cooking tips & advice | Knowledge | Glazing and Topping

RSS Feeds

hints

FREE Printable Recipe Cards

e-Newsletter

Glazing and Topping

rate this article Rate this article

Bread > Bread Preparation Guide > Glazing and Topping

After the dough is proofed, it is ready for any glazes or toppings that may be required. Glazes and toppings add flavor and enhance the appearance of the bread. Glazes usually consist of liquid ingredients such as oil, milk, water, honey, egg, and many others that are brushed onto the dough to provide an attractive finish. Toppings may consist of ingredients such as seeds, grains, nuts, cheese, herbs, sugar, or salt that provide added flavor and create a decorative quality.

Glazing | Topping

Glazing

Most glazes are applied to the dough before baking, but some recipes call for the glaze to be applied after the bread is baked. Glazes add flavor, provide and attractive finish on the bread, and add moisture.
A glaze is usually applied with a soft pastry brush prior to baking.
Some glazes, such as egg or honey, have an adhesive property. When applying these glazes to breads baked in a loaf pan, it is important to keep the glaze away from the sides of the pan to prevent the bread from sticking to the pan. The adhesive nature of the glaze may also prevent the dough from properly expanding while baking if too much of the glaze is applied along the edges of the pan.
An egg wash glaze is one of the most common glazes for breads, resulting in a golden crust and because of its adhesive properties, allows other toppings to easily adhere to the surface of the dough.
Glazes such as olive oil can be applied after baking to soften the crust and to provide a richer flavor.

Topping

Toppings of seeds, grains, nuts, cheese, herbs, sugar, or salt provide added flavor and create a decorative appearance. There are several methods in which toppings can be applied to dough prior to baking.
Using your fingers, simply sprinkle the ingredients over the surface of bread loaves or rolls prior to baking.
A sieve or flour duster can be used to dust the surface when using powdered ingredients such as flour.
Some toppings may be easiest to apply using a spoon.
For ease of application, rolls and buns can be rolled or pressed into certain toppings before the proofing stage. This method works well when using seeds or grains as toppings.

More Bread Preparation Guide >>

Glazing and Topping article - Related Content

Recipes

Glazed Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip

The spicy sweetness of these warm chicken wings and the cool tanginess of this tasty blue cheese sauce are a terrific flavor combination.

Glazed Parsnips Pears with Garlic Onion Jam

Sweet flavors of pear and the mildly sweet glaze from the onion jam blend nicely to provide a distinctive flavor for parnsips.

Glazed Acorn Squash

With a light brown sugar glaze, the flavor of this squash really blossoms!

Balsamic Glazed Grilled Chicken

Everyone loves grilled chicken, especially when it is glazed with a tasty red currant jelly and balsamic mixture as it is in this delicious chicken recipe.

Chipotle Glazed Shrimp Fajitas

Loaded with shrimp, these delicious and satisfying spicy fajitas can be filled with any number of your favorite toppings.

Cooking Tips & Advice

Glazing Ham

Glazing Glazing is done as the last step in the cooking process of a ham. It is not necessary to glaze a ham when cooking it but it gives the ham an attractive finish and ...

Glossary Terms

Topping Up

In reference to wine, "topping up" is the practice of consistently filling barrels to avoid oxidation of the wine.

Glaze

1) Refers to a flavorful coating that forms on food as it is cooked. The glaze may be the result of basting food with a liquid, such as a meat stock, during the cooking process. ...

Ham Glaze

A meat topping that is spread over a Ham prior to baking in order to enhance the flavor of the meat after it has finished baking and to help keep the Ham moist and tender in ...

Bruschetta Topping

Any combination of savory ingredients that are chopped or diced into small pieces for use as a flavoring to be added to Bruschetta. Common ingredients may include tomatoes, ...

Pizza Topping

Any of the ingredients added over the pizza and the pizza crust. Often, a tomato sauce is spread over the crust and then one or several ingredients, such as cubed meats, ground ...