20/02/2024
IMPORTANCE OF EGG IN BAKING
In day-to-day cooking, eggs can be scrambled, poached, or boiled to create easy, straightforward dishes all on their own. But when it comes to baking and pastry, the importance of their role changes from breakfast food to a vital ingredient for giving structure, texture, and flavor. The function and behavior of eggs can really vary depending on how we treat them in these recipes, and just knowing more about the different parts of an egg — the whites and the yolks — can help make even the trickiest pastries feel a little more approachable.
At the grocery store there are dozens of different types of eggs — brown ones and whites ones; eggs that are medium, large, and extra large. You might even see eggs from chickens, quails, or ducks!
So what should you buy for baking and pastry? Stick with large chicken eggs, unless otherwise specified in your recipe; most Nigeria or Africa Entirely baking and pastry recipes are designed to be made with large-sized chicken eggs.
Not all eggs are created equal, though, and there can still be some small variance between eggs even within the same size category. On average, though, the large eggs will all be roughly the same.
Some recipes may specify eggs by weight instead of volume, calling for something like 4 ounces egg whites instead of 2 egg whites. In these cases, it’s a good indication that precise measurements are important for this recipe, and so it’s best to weigh the eggs using a kitchen scale. In a pinch, however, you can use the general weights for whites and yolks given above.
WHAT EGG REALLY DO IN BAKING
Eggs play an important role in everything from cakes and cookies to pastry cream; they create structure and stability within a batter, they help thicken and emulsify sauces and custards, they add moisture to cakes and other baked goods, and can even act as glue or glaze.
Between the yolks, the white, and the whole egg, the functions of an egg can overlap and vary widely from recipe to recipe.
Let’s take a look at each of these and see how they affect a recipe:
1. The Role of Egg Yolks: Fat
Recipes that use just the yolk of an egg typically do so for the yolk’s fat content and emulsifying abilities. The fat gives baked goods extra-rich flavor and a velvety texture. The yolk also has the unique ability to bind liquids and fats together, creating an emulsion that prevents them from separating. This emulsion process helps create a more homogeneous mix of ingredients, Thereby aiding in an even distribution of liquid and fats throughout a recipe for smooth batters, satiny custards, and creamy curds.
2. The Role of Egg Whites: Foam!
When egg whites are used alone, they perform an entirely different role from the yolks, especially when whipped. Whipping and using egg whites in a recipe does not have to be as intimidating as you may think, and we’ll be talking much more about this in a few days. For now, just know that whipping egg whites means incorporating millions of little air bubbles within the white. This creates a fairly stable foam that we can use to make everything from a soufflé to meringue. To help stabilize egg whites even further, we can add acidic elements, like cream of tartar and lemon juice. One of the best ways to use whipped egg whites is as a natural leavening agent in something like a delicate cake or a soufflé. In the heat of the oven, the air trapped in the foam starts to expand, causing the recipe rise without the need for things like yeast or baking soda. In fact, whipped egg whites are how many classic baked goods, like sponge cakes, got their lift in the days before baking soda and baking powder!
3.The Role of Whole Eggs: Fat and Foam
When you use whole eggs in a recipe, you get some of the best properties of both the yolk and the white. While whole eggs aren’t quite as good as straight yolks at creating an emulsion, they are still excellent binding agents, especially in cakes, cookies, and other baked goods. Eggs also firm up and solidify when heated, giving crucial structural support to delicate desserts and pastries. At the same time, eggs make baked goods more tender, creating light textures, soft breads, and delicate crumbs. When mixed with sugar (like in a cake or cookie batter), eggs help trap and hold air — not quite as well as whipped egg whites, but enough to give the finished product some lightness and lift. The combination of eggs and sugar also adds a great deal of moisture and flavor to a recipe.
Yolks and whites can also be used separately in the same recipe. This truly is the best of both worlds, with the yolks providing richness to a base or batter while the whipped whites do their job of lightening and leavening. Chiffon cakes and soufflés are good examples of this kind of recipe.
Important facts
1. I recommend at least six large eggs for your plain cakes and at least 5 for your fruit cake of 250g of butter.
2. I separate my eggs for chocolate cake and it comes out very nice
3. it’s also best to crack eggs into a smaller bowl, separate from your actual mixing bowl. This makes it easier to scoop out the stray bits of shell, and also helps prevent having to start completely over if you accidentally break a yolk that you needed left whole — throwing away one broken egg (or saving it for dinner!) is better than tossing a whole mixing bowl of ingredients.
4. Depending on the recipe, eggs may need to be room temperature when they get mixed with the other ingredients. Recipes for cakes and other baked goods often call for room-temperature eggs because they bind and emulsify better than cold ones. Additionally, room-temperature egg whites whip up better than their colder counterparts. If a recipe doesn’t specify the egg temperature, it’s usually safe to assume that the temperature isn’t crucial to the recipe and the eggs can be added either straight from the fridge or at room temperature.
5. By the way, if you need to separate your eggs, do it while they are cold; the yolks are less likely to break and it’s easier separate the yolk from the white. Also, to quickly warm up refrigerated eggs, just cover cold eggs in a bowl with warm tap water for a few minutes while you gather your remaining ingredients.
