Mastering Scoring Technique: The Cuts Behind a Great Oven Spring

Scoring is the cut you make in the top of a loaf just before baking. It isn’t decorative – it controls where the dough expands as it hits oven heat. Without a score, dough tears randomly along its weakest point, often blowing out the side of the loaf instead of rising up.

A single, confident cut at a shallow angle (around 30 degrees) with a sharp blade, called a lame, produces the classic ‘ear’ – the curled flap that lifts away from the loaf during oven spring. Depth, angle, and timing all matter: too shallow and the cut won’t direct the expansion, too deep and it can deflate the loaf.

This article is a placeholder outline. The final version will include a video demonstration, common scoring patterns, and troubleshooting for flat or torn scores.