Glazes for Dough

The most useful glaze for raw dough is egg glaze, made by whisking a whole egg with a large pinch of salt. The salt breaks down albumen in the egg white, making the glaze easier to brush smoothly. A glaze of egg yolk, salt and a tablespoon of water, gives a less shiny, more golden, finish.

Egg glaze also helps stick the dough together, and is useful for sealing the edges of leaved doughs and the lids of pies. However, if egg glaze drips down the sides of the dough, it will act as glue and prevent the dough from rising. This is especially true of puff pastry. When scoring dough in a pattern with a knife or other tool, glaze the dough first so the egg does not drip into the cracks.