An egg wash is beaten eggs, sometimes mixed with another liquid such as

water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfeeding, breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. ...

, which is brushed onto the surface of a pastry before baking. Egg washes are also used as a step in the process of

breading Breadcrumbs are a culinary ingredient consisting of flour or crumbled bread of varying dryness, sometimes with seasonings added. They are used for a variety of purposes, including breading or crumbing foods before frying (such as breaded cut ...

foods, providing a substrate for the breading to stick to. Egg washes can also be used on calzones or on

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

Use in pastries

An egg wash is often used to make pastries shiny and golden or brown in color. It is also used to help toppings or coatings stick to the surface of the pastry, or to bind pastry parts together, such as empanadas or other en croute recipes. Egg wash can usually be made with 30 ml or two tablespoons of liquid, such as milk or water, for every egg. Less liquid makes for a darker wash. The part of the egg used and liquid added determines the finished look of the crust.

Vegan varieties

Vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

substitutes for egg wash include

vegetable oil Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of edible plants. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed ...

, non-dairy milk and butter substitutes, and light

corn syrup Corn syrup is a food syrup that is made from the starch of corn/maize and contains varying amounts of sugars: glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to soften Mouthfeel, texture, add vol ...

thinned with water.Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, ''The Joy of Vegan Baking'', p. 23, Fair Winds, 2007.

References

Food ingredients {{food-stub