I decided to get creative with the loaf I made yesterday. Once I had shaped it, I made a mix of rye flour and water with a little sugar and yeast. Just before popping the loaf in the oven, I painted the top with this paste and then did my regular scoring with a sharp knife.

I was hoping for more of a cracked glaze effect (perhaps the rye paste needs to be thicker?) but I certainly got a beautifully deep colour and a strong contrast with the scored stripes. It doesn’t taste bad either so, while there is room for further experimentation, I am still happy with the result.