How To Use A Curved Bread Lame

Scoring sourdough bread is a pop topic because the possibilities with scoring are endless. Scores can exist simple and straightforward, or intricately complicated. Bakers tend to prefer one style or the other, simply based on their own preference and experience.

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Personally speaking, I like to dust my loaves with flour and one or two deep slashes with decorative wheat stalks. I find this technique results in a beautiful loaf that has both a practiced oven leap and a stunningly cute appearance.

There's no right or incorrect way to score a loaf of sourdough. The only thing to call up is this: you demand one practiced slash to allow the gases to escape during blistering. Let'due south dig into that a little deeper.

Why Score Sourdough

Scoring sourdough breadstuff has the chief do good of assuasive gases to escape every bit the loaf bakes in the oven. Without a deep score, the gases would become trapped and would eventually "self-score", or flare-up open up unpredictably. By scoring the loaf before it goes in the oven, y'all take control of the final appearance of the bread.

Some bakers keep their scores simple, frequently using just a single slash to create an ear. Others like to be creative and come up with beautiful, intricate designs. Whichever selection y'all choose, you can be sure that your staff of life will come out of the oven looking beautiful and created by yous.

To flour or not?

Earlier scoring, y'all accept a selection of whether or not you want to dust your loaf with flour. Without flour, the loaf maintains its cute aureate brown color, but the score won't stand up out as much.

By dusting the peak, information technology coats the loaf in flour so when you score, it opens upwards to the dough underneath that isn't dusted. This creates such beautiful contrast for the scores to stand out, information technology's my preferred method when scoring sourdough and 1 I use every fourth dimension.

To spritz or not?

If you choose not to flour, you lot take a further option to spritz your loaf with h2o just every bit it goes in the oven. Spraying a light blanket of aerosol on the top ensures that the crust will be blistered and golden, as some bakers prefer.

To do this choice, first score your dough, then spray the surface one to 2 times with a water spritzer. So quickly (just advisedly!) move your dough into the baking vessel and broil as normal.

If y'all do flour the surface, spraying the top with water volition basically eliminate the contrast effect y'all will get from the flour, so there's no existent point in doing both.

What to score with?

The best method for scoring sourdough is inarguably the double-edged razor blade. Information technology'south extremely abrupt, very modest, and inexpensive to replace once dulled.

How bakers choose to apply their razor blades is a different story. When you lot have a tool that holds a razor blade that'south specifically for scoring bread, that's called a lame ("lahm"), and there are many different kinds.

I personally use the UFO Lame by Wire Monkey Shop. I dear how close my hand is to the dough when scoring, because it makes my scores much more precise. Plus, when I'thousand washed scoring, the blade tucks neatly inside which avoids any unintentional injury when someone goes rifling through the drawers. This safety aspect is huge for me, as I have immature kids in my house.

To check out some other bread lame options and for a helpful list of kitchen tools, bank check out my post here!

Primary vs Secondary Scores

In my years of baking sourdough, I've discovered something about scoring: if yous don't have at to the lowest degree 1 deep slash to allow gases to escape, the loaf will flare-up through your beautiful scoring design.

Because of this, I tend to refer to the two types of scores equally Primary and Secondary.

Primary scores are the deeper, longer slashes that let the steam escape from the dough as it's baking. This could be 1 single long score, or 2 in the shape of an X, or four in the shape of a square, to name a few. Primary scores are at to the lowest degree ½" deep, sometimes reaching 2" or more, and serve the function of steam release and ear creation.

Secondary scores are the more shallow, decorative scores that serve to embellish the final loaf. Designs that utilize a wheat stalk, a leaf design, chevrons, etc are all secondary scores. These slashes are generally short and shallow, never exceeding ½" deep.

Bones Scoring Techniques

Just because they're called basic doesn't mean they're not beautiful. Single scores in the correct place at the correct angle accept the ability to create a massive ear, which is considered past some to exist an achievement in sourdough baking. (An ear occurs when the dough is perfectly fermented, the score is perfectly placed, and the loaf is perfectly baked, resulting in the upper portion of the dough lifting upwardly off the loaf during blistering and creating a crest.

