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How to Score Bread
Why are artisan-style loaves of bread scored?
Dough tends to rise quite a bit in the oven, especially when it’s not enriched with milk, sugar, oil, and eggs. The heat of the oven expands existing air bubbles in the dough and causes even more bubbles to be produced. This rapid expansion is called “oven spring” and the force of it often breaks open the crust as it’s forming. Random rupture of the crust can be quite beautiful, and it is actually the traditional style in whole rye breads and broa de milho (see first photo in the gallery below). However, in most artisan-style, strong-gluten loaves, people prefer to direct the oven spring by cutting or “scoring” the surface of the dough with a razor secured in a holder — a lame — just before putting it into the oven.
What kind of score should I do?
The characteristics of the dough and your goals for the final appearance both need to factor into what kind of score you pick. The strength of the gluten in a dough, how hydrated it is, and how far you carry the final proof all influence how much a dough will open or “bloom” along its cuts.
Boule Scoring Patterns Batard Scoring Patterns
What are some tips and tricks to scoring? (See the videos and gallery below too)
Videos
Intricate Scoring Process
How to Score Bread