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An Egg Wash is beaten egg mixed with a small of quantity liquid.
It can be used to give the surface of things a pleasing colour and shine, or to help things stick.
When used to finish the surface of something, the mixture is brushed on ("washed on" if you will) prior to its being baked, usually a flour-based item. Some recipes will have you brush with Egg Wash the surface of a pastry shell being baked "blind", in order to seal the surface against moisture from the anticipated filling.
Egg Wash can also be used to help things bind. It helps the coating of food being dredged to stick on better. You wash and dry and pieces of meat or fish, dip them in the Egg Wash, then dredge them in the coating material. Sometimes an item such as a pie or a bread may have you place a bit of decoratively-shaped dough on top. Brushing the surface first with Egg Wash before applying the decorative bit helps the decorative bit to stay attached. You then brush the decorative bit as well to ensure that it has the same colour as the rest of the surface.
To make an Egg Wash, use about 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of liquid per whole egg. You may use the whole egg, just the yolk, or just the white. The liquid is usually milk or water. Sometimes a recipe may call for a little salt to be added. Occasionally, you may be instructed to add a ground spice such as cinnamon or nutmeg. Blend well.
What you put in an Egg Wash actually will determine what it looks like on the surface of an item after baking.
Table of effects / ingredients
Shiny surface |  | Whole egg, salt |
Faint shine | | Whole egg, milk |
Mattle, golden-brown surface | | Whole egg, water |
Shiny, golden-brown surface | | Egg yolk, water |
Shiny, darker surface | | Egg yolk, cream |
Shiny, golden-brown surface | | Egg yolk, salt |
Matte, golden-brown surface | | Egg white, salt |
Crispy, paler surface | | Egg white |
| | |
| | Alternatives |
| | Whole milk |
Matte, with some crackling, golden colour | | Heavy Cream |
Matte, golden colour | | Single Cream or half and half |
Faint shine, golden-brown | | Olive Oil
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Commercial bakers often use an artificial egg wash, sprayed on baked goods before baking as they pass through special applicator machines.
Industrially, an "egg wash powder" is available, but that's a different item altogether -- it's actually mean to wash the shells of fresh, oil eggs. It's used in the ratio of 1/10 to 1/2 oz per gallon of 100 F (38 C) water, as the eggs pass through special egg-cleaning machines. It both cleans and sanitizes the shells.
Cooking Tips
When applying to bread in a bread pan, use a light hand. If you put too much on, it will dribble down between the dough and the bread pan, causing the loaf of bread to get stuck inside the pan when baked.
To apply Egg Wash to a loaf of bread being made and baked in a bread machine, wait for the final rise cycle (you have to get to know your machine first.) You can then either brush it on right in the pan inside the bread machine, or if you want to make sure that none will drip and burn, or if you're applying messy things like seeds after the Egg Wash, then just after the bread machine has finished its final punchdown and is about to move into the final rise cycle, take the dough out (leave the machine on), do your work quickly, and then set the dough back in the bread pan inside the machine, egg-washed side up of course.
You almost always have some leftover egg wash: discard if you were using it to brush raw meat or dipping raw meat or fish into it. If not contaminated in any such way, then you can pop it covered into the fridge and incorporate the leftover into scrambled eggs or another recipe in the next day or two.
Substitutes
You can use a commercial egg substitute instead of the wash. If the substitute is a liquid one, just use it straight, don't add any water.
In older days when eggs were dearer, some frugal cooks would just use plain milk as a wash.
See Also
Eggs, Wash
Other entries for Cooking Techniques
A la Parilla, Abaisse, Aceto Dolce, Acetomel, Acidulated Water, Acidulate, Adjust Seasoning, Adjusting the Taste of Dishes, Affriander, Al Carbón, Al Fresco, Al Pastor, Alambre, Alla Bolognese, Au Beurre, Au Bleu, Au Four, Au Gratin, Au Jus, Au Lait, Au Naturel, À Blanc, À l'Ailleule, À l'Anglaise, À l'Ardennaise, À l'Encre, À l'Étouffée, À l'Indienne, À l'Italienne, À l'Ivoire, À l'Occitane, À l'Orly, À l'Oseille, À l'Os, À la Bonne Femme, À la Broche, À la Carte, À la Chirac, À la Crème de Brebis, À la Cuillère, À la Diane, À la Financière, À la Genevoise, À la Japonaise, À la Jardinière, À la Laitière, À la Liegeoise, À la Minute, À la Mirepoix, À la Mode, À la Moëlle, À la Morvandelle, À la Navarre, À la Norvegienne, À la Paloise, À la Paysanne, À la Raimu, À la Reine, À la Russe, À la Tagale, À la Vapeur, À la, À Point, Bake Blind, Bake, Ballotine, Barbeque, Battuto, Baveuse, Beat, Beer Can Chicken Roasting, Bench Proof, Blanch, Braising, Broil, Caramelization, Caramelize, Carving a Turkey, Coining, Curing, Dredging, Egg Wash, Emincer, Emulsify, Fold, French Trimmed, Frissonne, Fry, Galantine, Grill, High Altitude Baking, Knead, Liaison, Measurements, Meat Cooking Techniques, Mince, Mirepoix, Mise en Place, Mochitsuki, Open-Faced, Pan Broil, Paner à l'anglaise, Parblanch, Parboil, Pâton, Peroxide & Vinegar Sterilization, Pickled, Pickling, Pittsburgh Rare, Poaching, Pork Brawn, Preheat, Proof, Pulse, Pulverize, Punch Down, Quadriller, Quick Jar Sterilization, Raidir, Reconstitute, Reducing, Rest, Ribbon Stage, Roasted Garlic, Roasting Peppers, Rolling Boil, Scalding Milk, Scald, Scallop, Separating Eggs, Skimming, Smoked Garlic Cloves, Smoking, Soffritto, Sous Vide, Souse, Spatchcock, Spitchcock, Stir, Straining, Temper, Tender To The Bite, Tezu, Top and Tail, Unmould, Usu-Zukuri, Warm, Wash, Water Bath, Whip, Wok Hay
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