Scoring the Dough

During the baking, the carbon dioxide that has been created during fermentation, and which is held in place by the network of gluten strands, turns into steam and will try to escape.  To control the direction in which the dough expands, it is important to manage the ‘openings’ in the last stage of proving.  This is done by scoring or finely slashing the dough.

 

                 Scoring, nicking, slashing and incising

These various expressions all refer to the technique of cutting into the dough to create a sort of chimney in the baking bread.  The bread is usually scored with a sharp blade (a dough cutter, a special razor sharp baker’s ‘lame’ or a razor blade) mounted on a handle.  The depth of the incisions depends on the level of the fermentation: the more the dough has risen, the shallower the cuts.  Scoring is usually done just before the bread is due to go in the oven.

​

                            Common ways of scoring

Cross shape, square, polka or crosshatch, pithivier or swirl, single slash, double slash, four slashes, sausage cut, chevron and hedgehog cut.