Bakeries swap eggs as prices rise
- Ingredient supplier Puratos said bakeries are swapping out some eggs in brioche, Danish and laminated pastries as 2026 price volatility squeezes margins. - Puratos said eggs can climb from 25% to 37% of brioche recipe cost, adding about 12% to dough expense in egg-heavy lines. - USDA says 2026 egg output is rising and prices are easing, but bakers still face volatile costs. (ers.usda.gov)
Bakeries are testing partial egg replacements in brioche, Danish and laminated pastries as volatile egg costs keep squeezing 2026 recipe economics. (puratos.com) Puratos, a major baking-ingredient supplier, said egg-heavy formulas are under the most pressure because eggs do more than bind ingredients: they add color, moisture and structure. (puratos.com) The company said eggs can rise from 25% to 37% of total brioche recipe cost, adding roughly 12% to overall dough expense. In cream cake, egg costs can move from 46% to 56% of the recipe, pushing batter cost up by as much as 25%. (puratos.com) That helps explain why bakers are looking first at products where eggs are visible on the cost sheet: rich doughs, glazed pastries and other sweet goods that use eggs in both dough and finish. Perishable News, which republished the Puratos piece on April 27, pointed to brioche, Danish and other yeast-raised pastries as the categories under strain. (perishablenews.com) (puratos.com) The pressure is not just theoretical. USDA’s Egg Markets Overview said national wholesale loose Large shell eggs rose to $1.50 per dozen on March 20, while the New York wholesale price for Large cartoned shell eggs delivered to retailers reached $1.95 per dozen. (mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov) USDA also said 2026 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza had already led to the depopulation of 15.1 million birds in 22 confirmed outbreaks across five states as of that March 20 report. (mymarketnews.ams.usda.gov) By April 24, USDA said wholesale egg prices had moved sideways, with offerings “moderate to available,” supplies “moderate to heavy,” and trading “mostly slow.” (ams.usda.gov) The broader federal outlook has started to soften too. On April 16, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service said table egg production expectations were increased for 2026 and table egg prices were adjusted lower on recent trends and higher production expectations. (ers.usda.gov) Consumers are still seeing food inflation in the background. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the food-at-home index fell 0.2% in March 2026 from February, while overall food prices were up 2.7% from a year earlier. (bls.gov) For bakers, that leaves a narrower set of choices: raise prices, shrink margins, or reformulate products where eggs are one of the biggest cost drivers. The egg may be getting cheaper on some USDA benchmarks, but it is still expensive enough to rewrite pastry formulas. (ers.usda.gov) (puratos.com)
