so, because my specialty is babka, an enriched bread bordering on cake (i.e., the recipe calls for two eggs), I started thinking about substitutes, should I ever come to the point of being unable to buy eggs because they’re way too expensive.
I found a forum discussing substitutes for eggs in enriched bread (dated last year, too, so I’m putting it here because nothing on the internet lasts forever; write these down!), and these were the ones that caught my eye:
Mayonnaise. I use mayo in my “souls of black”/double chocolate muffins, and it makes them really fluffy and moist (pleasantly tangy, too!) on top of the two eggs it calls for, so can confirm right away. It’s 1 1/2 tablespoons of mayo for every egg.
Greek yogurt, preferably the plain kind. The forum as well as America’s Test Kitchen, The Kitchn, and several others swear up and down with this one; I think the next time I make a babka, I’ll try it. 1/4 cup = 1 egg. an offshoot of this: yogurt or buttermilk with baking soda. OP doesn’t say, but I’ll make an educated guess and say the conversion rate is 1/4 cup of yogurt or buttermilk + 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Does bubkes for leavening, but I guess it makes bread fluffier than a cloud.
Potato, preferably white or Russet potatoes, or potato starch, which I’ve seen in the baking aisle next to the almond and arrowroot flours. Yes. Yes, of all things. I was taken aback, too, but potatoes are starchy and not very glutinous so it keeps the crumb fine and soft and adds some moisture. 2 tablespoons of starch for 1 egg.
The “tangzhong” method, used in Japanese milk bread, where you cook a bit of flour and a bit of the water/milk in a saucepan. This is another one I want to try out, simply because of the way it makes milk bread so airy and tender—makes bread last longer, too! The basic method is 1 part flour to 5 parts liquid, by weight: I don’t know if this could work in my babka because you want hydration to be 75% of the flour, and my babka calls for 275 grams of flour with 50 milliliters of milk (or 50 grams, for those keeping score at home). Although I think it could work because eggs account for moisture as well as binding and leavening? Definitely an experiment.
Flaxseeds and water. I see things like… this will add a nuttiness or a grassiness to the bread (less than ideal for a babka, which is supposed to be warm and sweet) but it works. Hit and miss, so use this one with caution, but it does work. 1 tablespoon of flax with 3 tablespoons of water until you have a slurry thing going.
Water, baking powder, and veggie oil. The Kitchn absolutely swears by this one, like you would never guess there’s no eggs in there. The one difference is it might make the top a little darker than usual. I think this + the Greek yogurt will be my go-to egg replacements. 2 tablespoons water + 2 teaspoons baking powder + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil = 1 egg
Carbonated water/seltzer water. Another one from the Kitchn: mind, I couldn’t read the whole bullet point because the page crashed on me, but it received a 10/10 rating, though. I did see it was 1/4 cup = 1 egg.
