Egg wash
Egg wash is beaten egg, often thinned with water or milk, brushed on dough before baking. It gives a shiny, golden crust and glues seeds and seams.
Also called Egg glaze.
Egg wash is a beaten egg, sometimes mixed with a little water, milk or cream, that you brush on bread or pastry before it goes in the oven. It makes the crust shiny and golden brown. It also works as glue: it holds seeds on a loaf and seals the edges of pies and pasties.
How to do it
- Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of water or milk and a pinch of salt. The salt thins the egg so it brushes on smoothly.
- Strain it through a sieve if you want a very even finish.
- Use a soft pastry brush to paint a thin, even layer over the dough.
- For a deeper shine, let the first coat dry for 10 minutes and brush a second time just before baking.
How to use it
The mix changes the finish:
- Whole egg and water: golden and shiny. A good all-round choice.
- Egg yolk and cream or milk: deep brown and very glossy.
- Egg white and water: shiny but pale, and crisp. Good for sticking on seeds or sugar.
- Milk alone: a soft, matte, light brown finish with no egg.
Substitutes
For an egg-free finish, brush with milk, cream, melted butter or a plant milk mixed with a little maple syrup or oil. These brown less evenly but still add color. Check for an egg allergy when baking for others.
Common mistakes
- Brushing on too much. Egg pools in folds and on the tray and burns, or sets into scrambled bits.
- Brushing the cut edges of puff pastry. The egg glues the layers together and the sides do not rise.
- Painting a risen, proofed dough too hard. Use a light touch so it does not deflate.
- Leaving it out. Egg wash is raw egg, so make it fresh and throw away what is left after baking.
In recipes
"Brush with egg wash" or "glaze with beaten egg" mean the same. Some recipes use "glaze" for egg wash and some for a sweet coating after baking, so check whether the step comes before or after the oven.
Related terms
- GlazeA glaze is a thin, shiny coating brushed or poured on food, from sugar icing on cakes to jam on tarts and sticky sauces on meat. Here is how to make one.
- Pastry brushA pastry brush spreads egg wash, melted butter, glazes and oil in a thin, even layer. Here is how to use one and pick between silicone and bristle.
- CrimpTo crimp is to press the edges of pastry or dough together in a pattern. It seals pies, pasties and dumplings and gives them a neat, finished edge.
- Puff pastryPuff pastry is a dough folded with butter into hundreds of thin layers that rise into a crisp, flaky pastry. Here is how to bake it tall and crisp.
- Golden brownGolden brown is the deep, even gold color food turns as it browns in the oven or pan. It signals flavor from browning and that baked goods are cooked.
- Egg allergyAn egg allergy is a reaction to proteins in egg white or yolk. Eggs hide in fresh pasta, mayonnaise, glazes and baked goods, so read every label.