Every couple weeks or so, we send out a little roundup of new recipes, techniques, and tutorials that we’ve recently posted on the site. Occasionally we announce exclusive giveaways to newsletter subscribers as well. We won’t spam you with ads or share or sell your email address. Every email we send has a 1-click unsubscribe link if you decide it’s not for you.
Tips and Tools for Stenciling Bread
Here are some tips for exploring the artistry of bread stenciling. The first step is to pick a stencil and plan the color contrast you want. You could try this five-pack of mylar stencils that make crisp images on your dough and are durable and easy to use or you might create stencils by cutting out images in parchment paper. Because parchment paper is more fragile than mylar, aim for simple cut-outs like in the photos below or in the chia seed stencil in the final video.
Tools and Ingredients
Stencils: Durable and easy to use, mylar stencils make the most crisp images.
Parchment Paper: In addition to being a good medium for homemade stencils, parchment paper under the dough lets you stencil and score without risk of burns. Work at your own pace while the baking vessel continues its preheat, then transfer the dough and paper both to the hot baking vessel.
Pastry brushes: These are helpful for brushing off residual flour, and brushing on water or colorful powders.
Flour duster: Once the stencil is in place, a flour duster is good for sprinkling on the final powder.
Lame: Scoring around the stencils is necessary so oven spring doesn’t tear through your image. You can sometimes skip the scoring with pan loaves that are baked at a lower temp or are low gluten like this Danish Rugbrød.
Color palette: Some options include but aren’t limited to flour, cocoa powder, activated charcoal, paprika, matcha, turmeric, and smaller seeds like chia or sesame.
Steps & Tips
Working with a cool, stiff dough is easier than a warm, slack dough. You won’t feel rushed because the dough holds its shape out of the banneton longer.
In most scenarios, you’ll dampen all or some of the dough so the color-powder within the stencil sticks nicely.
For a natural brown bread crust, brush off all the excess flour, then brush water on the entire dough to further remove flour and to prime the area that will be sprinkled. Lay down the stencil and sprinkle flour inside the stencil.
For a colorful background bread crust, sprinkle or brush flour or another powder onto the dough. Lay down the stencil, brush water on the negative space in the stencil, then sprinkle with the second color.
For seeds, the stencil art is created before the final proof when the dough is shaped. Place seeds on a tray or plate roughly in the shape of your dough or stencil (round, oval, oblong). Shape the dough, brush it with water, and lay the stencil on the top of the dough. Flip the dough onto the seeds and roll it around to coat everywhere on the dough surface except the stencil. Place in the proofing basket seed and stencil-side down. Just before baking, flip the dough out of the basket, remove the stencil and score.
Enjoy these videos of various stencil applications.
Tips and Tools for Stenciling Bread