Test Kitchen video tip: Choosing a bread wash

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Bread recipes often call for some sort of ‘wash’ or glaze before baking, sometimes egg, sometimes milk. Even butter. Different washes are used to achieve different results:

• Brushing with beaten whole eggs will give both color and sheen to a bread. Egg yolk provides rich color, browning easily in the oven. Egg white provides a nice sheen.
• Brushing with milk will help to color the crust, the sugars in the milk helping to brown the crust.
• Water is often sprayed or brushed onto bread before it is placed in a very hot oven, and during baking, to give the bread an extra-crisp crust. Water added to an egg wash helps to thin the wash so it brushes more easily.
• Butter will give the bread a softer crust and richer flavor.
• Sweeteners--honey, syrup, etc.--will give bread a sweeter, softer crust.

If you have any kitchen tips or questions you’d like me to explore, leave a comment below or shoot me an e-mail at [email protected].

ALSO:

Go behind the scenes at the Test Kitchen

134 recipes for your favorite restaurant dishes

Browse hundreds of recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen

-- Noelle Carter
You can find me on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter

Video credit: Myung Chun / Los Angeles Times