Spraying · Technique

What egg wash actually does to your buns.

Egg wash is the thin coat of beaten egg brushed or sprayed onto dough before baking. It is a small step that does a surprising amount of the work in how a finished bun or pastry looks and sells.

What it gives you

  • Colour. It is what turns a pale top into that deep, appetising golden brown.
  • Gloss. It gives the shine that makes a bun look freshly made and worth the price.
  • A seal. It helps set the surface, for a cleaner shape and a slight crispness on top.
  • Grip for toppings. Seeds, salt, sugar and oats stick to a washed surface and stay put.

The usual mixes

  • Whole egg, the all-rounder, good colour and shine.
  • Yolk plus a little water or milk, the richest, deepest colour.
  • Egg white, a lighter, crisper shine with less browning.
Buns finished with butter, milk and egg white, and the glossy sprayed result
Same buns, three washes, butter, milk and egg white, so you can see how the choice changes colour and shine. Sprayed on rather than brushed, the coat is even across every piece, which is what gives the whole tray a consistent, glossy finish.

Why even application matters

Whatever the mix, the result is only as good as how evenly it goes on. A brush carries too much and lays it unevenly, so one bun browns darker than the next and the tray looks inconsistent, which is exactly what a retail counter cannot have. A fine sprayed film puts the same thin, even coat on every piece, so the colour comes out even across the whole tray, and it uses less egg wash doing it. In a bakery where every item is on display, even colour is not a nicety, it is what makes the shelf sell.

See the method. How to egg wash without a brush. The sprayer used, the foodSPRAY Pro.

Read the how-to →