I remember buying bakery breads that had a light dusting of flour on them.

As I understand it, the flour affects how the crust forms, because it draws some of the moisture out of the surface.

It can also be used for decorative effect.

When I make kaiser rolls with the stamp, I lightly flour the parchment and let the rolls rise upside down. The flour ensures the rolls can be turned over easily before baking. This process naturally leaves some flour on the top of the rolls but it is uneven. I don't want any flour clumps so I take a soft pastry brush and brush it a little to even it out and remove any excess. I actually like the way it looks that way, gives it a little rustic look. I have had bread from a bakery that had a fairly heavy flour bottom and I do not care for that.

Thanks for the tip, Len. And thank you to Italian Cook for starting this discussion. Sometimes the simple things--a pastry brush to brush off excess flour--is the very thing we overlook. I once remarked to Cass that it is hard to turn over stamped buns. Use a spatula, he told me. Oh. Of, course.

I recall a thread from the now defunct King Arthur Backing Circle (another KABC) in which a member--was it Karen Noll?--commented on a snowman bread that she makes and sprinkles before baking with flour in order to give the look of snow.

In a pinch, you can use a bit of loosely wadded up paper towel to brush off excess flour. But I'd be lost without my array of pastry brushes in a variety of materials, sizes and stiffness.

I have several silicone brushes, I find they work better for some tasks, like brushing on egg wash, than others, like brushing on melted butter. The one I use most is a really small one from Le Creuset.

I have a really soft one that is ONLY used to brush excess flour off. I've been tempted to try my camera lens air blower (sometimes called a lens rocket because of the shape) for that, but if I do that I'll probably buy one just for that purpose as I don't want flour or oils anywhere near my lenses.

I find using boar bristle brushes for oils and butter tends to stiffen them over time, and I have a couple that are probably past due for replacement.

My theory with pastry brushes is you buy 'em when you find 'em. That applies to scrub brushes as well.

The way I currently store them is in a round utensil caddy, that way the brushes themselves aren't touching much of anything other than possibly each other.

I have a small silicone brush made by Zyliss that I bought from King Arthur a couple years ago. It works better than any silicone brush I have tried, maybe because it has a lot of "bristles," and it's easy to wash. (I put soap directly on it and rub it on, then rinse well.) I use it for egg washes and for brushing on oil. If KABC still sold it, I would buy a spare.