Ingredients are, of course, a big part of cooking, and that includes chicken eggs in baking. Here we explain how important chicken eggs are and how much they affect your bakes.
Chicken eggs are one of the main ingredients in baking and dessert-making, and they're at the heart of many foods, such as cakes, cookies, bread and tarts. We'll also share tips on choosing eggs for cooking and baking, but first, let's look at why chicken eggs matter so much.
Why Eggs Matter in Baking
Chicken eggs are essential in baking, especially in cake, where they are combined with flour, sugar and butter to make the crumb. Eggs create an egg foam within the batter, which helps the cake rise. The yolk is also a source of emulsifiers that help incorporate air, and eggs add flavour, aroma and moisture to the cake.
Why Chicken Eggs Rather Than Duck Eggs?
Many people wonder why we use chicken eggs for desserts and baking. Let's find out.
Bakers choose chicken eggs over duck eggs because duck eggs are too large, which makes it harder to get the proportions right and to measure as precisely as with chicken eggs, the standard in basic recipes. Duck eggs also behave differently from chicken eggs and can make a cake firm and tough, and they have a stronger eggy smell than chicken eggs.
Which Egg Size Is Best?
Eggs sold at markets are priced differently, and prices vary with size. In Thailand, chicken eggs are graded into 7 sizes by weight per egg (including the shell):
- Size 0: the largest, at least about 70 g per egg
- Size 1: extra large, about 65–69 g per egg
- Size 2: large, about 60–64 g per egg
- Size 3: medium, 55–59 g per egg
- Size 4: small, 50–54 g per egg
- Size 5: small, 45–49 g per egg
- Size 6: the smallest, no more than 44 g per egg (rarely found)
For baking, use the egg size your recipe calls for; most recipes use size 3 or 4, weighing roughly 50–59 g per egg.
We hope you've found these baking tips useful. If you're looking for more helpful advice on baking, follow our website, where you'll find plenty of articles for baking lovers.
