Cloud Bread (Egg White Bread)

Method

1. 1Prepare equipment. Preheat the oven to 150°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Wipe the mixing bowl and whisk with lemon juice or white vinegar to remove any trace of fat — even a small amount will prevent the egg whites from whipping properly.
2. 2Separate the eggs. Separate the egg yolks from the whites carefully, ideally over a separate bowl. Any yolk in the whites will break the foam. Place whites in the clean wiped bowl, yolks in another.
3. 3Whip the whites. Add the salt and cream of tartar to the whites. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form: the mixture holds its shape when the bowl is inverted and the peaks do not curl. This takes 3 to 4 minutes with a hand mixer.
4. 4Mix the yolk base. In the second bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the cream cheese at room temperature and the honey or sugar until completely smooth with no lumps. The cream cheese must be soft: cold cream cheese will leave lumps that cannot be mixed out.
5. 5Fold together. Add the yolk mixture to the whites in three additions, folding gently with a spatula using a bottom-to-top motion. Do not stir in circles. Count approximately 20 to 25 folds total — stop while there are still faint streaks of yellow. Overmixing deflates the foam.
6. 6Shape and bake. Spoon the mixture onto the parchment in 6 even rounds, roughly 10 cm in diameter. Slightly flatten each one with the back of the spoon. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the tops are pale golden and firm to a light touch. Leave to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving — they are fragile when hot.