![]() Each technique listed below is merely a starting point, a springboard for you to invent your own personal mark. ![]() In this post, we’ll look at various scoring techniques using my Fresh-Milled Spelt Sourdough Bread recipe. There’s satisfaction in cutting dough you’ve spent time coercing from nascency to maturity, like a painter’s first brushstrokes on an all-white canvas brimming with potential. As we lined up in front of our loaves-to-be the wide grins were hard to ignore. I recently attended a week-long baking workshop and after spending the good part of two days hands-deep in dough - admittedly, my favorite part - everyone seemed most excited to score dough. Stars, leaves, flowers, geometric shapes of all kinds - when utilizing the correct scoring implement ( see my last post on scoring implements and general techniques), creativity has no bounds. As the old saying goes: we eat first with our eyes.Ī single or double slash promotes a large opening but a series of small, delicate slashes creates a more intricate design. But from there, let your creativity run free. First and foremost, scoring bread dough with decorative cuts serves an important purpose: it guides a loaf to rise in a consistent, controlled, and optimal manner. With a blade in hand and a shaped round of dough on the workbench, bakers have an unexpected blank canvas before them. Once one corner got dull or gunked up by dough, we could simply flip the. Straight blades that were exposed on both sides had an added advantage: they were also more convenient for users of either dexterity. We preferred models that exposed both sides of the blade, as these were easy for both righties and lefties to use. A Holder That Exposes Both Cutting Edges of the Blade: When scoring, we generally cut with the top corner of the blade.Some lames required fussy, finicky, or slightly risky tinkering to attach the blade we liked models that made the process simple, quick, and safe. Easy Blade Attachment/Removal: Because a lame’s blade is incredibly sharp, we prefer to handle it as little as possible when attaching it to or removing it from the holder, the better to avoid cutting ourselves.We tested a variety of lames on different types of bread doughs to see which features mattered. This particular type of razor blade is much thinner and sharper than any other blade you might use, so it slices through sticky dough far more nimbly, dragging less and creating cleaner, more well-defined lines. The word “lame” (pronounced lahm) means blade in French, and indeed, a lame is basically a razor blade attached to a holder. But if you bake a lot of bread, it’s worth getting a dedicated tool called a lame, which can make the task easier and the results better-looking. ![]() You can score dough using any sharp blade a paring or even utility knife will do. But scoring is also decorative: Cutting lines, patterns, or shapes in the dough will give your finished loaf an attractive, professional-quality look. If you don’t score your dough, the loaf will develop odd ruptures and blowouts as the moisture inside it heats up. ![]() Scoring is first and foremost functional: It allows your bread to expand properly, in a predetermined way, as it bakes. When you’re making crusty white or sourdough bread, it’s important to score, or cut, the dough before baking. It’s a little tricky to attach and remove blades on this lame, but it provides unparalleled control for the most detailed designs. For the most intricate scoring, we also love the Wire Monkey UFO Bread Journey. Best of all, it can be adjusted so that the blade is either curved or straight, making it a great option for both simple and complex scoring alike. It’s a cinch to configure and can be held comfortably in different ways. Our all-around favorite lame is the Baker of Seville Artisan Bread Lame. They also make it easy to attach and remove blades. The best lames score bread dough nicely and are easy to use and grip in different ways. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |