Feeling "crumby"??

Well, there is no point in falling apart when YOU CAN fix it!! 

A lack of eggs or gluten in baking causes two primary problems.  Airiness (leavening) and Crumbiness (binding).  As a leavener there is one solution and an easy fix. That is Baking Powder 1 tsp per egg called for and removed in recipe OR 1 tsp per cup of gluten free flour used.  If you are using gluten free flours & removing eggs from your recipe, DON'T compensate for both, but only for the one that requires the greater amount of Baking Powder (for example you are using 3 cups of GF flours and removing 4 eggs, since the GF flours would require the 3 tsp Baking Powder and removing the eggs would require 4 tsp of baking powder, use the 4 tsp baking powder since it is the greater amount. NOT 7 to compensate for both). As far as binding, there are many solutions with varying applications that work for both issues.  The ones I am aware of are the following:

• The best Egg substitute (healthiest combined with effectiveness) is fresh ground flax. They say 1 TBSP flax and 3 TBSP water per egg, but I have never followed this, there were no rules like this when we started gluten free. I have always just added about 1/4 cup to a loaf of bread or 12 muffins as a part of my flour mixture. I have heard that this rule is actually printed on the side of the now new Betty Crocker gluten free boxed mixes to help those who may be experiencing the egg allergy too.

• Xanthan Gum does a VERY good job of compensating for the 'glue' that gluten/ egg whites would usually provide too and is perhaps the easiest to use; its expensive, but you only need about 3/4 tsp per 1-2 cups of flour so it goes a long way. If you are not a gluten free person, then I am making the assumption that you would likely need a little less, because of the glue that the gluten provides. A good starting point for those who are not gluten free is 1/2 tsp plus 2 TBSP water per egg.  AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WONDERING WHAT IT IS it is not a chemical, just fermented sugars that come from grain (usually corn sugars) with a funny name (learn here).  If you want to make sure that you are not allergic to the grain used, I recommend using Now Foods brand.

• Gelatin or Pectin  can also replace eggs or compensate for gluten (1/2 tsp + 3 TBSP hot water per egg removed is the rule for eggs).  I am not sure there is a rule for gluten free, but for me it varies by recipe depending on the end result you are seeking. Breads I tend to use about 1/2 tsp per cup but, for example, my Cinnamon Rolls recipe (link) and Breakfast Casse-ROLLS (link) recipes use roughly 4 tsp for 1 1/4 cups of flour.  SO you really have to feel it for your recipe. 

• Many fruits and vegetables can also replace eggs. Tomato, potato, yams, applesauce (1/4 cup per egg), Banana (1/2 banana per egg), pumpkin (1/4 cup), carrot, zucchini, always something that will fit the item being made. It is actually the pectin (fruit based gelatin) in the fruits and vegetables that responsible for the binding, so the higher the pectin content, the greater the effect. The closer the fruit or vegetable is to being ripe without being ripe, the more pectin that will be present.  I think this is why Pumpkin, Potatoes, and Sweet Potatoes work so well.  They are also flexible for both sweet or savory.  For sweet banana is definitely a winner, but obviously cannot be used in a meatloaf or a pizza crust.  For meatloaf tomato puree and/or mashed potato would be great choices and they work quite efficiently. While for the pizza crust definitely just turn to xanthan gum.  You can also use canned versions of the fruit and put them in the food processor for a few seconds to mash them.

• Pudding is a great bakers 'glue'.  I recommend using the Sugar and Fat free puddings, they seem to have a greater concentration of glue power in them than the other ones, not to mention they have more allergy friendly flavors too. I also only use Jell-O brand; can't vouch for any other brand.  I use 1/4 cup per a 4.5 x 9 inch bread loaf as in my White Bread recipe or 12 muffins.  I use a full 1 oz box for my Double Chocolate Coconut Muffins  but they make 19. 

• Then there is also EnerG Egg Replacer instead of eggs; essentially overpriced tapioca and potato starches, which really are not that great compared to Xanthan Gum or flax.  I am not sure if these can be used as scrambled eggs, but if they could be used as such, it would definitely give it a few points.

For breads, most definitely include Xanthan Gum and Flax along with either pudding or fruit/vegetable puree. I used to use Guar Gum rather than Xanthan Gum, but it really cannot match the result of Xanthan Gum in breads, though it is my choice for other baked items like my Brownies (link).  I use all of these methods in my baking a few in each recipe to make up the difference of the lacking gluten. Try my  Coconut Macaroon (link) recipe originally I created it using 2 eggs. One time I used 2 small bananas in place of the eggs for an Egg free Dairy free child and they were soo good and soo successful, that this is how we make them now. Bananas work so well in sweet items! 

For those of you who are new to the allergy world, the adjustment period is a horrible time, but will not last forever.  As you find your replacement ingredients, the burden will lighten, the stress will lessen, and it will become second nature for you!!  I hope this post is able to help you move in this direction.