Bakers looking to get the greatest cost efficiency out of their dairy and egg ingredients must carefully consider the needs of the baked goods they’re making. 

“Formula and preparation process impact the desired functionality of eggs and dairy,” Becky Regan, principal scientist, IFF. “For example, the role of eggs in cookies differs from the role in cake. The baker needs to determine the functionality needed in the specific bakery product application to select the right dairy or egg ingredients.”

Cookies and pastries, for example, rely on eggs for their desired flavor and tender texture, while eggs give cakes aeration and volume, KJ Burrington, vice president of technical development, American Dairy Products Institute. Milk powders can be used to enhance flavor, browning and crumb softening in breads, rolls and muffins.

Once producers nail down the functionality they need, they can find the right dairy or egg ingredients for that product and the optimal format that will help reduce costs.

Liquid eggs, for example, are easier to blend into recipes and are ideal for applications where emulsification or moisture addition is critical, such as batter or doughs, Nelson Serrano-Bahri, chef and director of development of the American Egg Board. Because dried eggs have a longer shelf life, they’re best for dry mixes and shelf stable products. 

“Frozen eggs provide a middle ground between liquid and powdered eggs, offering long shelf life and maintaining functionality similar to fresh eggs after thawing,” he said.

Bakers should also consider the scale of their operation and how much of these ingredients will be used.

“Dried eggs are typically used in large scale commercial production due to the ease of storage and ability to use in both dry mix applications as well as within finished baked good formulations,” Jonathan Merkle, chief science officer and vice president of R&D, Michael Foods. “Liquid eggs including whole egg, egg yolks and egg whites, on the other hand, are simple to use by making it quick and easy to measure the proper portion for a recipe in any size baking operation.”

There is little to no difference in final product quality between dry and liquid egg or dairy ingredients, Aaron Reed, senior food technologist, Cargill, so long as moisture content is accounted for if switching from liquid to dry form.

“Milk can absorb between 50% to 100% of its dry weight, so for every pound of dry milk added, an additional half pound to 1 pound of additional water is needed in the formula,” he explained. 

Ashley Beech, bakery applications development manager, Corbion, noted there may be slight differences in final product quality when switching from a dry to liquid format, however.

“Muffins made with dry eggs can have a slightly different batter viscosity and final bake profile compared to liquid eggs,” she said. 

Bakers should also consider refrigerated storage capacity when deciding between liquid and dry ingredients, and how the ingredients will be added to the mixer, Regan said. 

“In some cases, adding powders is easier and more sanitary than pumping or hand-adding buckets of liquid ingredients,” she observed. “Powder forms of dairy and egg ingredients can be added directly into the formula along with the other dry ingredients.”

This article is an excerpt from the November 2024 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Dairy & Eggs, click here.