How To Make an Egg Wash and Use It To Create Golden, Baked Goods

Does it really matter if you use water or milk?

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 0 mins

Total: 5 mins

Serving: 1 pastry recipe

Yield: 1/4 cup

When recipes or cooking directions call for egg wash, knowing why and how to use it will help you get the best results. An egg wash imparts a pleasing color and shine to your baked goods, but it also acts as a natural adhesive.

What Is Egg Wash?

Egg wash is a mixture of beaten egg and liquid (usually water or milk) that is brushed onto baked goods like pastries before baking. It adds shine and color and helps to seal up edges. When recipes or cooking directions call for egg wash, knowing why and how to use it will help you get the best results.

How To Use Egg Wash

Egg wash can be used on foods beyond just pastries. For example, duchess potatoes are usually brushed with egg wash before baking. When deciding whether to use egg wash, it’s helpful to know what the mixture is good for. Seeds will stick to your bread, raw sugar to your pie crust, and breadcrumbs to your cutlet. You can also seal dumplings or stuffed pasta with a simple egg wash.

Color

Egg wash helps give a golden brown sheen to soft bread like dinner rolls, Danish pastry, cinnamon rolls, brioche, and challah.

Structure

Egg wash can also be used as a sort of glue to secure two edges of pastry together, as when making filled pastries, double-crust pies, empanadas, or en croûte (in crust) recipes. This works because the protein in the egg coagulates when it’s cooked, forming a stiff bond.

If you're sprinkling your pastry or bread with sugar or spices, brushing it with egg wash first will help the granules stick to the surface instead of spilling off.

When Do You Use a Butter Wash?

Butter wash (simply melted butter) is best for yeasted recipes like brioche or dinner rolls.

How to Use Leftover Whites or Yolks

• How to freeze leftover egg whites: If you freeze leftover whites until you’ve accumulated enough for a recipe, you won’t have to waste yolks or throw away whites that have sat in the fridge too long. You can make any number of exciting desserts with your frozen whites, from this elegant torte to these adorable floating meringues.
• How to freeze leftover egg yolks: Unfortunately, you can’t just throw egg yolks in the freezer. They’ll become a gelatinous mess unless you add a few simple ingredients. Consider making these walnut cookies or these chessman cookies with your thawed yolks.

The Best Pastry Brush to Use

A silicone pastry brush is preferable for applying egg wash because the bristles won’t become glued together, and the silicone bristles don’t absorb odors or fats the way natural bristles do.

Tips for Using Egg Wash

• Be careful with egg wash when you’re working with puff pastry because if it drips onto the edges of the pastry, it can glue the layers together, thus preventing the pastry from puffing while it bakes.
• You can use less liquid for a darker egg wash, or substitute milk or cream for the water.
• Some people use pure egg without bothering to add any liquid. This will produce a very dark shine that can be a little difficult to spread evenly.
• Salt can help loosen egg whites. For an egg white-only wash (no yolk), add a pinch of salt. Even when mixed with water, this will make the wash easier to spread on savory breads and rolls.

Raw Egg Warning

• Egg wash is made with raw egg, which carries a risk of transmitting salmonella. Baking will kill the bacteria, and your item will be safe, but you should never apply egg wash to an item that will not be baked.
• The dishes and brush used for making and applying egg wash must be thoroughly cleaned before being used for other food preparation tasks.

Ingredients

• 1 large egg

• 2 tablespoons water

• A pinch of salt

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Crack 1 large egg into a small bowl, then beat it thoroughly with a fork or whisk.

3. Add 2 tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt. Beat until combined.

4. Brush the egg wash onto the surface of your item and proceed with baking.

Safety and Cleanup

• You need to wash your pastry brush with cold water immediately after applying an egg wash, as hot water will coagulate the egg wash, and the bristles will stick together. This is particularly a problem if your brush is made with natural bristles. 
• After the cold water rinse, you can wash and sanitize the brush in hot water.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

There a handful of variations depending on the desired finished look you want for your baked goods. Generally, you should aim for a 3:1 ratio of egg to liquid. Below you will find combination for different colors and shines:

• Beaten whole egg: Rich golden color and deep shine. If you want to avoid a dark color, apply this one 15 minutes before you remove the baked good from the oven.
• Beaten whole egg with milk: Another rich color and shine.
• Beaten whole egg with water: Lighter color and similar shine.
• Beaten egg yolk: Vivid yellow and deep shine. Again: Apply this one 15 minutes before you remove the baked good from the oven if you worry about browning it too much.
• Beaten egg yolk with water: Pale yellow and less intense shine.
• Beaten egg yolk with cream: Deep brownish yellow and less intense shine.
• Beaten egg white: Beautiful shine with very little color.Beaten egg white with water: Light shine.
• Beaten egg white with milk: Light shine with some browning.

Storage

Leftover egg wash can be store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 1
Amount per serving
Calories	72
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g	6%
Saturated Fat 2g	8%
Cholesterol 186mg	62%
Sodium 654mg	28%
Total Carbohydrate 0g	0%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 29mg	2%
Iron 1mg	5%
Potassium 69mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.