When do we wash hands before eating? And what blessing is said?

Netilat Yadayim (ritual hand washing) is performed before eating bread. The procedure: fill a cup with water, pour at least a revi'it (about 86ml) over the right hand, then the left (some pour twice on each hand alternately). Then recite the blessing 'Al netilat yadayim' and dry the hands. It is customary not to speak between washing and eating the bread, to maintain the connection between the blessing and the act. This washing is not about physical cleanliness but about spiritual elevation, raising the ordinary act of eating to a sacred level.