Ingredients

　　2 tablespoons (1.5 oz / 43 g) light corn syrup (optional)

　　1 teaspoon (0.25 oz / 7 g) vanilla, lemon, or orange extract, or 1 tablespoon (0.75 oz / 21 g) orange juice concentrate (optional)

　　1/2 to 3/4 cup (4 to 6 ounces / 113 to 170 g) milk or water

　　Stir the sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla together. Gradually whisk in the milk, adding just enough to make a thick but creamy glaze about the same thickness as pancake batter, adjusting with more liquid or sugar as needed. The thickness of the glaze is up to you; the stiffer it is, the better it will hold its design; the thinner it is, the more easily it will spread. Ideally, you should be able to drizzle a slow steady stream off the end of spoon or other utensil to create designs that will firm up when the buns cool. Glaze the buns after they’ve cooled for about 5 minutes.

　　"Reprinted with permission from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day: Fast and Easy Recipes for World-Class Breads by Peter Reinhart, copyright © 2009. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc." Photo credit: Leo Gong © 2009Peter Reinhart is a baking instructor and faculty member at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was the cofounder of Brother Juniper's Bakery in Santa Rosa, California, and is the author of seven books on bread baking, including Crust and Crumb, the 2002 James Beard Cookbook of the Year and IACP Cookbook of the Year, The Bread Baker's Apprentice, and the 2008 James Beard Award-winning Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads.