The Essentials of Baking: Eggs and Other Binders, Holding it all Together
Eggs are the classic binder. Many recipes you come across include eggs, and if not, there is always another ingredient acting as the binder. They are an essential building block of every recipe, they turn a soupy mess into a dough or batter. For me, cracking eggs can sometimes be tedious, especially if I’m a little rushed or stressed. However, in my process of recipe development I’ve learned that binders are absolutely necessary for a successful bake. This is why recipes with titles like “3 Ingredient _____” usually include eggs in their short ingredients list.
Technically speaking, a binder is anything that supports the structure of a baked good. This means that the term extends to wheat flour and dairy products, however, because I am writing individual posts for them, I won’t be going into detail about them in this post. If you’re interested in more details about their use in baking, look for the posts dedicated to them, and you can find all the information you’re looking for!
So first of all, what do binders even do in baked goods? They are the ingredients that hold batter based baked goods together. Cakes, cookies, bread, pancakes, muffins, pretty much anything you can think of use binders to hold their shape and produce a tender, airy crumb (crumb is just a fancy way of saying the texture inside the baked good). The most common example is eggs, but there are several other options that work just as well!
Eggs, the sunny side of baking
As I mentioned before, eggs are the most common binder, and they’re good for almost every recipe. Even if you hate the flavor of eggs, you are probably well aware you can’t taste them in baked goods. When it comes to baking, eggs are your friend, it definitely isn’t a good idea to leave them out of a recipe.
Eggs don’t only act as binders in recipes. They also provide gas for leavening agents, helping your treats to rise. In some cases, like souffles and sponge cake, eggs are the only leavener. In other recipes, like meringue and macarons, egg white provides the bulk of the structure for the finished product. And in still others, like yellow cake and lemon curd, egg yolks provide a rich golden color.
When I first started baking, the fact that the recipe called for large eggs meant nothing to me. I just used whatever I had on hand. Which was fine at the time because I was mostly making cookies and simple cakes. But using the wrong size of egg can throw of your ratios, as larger eggs have more liquid, and smaller ones will have less. While this should be fine for most simple recipes, a macaron or sponge cake could be sabotaged by to much egg. When buying your eggs, go for large ones, and steer clear of anything labeled “jumbo” or “extra large”, at least for baking purposes.
So now that you know the basics about eggs, you may be wondering were they fit into a recipe. As with all baking, you need to know the ratios before you can start making your own recipes. Luckily eggs are pretty simple. For cake, the ratio is 1:1, that is, one part egg to one part FAT. This is a little different as many other ratios are related to flour. However, if you’re making a traditional sponge, the flour, sugar, butter, and egg should all weigh the same. In cakes though, the fat and egg should usually weigh the same amount. Pasta is another egg-heavy recipe. You’ll need a 3:2 ratio, three parts flour to two parts egg. Custard, which is also egg heavy, is 2:1, two parts dairy to one part egg. And finally, muffins, which are usually denser, are 2:2:1:1, two parts flour to two parts liquid to one part fat to one part eggs. It is a long one to remember, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll have them memorized in no time. Until them, I would suggest compiling a list of the ratios to keep on hand. There are several different common ratios included throughout the Essentials of baking series, and I plan to post an article with all of them listed together, stay tuned!
The last thing I want to say about eggs before I move on is a warning. Many recipes you read will call for a room temperature egg/s. And if they don’t, you should assume the egg is at room temperature, unless otherwise stated. This is included because eggs are the ingredient that is going to give you a beautiful silky smooth batter, or emulsification. If your eggs are to cold when they go into the mixer, the batter will brake, and look oily and separated, a big no no. Keep in mind that recipes with a lot of egg relative to other ingredients will be prone to breaking, and in this case the batter should come together again eventually. It may seem tedious to wait for your eggs to come to room temperature. But I promise it is much better to wait then end up trying to fix a broken batter.
Alternative binders, a walk on the wild side
For most of us, eggs aren’t a problem in baked goods. But for some people, like vegans, or those with other dietary restrictions, eggs may not be an option to use as a binder. I strongly believe that everyone should be able to enjoy baked goods, and they should be just as delicious. Luckily, there are a host of other ingredients you can use as binders in your recipes. These are good options for vegans, or people with dietary restrictions, and I’ve included descriptions of the most common ones.
You’re probably familiar with jello, the classic desert that jiggles on your spoon. But products like gelatin (the product that gives jello that iconic wobble) are also used as binders in recipes. Most commonly, gelatin is used as a binder in cheesecake, panna cotta, marshmallow, mousse, dacquiose, gummies, jams and jellies, and of course, jello! But gelatin is not limited to typically wobbly desserts. You can use gelatin to substitute in recipes that call for 1-3 eggs, any more then that and you’ll start to get a wobbly texture. If you have problems digesting eggs, or are looking for something new to experiment with, I would definitely suggest trying out a gelatin substitution!
If you’re vegan, or baking for someone who is, there are options for you too! Xanthan gum is made from fermented sugar, which doesn’t sound great, but it works wonders! When it’s mixed with a liquid, it forms a thick gel and is a very potent binder. It is usually used in gluten free baking, as it is perfect for alternative flours, which don’t have gluten, and therefor need extra help to bind. If you are planning to use it, check that your gluten free flour doesn’t have any xanthan gum already mixed in, and then add 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum for every cup of flour. I would suggest adding no more than 1 tbsp of it in total, as it may bake up dense if you add to much. As it is perfect for alternative flours, xanthan gum is also perfect for diabetics and people on low carb diets!
There are a host of other alternative binders out there, but I have found that most of them are almost never used, or are not widely available. Some of them are used for only a few prominent recipes, like chia seeds in chia pudding. However, I don’t really think it’s practical to put chia seeds in bread as a binder, so I have decided to leave them off this list. But I do plan to post recipes including them, stay tuned for chia pudding, mochi with glutinous rice flour, and milk tea with tapioca pearls!
And there you have it, a quick crash course in binders! I hope you' found this post helpful, and that you will always remember to add your eggs at room temperature. I am a huge proponent of eggs in baking, and will never cease to sing their praises, and list there many uses. But I do bake for a diabetic and I am extremely grateful to have options that work well for alternative flours. Binders are essential for baking, and they are often overlooked. Hopefully, you can use this information to get a little experimental in the kitchen, gain confidence in your baking, bake delicious options for folks with dietary restrictions, and even develop your own recipes!
If you have any questions or comments about this or any recipe, please comment below, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. I love to see your creations, so snap a picture and send it to me, or tag me in it! If you have any questions about some of the alternative binders I mentioned, or would like more information on some that I did talk about, please comment or email me and I’ll be happy to help. Also, if you send me a recipe you’re working on, I will gladly give tips and feedback! Until next time, happy baking!
