You can tell if bread is made by a pro baker or by a novice one on the way it is scored. Scoring bread is one of the techniques done by expert bakers to guide its direction on how it will rise as it cooks. This process involves making shallow cuts on the surface of the dough before putting it into the oven. You can create different styles when scoring bread – from simple straight-line cuts to crisscross or even wheat stalk patterns. Aside from adding beauty to your loaf when cooked, it also does a lot more in perfecting your bread.

What Does It Do?

When you put the uncooked bread in the oven, the yeast in it produces so much gas which escapes the loaf by bursting out its surface. It finds the weak spots in the loaf and ruptures there, creating ragged crates on the surface of your bread. It could be anywhere – on the top, sides and even at the bottom part of the bread. These irregular holes aren’t that nice to look at, lessening the beauty of your loaf.

Scoring bread helps solve this problem. You’ll be making cuts over the uncooked bread’s surface in any pattern that you prefer. Instead of these gases just escaping anywhere, you can lead them to the right direction. Aside from achieving a good loaf, scoring also adds to the beauty of your bread because of the patterns formed when it is cooked.

Your loaf will instantly look like it was made by a professional because of its appealing look. Scoring bread also helps create a beautiful form on your loaf because the escape of gas is controlled and directed – making the dough rise in an even and consistent way.

Tips on Scoring Bread

Scoring bread perfectly requires much practice and experience. Although reading about how to do it well is fine, it would help a lot if you watch videos too so you’ll see how it’s really done. Then, you’ll need quality bread lame Australia so you can start practicing. Here are some expert tips on how to score bread perfectly.

• Before scoring, see to it that the blade is very sharp to make smooth cuts.
• Create swift slashes over the dough but avoid pressing on it too much. Just let the blade do its work and avoid hesitating while cutting it.
• Whether the dough is sticky or not, it would help a lot when you spray a little bit of water or oil on the blade so that its runs smoothly through the dough.
• For swifter cuts, use your whole arm when scoring and not just your wrist.
• Don’t leave uncooked bread for too long after scoring since it will start to deflate due to the cuts on its surface. Put it inside the oven immediately and start baking it.

Scoring bread might be a little challenging at first but once you get the hang of it, creating perfect bread loaves are just easier than how you expect it.