What Is La Dorure?
Glazed, golden and flaky, that’s a well-done viennoiserie, bread or pastry, like Croissants, Petits-Pains, Galette Des Rois, Pithiviers, Panna Cotta, Chellah, Brioche, etc…with a crunchy surface, in a form of a beautiful crust, not burned, slightly golden, a smell between milk and eggs. How to achieve that brilliant image? Simply, with a thin layer of “La Dorure“, sometimes a single layer [couche] the other time, double.
The term “Dorure” [La Dorure] is typically a French one, it is the gilding technique for applying a thin layer of gold to a metal, wood surface, or porcelain, achieving this sophisticated touch of gold.
In pastry, “La Dorure” is the mixture of eggs, milk, or water (egg wash) to brush the surface of a pastry, for shine and to protect it from burning; also, it works as a stick, to keep together two dough, like Chaussons.
They’re Two types Of “La Dorure” (egg wash):
- Dorure only with the whole egg or only the yolk (egg wash) for puff pastries, tourtes, pies, choux pastry, bread, the Brioche, viennoiseries, etc…
- Dorure with eggs and caramel, sugared milk or water with honey, for petits-fours, biscuits, and dry cakes, like Elephant Ear [Palmiers], Biscuits Breton (Sable Bretons).
How To Make Eggs Dorure?
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp water or milk
- A pinch of salt
Method
- Whisk the egg vigorously with water or milk.
- Add the salt, and whisk slightly, you’ll get a slightly copper color.
- Brush the pastry or cookies, take out any excess of egg wash, with the brush.
La Dorure Notes
- Prepare the “dorure” at the last time, when you want to brush the pastries.
- For a sourdough recipe, brush for two times, before rising and after.
- The salt helps eggs to break down, use salt only for sourdough breads.
