Soggy Bread With Egg Replacer...help!

[AlexS]

Hi, I have been gluten free for a few weeks and have been making my own bread using Pamela's Amazing Bread Mix and my breadmaker. It's been coming out fine, but I've since decided to try and avoid eggs too (blood work came back slightly positive for an egg allergy) and so I bought some Energ-G egg replacer. Well, I made the bread exactly the same way, except substituting the egg replacer like the box said, and when the bread came out of the breadmaker it was very soggy in the middle (almost like it wasn't cooked enough), and a little flat. I tried putting it in the oven for a while, which helped, but the bread is still way too soft and sticky inside.

Any ideas on how to fix this problem? Thanks!

[lpellegr]

This is a common and frequent problem with baking gluten-free bread, so it's possible it isn't even related to the egg substitution. Try adding less liquid than it calls for. You probably subbed some liquid for the missing eggs - that may have altered the bread chemistry. Also try putting the bread in a regular oven rather than a breadmaker - you will have more control over how long you leave it in. Don't let it rise above the top of the pan before you put it in. When the timer goes off, touch the top of the loaf. If it's too springy, it needs to bake more. Give it 5 more minutes, test again, and keep testing until the top is firm. You could also poke it with an instant-read food thermometer - it should be 190F before you consider it done. Another option is substituting ground flax seed for the eggs - I'm not sure of the proportions, but you mix the flax seed and water and let it sit before you add it in and it holds the batter together like the eggs would. You should be able to look it up on this site or the web.

[AlexS]

Thanks! I guess I will try using less water next time...and maybe baking it in the oven is a good idea...

[floradawn]

I have had much better luck using 1 TB flax + 3 TB warm water OR 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce to replace each egg in bread. For some reason the powdered egg substitute just doesn't work well. Also, bread recipes with 1 egg are the easiest to adapt.