great flavor. We were asked about useful egg substitutes for baking. Since we did not have a good answer, we dove into the project headfirst.
Our recent work with gluten-free cooking had flaxseeds front and center. We knew they were good viscosifiers. A quick search on thickening with flaxseeds led to a video on making hair gel. The resulting product looked like thick egg whites. So we made some, omitting the aromatics. For ours, we boiled 50 grams of flaxseed with 450 grams of water. When the mixture was thick and viscous, we strained it through a fine mesh strainer. Cheesecloth will work.
With this egg substitute, we started baking. We used it as a gram-for-gram substitute for eggs in baked goods. Chocolate chip cookies were the first experiment. The results, served at a dinner party, left us with nothing but a plate with a few crumbs.
We will continue to share results through the testing phase of this vegan egg substitute. Feel free to do the same.
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