In that location'south as well a simplicity to basic scores that tends to highlight the actual bread itself and not the blueprint on top. Many professional bakers opt for basic scores, choosing dissimilar types for different recipes; for example, their bones country loaf might take a single ear and their rye might have ii parallel slashes. This also helps to differentiate the loaves when selling at markets.

These loaves accept all been baked using Leavenly's Simple Sourdough Recipe.

Beneath are iii basic techniques for basic scoring techniques.

Unmarried slash (The "Ear")

This score is what creates the elusive ear, and is easily achievable with practice. Looking down at your dough, kickoff the score at the north pole and pull your blade swiftly but carefully downwardly to the south pole, making a crescent moon shape, at a summit of about halfway between the bottom and the height of your dough. Concur your blade at a 45° bending.

You can do a single slash on a boule or a batard. If you do a batard, make sure you're scoring it lengthwise.

The 10 Score

Scoring sourdough using the X score is another bones technique that can have beautiful results. Simply score a big Ten shape into the height of your dough. The X will spread apart in the oven, resulting in more of a cross shape that is truly stunning.

There are a few variances on the unproblematic X score. First, yous can utilize pair of scissors to snip each "V" of the X to help these parts rise higher in the oven and achieve more than of an ear effect. Only cutting nigh a ½" into the dough (encounter photo). 2nd, you can push your thumb down into the center of the X. This will aid keep the X shape from bursting, although I personally like the little burst that can happen inside the X!

Foursquare

Slicing a square into the pinnacle of your dough will ensure the loaf has four deep scores for steam to escape through, while also making a niggling "hat" on the top of your finished loaf. This entails doing 4 straight slashes to brand a square; just make sure the ends overlap!

Like the 10 score, you tin can use scissors on the corners of the square to snip in a half inch deep to help those corners lift off the loaf and create little ears. You can also practise some secondary scores inside the foursquare, if you like.

Avant-garde Scoring Techniques

Advanced scores just means they're more decorative than functional. At that place'south still an chemical element of functional scoring with the primary scores, but at that place are many more secondary scores involved.

Below are iii techniques for advanced techniques for scoring sourdough bread.

Wheat Stalks

Adding wheat stalks to whatever of the basic scores to a higher place lends a decorative touch to your loaf of sourdough. Again, it'south a very straightforward style to score only results in an appearance that looks complicated and fragile.

To score wheat stalks, outset with a straight up and down line, about ¼" deep. Then brand scores in a downwards direction to make incomplete Five's. Practice non score the middle line or "stem", as this will serve as a primary score and will spread open.

You tin can make your wheat stalks directly or curved, depending on your desired consequence or the shape of your loaf. You can also score a single wheat stalk, or make several stalks together.

The Leavenly Technique

Currently my favorite way to score my boules, the Leavenly Technique involves a pocket-size 10 on the top of the loaf which is the primary score. The remaining scores are secondary scores. The beginning prepare are four wheat stalks that finish inside the X, and the second set up are 4 chevron lines that trace the points of the X downwardly. Finally, scissors are used to snip the inside four corners of the Ten.

I love scoring sourdough this manner considering it'due south much easier than it looks, it supports great oven spring, and information technology'due south impressive when giving loaves to family unit and friends.

Swirl

The decorative swirl just works if you're careful to proceed it ¼" deep. Considering information technology's a large score, if information technology'southward whatever deeper, information technology may office equally a primary score and outburst during baking. If the swirl spreads apart it'southward okay considering it volition add to the decorative factor.

I didn't use much flour on my example loaf, so the swirl is more than subtle. If you want information technology to pop more, elementary dust actress flour on the top earlier scoring. This is a beautiful technique when scoring sourdough!

Oh, and past the way, if yous're looking for some more help understanding hydration, click here to cheque out The Beginner's Guide to Sourdough Hydration.

And don't forget I have a whole page of resources available to assistance y'all in your sourdough journey – click here to find it!