I can hear my relatives in Illinois now: “What on earth is a flax egg?” Well. Let me tell you about a little something that completely changed the way I bake for my vegan and egg-free friends and also happens to work really well with many recipes using natural sugars.
In my pre–flax egg life, I’d use a packaged egg replacer when trying to convert recipes to be eggless. But it’s expensive and has additives. I keep whole flaxseeds in my freezer for a nutrition boost in smoothies and baked treats, and one day I learned that you can make them behave a whole lot like eggs in many recipes, without actually using . . . eggs. So how do we make a flax egg, exactly? Simple.
To substitute 1 whole large egg, place 1 tablespoon flaxseeds in a clean coffee grinder or spice grinder. Process to a fine powder. Dump the powder into a small bowl and whisk in 3 tablespoons of hot water. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes. It will thicken to the consistency of a well-beaten egg—the result of the flaxseeds’ starches coming in contact with liquid. These starches help emulsify or “bind” a batter, provide mild structure, and can even provide a tiny bit of air or “lift” to baked goods.
A few things to keep in mind when working with flax eggs:
1. You can buy ground flaxseeds, but the results are much better when you grind them fresh.
2. The best recipes for using flax eggs are quick breads and muffins, cakes that don’t need to be super fluffy, and cookies.
3. Some recipes rely solely on the protein in eggs to trap air during mixing, for both structure and leavening—as in an angel food cake or a meringue. Flax eggs won’t work in these types of recipes.
4. Recipes that call for more than 3 eggs get a little iffy for swapping in flax eggs—that’s a sign that the structure of the baked good is relying on egg protein.
5. I like golden flax for its mild flavor and lighter color, but the more flax eggs you use in a recipe, the more you risk tasting a bitter “flaxiness.” Also note that even when you use golden flaxseeds, you will see flecks of seed in the finished baked good if the rest of the item is lightly colored; so there are aesthetic considerations as well.