I've noticed that it is dramatically easier to score firm bread dough than wet bread dough. But, sometimes it's good to work with a wet dough for other reasons. Any tips on how to score wet bread dough without squashing/ripping/mutilating?
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2Not a native English speaker am I. What does score mean here?– Aquarius_GirlMar 29, 2013 at 3:48
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@AnishaKaul- score in this context means to partially cut something to weaken it. For example- when cutting glass the glass is scored with the glass cutter and then broken along the score line.– SobachatinaMar 29, 2013 at 5:02
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1@AnishaKaul Specifically with bread, it's the cuts you make in the loaf before baking that then get stretched out in the oven as the bread expands. If you image search for scored bread - or just baguettes - you'll see a ton of examples of what this looks like.– Cascabel ♦Mar 29, 2013 at 5:56
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@Jefromi Can you edit the title in some way which makes it easier for non english speakers to understand?– Aquarius_GirlMar 29, 2013 at 6:26
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1@AnishaKaul In the context of breadmaking, this is a commonly used English term, and it's pretty easy to find a definition online (all you have to do is search for scoring bread). The site's in English, and while we can always try to be clear, it's not really feasible for us to define all the terms that people might not have heard before - we also want to be concise.– Cascabel ♦Mar 29, 2013 at 6:29
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4 Answers
A very sharp blade with minimum drag.
The traditional tool is called a lame- basically just a curved classic razor blade on a handle. If you make a lot of bread you might consider buying this unitasker. (link to google images of lames)
You can use a kitchen knife if yours are very sharp but I've had the best results with a straight razor blade. I've read of people using serrated blades but they always mutilated my bread.
A little bit of non stick spray will do wonders at keeping the blade from binding up in the dough.
The rest is technique. Make each score in a single cut if possible. Instructions often say to make "deliberate slashes". Plan out where you want the cut then slash confidently. Multiple slashes or slow or halting cuts will do more damage to the loaf.
answered Mar 29, 2013 at 4:59
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1Serrated blades do work reasonably well if they're pretty sharp, as opposed to the kind that only cuts because it's serrated.– Cascabel ♦Mar 29, 2013 at 6:27
If you're willing to go for a "leaf" shape, I recommend scissors. It's a very easy alternative to traditional scoring and works very well for wet dough.
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Good tip! But I'm wondering what exactly is the leaf shape - do you have any pictures?– JonathanJun 25, 2013 at 21:36
I like to use a serrated bread knife to score my dough. It works very well and I just put it on the dough lightly and saw back and forth until I have the serrations I want.
Hope this helps!
So the key with wet dough is to proof in the fridge over night 12 hours or so depending on your fridge temp. You might want to adjust your fridge temp but you might ruin other food. usually fridge temp is way to low for any yeast activity. Cold dough stiffens and it becomes 100000 million times easier to score. Some people put oil on the blade.
