Egg bread recipe calls for 2 eggs and 2 yolks, can I use 4 whole eggs? [closed]

The recipe for egg bread calls for 2 eggs and 2 yolks. What would result from just using 4 whole eggs?

Best Answer

Let's put it this way - you can, but there will be consequences, so you probably shouldn't.

Bread dough that behaves like you expect it to depends on a given amount of liquid for a given amount of flour. Using whole eggs instead of just the yolks called for increases the liquid, so you'll have a runnier dough while its raw, making it harder to knead, so then you're tempted to add more flour and everything gets out of whack.

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In bread making, an egg is a liquid. One egg yolk is about 20 grams of liquid. One egg white is about 40 grams.

So four eggs are 460=240 grams or milliliters (a bit more than a cup of liquid), while two eggs and two yolks are 260=120 grams plus 2*20=40 grams for 160 grams of liquid (a bit less than 3/4 of a cup).

So what to do with the leftover egg white? There were good suggestions here already, but I like to either freeze it for later use, or stir it with something flavorful (anchovy, parmesan, garlic, and then fry it up and eat it now or chopped in a salad later :)

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Egg bread recipe calls for 2 eggs and 2 yolks, can I use 4 whole eggs? [closed] - Top view pile of flour on table with broken egg arranged with wooden spoon and metal corolla during preparation of homemade dough

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Can you use whole eggs instead of egg yolks?

When you use whole eggs in a recipe, you get some of the best properties of both the yolk and the white. While whole eggs aren't quite as good as straight yolks at creating an emulsion, they are still excellent binding agents, especially in cakes, cookies, and other baked goods.

Can I substitute whole egg for 2 yolks?

Whole eggs do a bit of both. Based on this understanding of what the different parts do, our guess is that substituting a whole egg with two yolks would give us a very tender and moist cookie with a cake-like structure. Because we lose the proteins in the whites, the cookie would likely be crumbly.

Can I use whole eggs instead of egg yolks in bread?

Using whole eggs instead of just the yolks called for increases the liquid, so you'll have a runnier dough while its raw, making it harder to knead, so then you're tempted to add more flour and everything gets out of whack. In bread making, an egg is a liquid. One egg yolk is about 20 grams of liquid.

Can I use 4 egg yolks instead of 2 eggs?

Yolks can be used in many recipes that call for whole eggs. Look for recipes that will benefit from all the added fat. Anything custard-like, where the eggs are mixed with milk, will work very well- even better than with whole eggs in fact.

This is How Eggs Affect Bread Dough | How to Use Eggs in Breadmaking

More answers regarding egg bread recipe calls for 2 eggs and 2 yolks, can I use 4 whole eggs? [closed]

Answer 2

I love how Lisa started her answer - you can, but there will be consequences.

I am not sure there will be that much problem with the hydration. Additional egg whites don't make dough as liquid as water or milk does, and 40 g extra egg whites are probably not going to do that much to the dough consistency, if you are not working with tiny amounts of flour. And the dough consistency doesn't matter that much anyway - there are many breads which handle terrible as doughs, but are formulated to produce a great final texture, so a slightly runnier dough shouldn't be a problem.

What will change most is the final texture. It will be more tender, crisp and dry. It will also be crumbly compared to the original, but that's a relative thing, you shouldn't expect it to fall apart when cut. You won't get that moist softness which comes from high-yolk dough, it won't have the silky smooth mouthfeel intended by the original recipe. And the taste will be different, with less of an eggy flavor. So, you will generally be making a different type of bread - it is up to you if you want it that way or not.

Answer 3

As you can probably tell, 2 whole eggs consists more liquid than just 2 egg yolks. Many sources recommend replacing 3 eggs yolks for 2 whole eggs, while many other sources recommend replacing 2 egg yolks for one whole egg.

Since the recipe calls for 2 egg yolks, it would, of course, be more convenient to use the 2 egg-yolks to one whole egg ratio. But since there is about 5 grams of fat in every egg yolk, or one teaspoon of oil, I recommend the best substitute for 2 egg yolks would be one whole egg + one teaspoon of oil.

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