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Glazed, golden, and flaky, that’s a well-done viennoiserie, bread, or pastry, like Croissants, Petits-Pains Aux Chocolat, 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 metal, wood surface, or porcelain, achieving this sophisticated touch of gold (see Wikipedia).

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, it is the typical egg glaze for viennoiseries and pastries; it also, it works as a stick, to keep together two dough, like Chaussons. There is no viennoiserie or a pastry without dorure (egg wash), this is what gives the crunchiest and golden layer.

How Many Types Of  “La Dorure” (egg wash) Are There? 

  1. Dorure only with the whole egg or only the yolk (egg wash) for puff pastries, tourtes, pies, choux pastry, bread, the Brioche, viennoiseries, etc…
  2. Dorure with eggs and caramel, sugared milk or water with honey, for petits-fours, biscuits, and dry cakes, like Elephant Ear [Palmiers], Biscuits Breton (Sablés Bretons). Chef Cedric Grolet make this dorure to his croissants!

How To Make Eggs Wash (La Dorure)? 

Ingredients

  • 1                 egg 
  • 1 tsp           water or milk
  • A pinch of salt

Method

  1. Whisk the egg vigorously with water or milk.
  2. Add the salt, and whisk slightly, you’ll get a slightly copper color.
  3. Brush the pastry or cookies, and take out any excess egg wash, with the brush.

Chef’s Tips:

  • Prepare the egg wash (la dorure) the last time, when you want to brush the pastries.
  • For a sourdough recipe, brush two times, before rising and after.
  • The salt helps eggs to break down, use salt only for sourdough breads.

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