What is the effect of adding eggs to a pastry dough?
As I understand it, making dough is really the process of hydrating flour so that a gluten network can be formed and the dough structure emerges. Pastry dough usually adds butter in order both to reduce the amount of gluten formed and also to interleave sheets of fat to sheets of gluten to make it crumbly and oh so good.
What I don't understand is what eggs do to the dough. Most American apple pie recipes use no eggs for their dough, but almost all italian pastry dough (pastafrolla) use an abudance of eggs in lieu of some water. What do these eggs do to the flour/butter mix? Do they increase gluten formation or decrease it, or no effect at all?
Best Answer
While many bread and pastry products do depend critically on the formation and management of gluten from wheat flours, this is not universally true.
Some types of pastry have structure dependent more on the starch networks which is the other major component of wheat flours; the texture and properties of these pastries is often dependent on the gross mechanical manipulation of the structures, depending on how the product is manipulated.
American style pie crust is a case in point. Flaky pie crust is generally manipulated in a manner which minimizes gluten production: low hydration, resting periods, and minimal mechanical manipulation.
The structure and flakiness emerges because the dough is essentially a series of butter flakes or bits, coated in starch. When baked, the starches gelate and steam from the dough pushes the butter pockets apart before the butter is fully melted and integrates into the dough structure. This is not dependent on gluten formation.
Taking La Cucina Italiana's pasta frola recipe as typical, it appears that pasta frola has more in common with flaky pie crust than it does with bread or puff pastry, where gluten formation is key.
The egg in the dough will contribute mostly water (eggs are 75% water). The remainder is primarily proteins (from the albumen in the egg white, and fats from the yolk).
This will somewhat tenderize the final pastry, and contribute an eggy flavor. It certainly does interfere with gluten formation, helping prevent a tough outcome, except in this application, gluten formation simply is not key. It will also contribute to the final color, both from the yellow pigments in the yolk, and by slightly promoting browning.
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Quick Answer about "What is the effect of adding eggs to a pastry dough?"
The moisture amounts from eggs also affect the texture of your pastry. Eggs yolks makes richer and softer baked goods, while egg whites give you a lighter and airier product. Most recipes call for a traditional large egg in baking.What does adding egg to pastry do?
What Eggs Do in Baking Recipes. Eggs play an important role in everything from cakes and cookies to meringues and pastry cream \u2014 they create structure and stability within a batter, they help thicken and emulsify sauces and custards, they add moisture to cakes and other baked goods, and can even act as glue or glaze.Should I add egg to my pastry?
The choice varies depending on the desired crumbliness: the yolks \u2013 being fatter \u2013 will accentuate it, while the egg whites are for a crispier shortcrust pastry. More generally, to make a soft shortcrust pastry for tarts it is always better to use whole eggs.What happens if you add egg white to pastry?
The egg in the dough will contribute mostly water (eggs are 75% water). The remainder is primarily proteins (from the albumen in the egg white, and fats from the yolk). This will somewhat tenderize the final pastry, and contribute an eggy flavor.What is the purpose of putting egg whites on the puff pastry before baking it?
The purpose of this is to give the final product a golden brown color that is slightly shiny. This is purely for aesthetic purposes and does not really affect the final flavor of the baked good.This is How Eggs Affect Bread Dough | How to Use Eggs in Breadmaking
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Answer 2
I have tried every pie crust that comes out in cooking magazines and books over the years. One time I used one of Martha Stewarts' (she has many and they are not all the same) that added an egg....that pie was the toast of the evening and truly the most delicious pie I have ever made.
I found out that the addition of the egg is a FRENCH method and the pastry is called pâte à foncer (literally "dough to darken") - it causes a slightly better color and browning and it adds the richness of flavor in the fats of the yoke of an egg.
Also frankly - it had a better more tender mouth feel - it "broke up" more easily in the mouth. Apparently this has something to do with the prevention of gluten forming but also it adds color and a better texture to the dough.
Answer 3
The egg DOES help soften the crust.
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