I admit it. Even though I’ve seen every episode of Friends an uncountable amount of times, if it’s on – and, let’s face it, it’s always on – I’ll watch it.
Around our house, we often talk in obscure Friends references, including, the awkward line from Ross to Rachel, in an attempt to distract her from something, “The holiday season is upon us, hmmmmmm?!”
Which brings us to today’s topic. The holiday season IS upon us. And, with that, you may be baking more than usual. So many holiday baked goods call for eggs, but honestly, eggs are an item I rarely have on hand anymore. I try to only buy eggs that are truly cage free, which aren’t easy to come by all the time. So, what to do in this case?
Easy.
Make a flax egg.
For quite some time, I had a sensitivity to flax. It made the lymph nodes in my neck swell up almost immediately after consuming, and eggs produced the same results. In fact, quite a few foods did this to me. But then, I did an elimination diet, and gradually started adding items on my “sensitive” list back in. Amazingly, I haven’t had any symptoms from flax (or eggs, or oranges, or any of my other items) since that time. If you are curious about food sensitivity testing, I wrote a post over here.
Anyway, the point of this post is to help you out in a pinch if you’re out of eggs, so that’s what we’re going to do!
How to Make a Flax Egg
The formula for making a flax egg is really very simple: 1 tablespoon flax meal to 3 tablespoons water, per egg.
You can buy your flax meal already ground from Bob’s Red Mill, or, grind it yourself in a coffee grinder or the single serve cup of your Ninja Blender.
1. Add flax meal and water to a small bowl (in that order for best combining results)
2. Whisk together with a fork
3. Place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes to coagulate (up to an hour works even better)
4. Use just as you would a traditional egg. You can use this baking swap 1:1, meaning, if your recipe calls for two eggs, make the equivalent of two flax eggs.
I usually make the flax egg(s) first, then start the recipe I’m making. By the time I’m ready for the eggs, the flax eggs are ready!
I’m always amused that when I take the mixture out of the fridge, it really does have the consistency of a beaten egg.
Happy baking!