How do you use flax seeds instead of eggs?

I'm seeing recipes where you boil the seeds in water which results in a egg white-like textured liquid.

quote:

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One tablespoon flax seeds (found in natural food stores) with 3 tablespoon water can be blended for 2 to 3 minutes, or boiled for 10 minutes or until desired consistency is achieved to substitute for one egg.

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And I'm seeing recipes where the flax powder (I've never seen POWDER... only meal and whole seeds...) is put into baked goods... but it seems like it might make for a gritty cake.

Any ideas? Thanks!

Denise, if you wanted to you could, but I never have. I do almost all of my baking with whole wheat flour anyhow, and there is a little bit of a texture to it, but you know, honestly, I've never really noticed that you get the "meal" of the flax seed. This is pretty gelatonous (like egg whites), and if you let it sit for a few minutes, it get thick like the egg whites.

By the way, because of the oil content of flax seeds, it really isn't a good idea to buy the flax meal unless you are absolutely certain that it is FRESH (less than a week or two old) because it does got rancid very quickly, as with any seeds. Also, if you are buying flax seeds, those really should be either refrigerated or frozen to keep them from going rancid (their shelf life is less than 3 months unless stored in cold...then it's up to a year). Flax seeds are SOOOOO easy to make into meal, and you can make a cup of it and keep in your refrigerator or freezer and use it over the week. That is what I do. I do a cup of the flax seeds one day a week, and then I do a few days worth of the egg substitute (if I know I'm going to be baking a lot).

Lori,

Thanks! Do you strain out the meal?

Denise

This is pretty neat! I will have to try this as we are incorporating more flax.
Thanks, Denise and Lori.

Flax seed egg replacer....I use it all the time. Here's what I do. (if you do a lot of baking or pancake making follow the second measurement)

1 tbsp flax seed (whole) (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup COLD water (not ice, just cold from tap or filter) (1 cup)

In blender, whir flax seeds until they are powdery (mealy), then add water and blend for 30 seconds or so at high. let stand for about 5 minutes while you are mixing other ingredients to let it gel. The smaller measurement is equal to one egg. If I am going out to my garage to get the flax seeds out of the freezer, I want to make this worth my while, so I do a larger batch (the second measurement) and keep the remaining amount in the refrigerator in a covered jar or container. Use within one week.