12 Types Of Pie Crust Washes And How They Affect Your Dough

The difference between a good pie and a great one is often in the wash. A pie crust wash, the solution that you daub over the top of your pastry before putting it in the oven, has several functions. The most obvious one is improving the color. A pie crust wash provides a golden, glossy, or browned sheen to your pies and makes them look more appetizing. They also help to stick parts of your pie together, and can be an adhesive for artistic flourishes or scatterings of seeds or sugar. As well as this, they can intensify the flavor of your pie's surface slightly, and add a little crispiness. Pie crust washes, though, are not one-size-fits-all. 

While most people are familiar with the concept of an egg wash, there are loads of ingredients, from coconut oil to aquafaba, that can improve the texture and visual appearance of your pie. Additionally, egg washes themselves vary considerably, with different recipes containing water, milk, and even sugar, which can produce varying effects. With our comprehensive guide to different pie crust washes, you'll never have to guess what they'll do to your pastry again. ‌

Using heavy cream as a pie crust wash is an easy and reliable choice. This wash takes minimal preparation, requiring little more than the removal of the lid from a heavy cream carton. Its intense dairy flavor gives your pastries a slightly creamy taste. Heavy cream is best used on dough that doesn't expand when it's baked so that the color can set in and the coating doesn't crack.

Heavy cream washes give the pastry a lightly golden effect that shines well. The coloring is developed by the protein and sugar content, which, when heated, usher in the Maillard reaction, altering and deepening its shade. The shininess is provided by the high fat content of the cream, which also gives it a thickness that makes it easy to spread onto the pastry. What you lose when you use a heavy cream wash, though, is the deep-yellow shade that egg washes provide. Eggs have substantially more protein than heavy cream does, and as such the Maillard reaction is even more pronounced, with the yellow tone of beaten whole eggs providing a base coat of color for the browning to occur.

If you don't have any eggs left after making your pie, whole milk is a great choice. Whole milk has a pretty good protein and fat content, and when combined with the milk's natural lactose sugars, you'll end up with a coating that's lightly glossy and a mid-brown shade. Whole milk's neutral taste also means that it can be used on a lot of different pastries without the risk of altering the flavor too significantly.

Bear in mind, though, that whole milk can sometimes produce a slightly yellow tone, instead of the golden-brown effect that egg washes provide. As such, it's probably best for pastries that have a little color already, so your pie doesn't end up looking too anemic. We would also advise using whole milk wherever possible, rather than skim or low-fat options. These choices still have protein and sugar in them, which can give them a little bit of color, but the lack of fat will prevent any significant change to their shade, and it's not much different from just adding water to your pie crust.

If you're following a plant-based diet, almond milk is a great substitute for whole milk as a pie crust wash. Almond milk can give your pie crust a subtle hint of nuttiness and a light change in color, browning the surface slightly. Sweetened almond milk is likely more effective than unsweetened when it comes to browning, as the sugars in the recipe will help to develop color on your crust, while also giving your pastry a little sweetness.

It's important to remember that this sweetness won't always be welcome. If you're making a savory pie, you may wish to use a different plant-based wash, like coconut oil or aquafaba. Because almond milk is low-fat, you also shouldn't expect too much color change here, and it doesn't quite compare to the effects provided by high-fat eggs or dairy. Almond milk can also be slightly uneven when it comes to browning, and certain spots can develop in color more than others. Because it's so thin, we would recommend using a good-quality dense-bristled pastry brush, which can catch all of the liquid and distribute it evenly.

One of the most common pie crust washes, an egg-and-milk combo, is also one of the most effective. Whole beaten eggs with a dash of milk will produce a mid-brown effect for your dough, with a light glossiness to boot. The milk helps to thin the eggs out slightly, making your wash easier to spread and more workable into the nooks and crannies. The brownness won't be quite as deep as if you're using a higher-fat liquid like cream, nor will it be as glossy, but it'll still be noticeably different. The more fat content your milk has, though, the more gloss you'll get.

A combo of eggs and milk can also make a great sealant for your pastry pieces, acting as a glue to keep your top and bottom crust together. Because the flavor of eggs and milk is pretty unassuming, you can use it for both sweet and savory pastries, and as an adhesive for any herb, spice, or sugar toppings. Because an egg-and-milk solution won't brown things too intensely, we would advise using it on pastry that you want to develop slightly, but still have its original shade stay intact.

It might seem strange to coat a doughy, starchy food item with another form of starch, but with cornstarch, it's worth it. Cornstarch is often used as part of batters or in slurry form to give fried food items a crispy coating. When used as a pie crust wash, it can provide your pastry with a slightly crispy exterior, while also making it super glossy. As it doesn't have to be mixed with eggs or dairy to have a glossing effect, it's great for vegan or plant-based baking. It's also particularly effective as a binder for your food.

It's worth noting that a cornstarch coating won't develop your pastry's color too much, so it's especially good for dyed or colored pastries, or simply showing off your pie's natural paleness. Thickness is an important factor with cornstarch. Although you do need it to be thick enough to cling to your pastry properly, if you make it too thick (or paint it on too generously), it will make the outside of your food gummy. Make sure that it resembles a thin, milky liquid when mixed, and not a thick slurry.

Adding a combo of egg and sugar to the outside of your pie crust will produce big results. Whipping eggs and sugar, with or without the addition of milk, cream, or water to loosen up the mixture, gives you a mixture of fat, proteins, and sugars, which create a golden-brown color and glossiness. The added sugar gives a caramelization effect to proceedings, deepening the shade and heightening the shine even more.

This caramelization can be made even more pronounced if you're combining your eggs and sugar with milk, which has a natural sugar content. With this mixture, however, you need to be pretty careful. It's a very fine line between caramelization and burning, and if you add too much sugar, you risk ruining your pastry, as well as making its outside way too sweet. We would therefore recommend just adding a pinch or two in to intensify the desired effects, or else cutting the mixture with water to slightly temper it. Adding some water will also make your solution easier to spread, and will help your sugar dissolve, so you're not left with any stray granules burning on your pie crust.