Scoring
also called slashing
Scoring is the deliberate slashing of a proofed loaf with a razor or lame just before baking. The cuts act as controlled release valves, directing where the loaf expands during oven spring. Without them, the crust bursts wherever it's weakest; with them, you decide the shape — and earn the 'ear'.
Builds on
What it is
In the oven's first minutes, gases inside the loaf expand violently and the dough must stretch somewhere. Scoring pre-decides where: each cut is a weak seam you've chosen, so the expansion opens along your lines instead of rupturing the crust at random. The tool is a lame — a thin razor on a handle — drawn swiftly and confidently across the taut surface.
Why it matters
An unscored loaf still bursts — but at its weakest point, often a ragged blowout along the base or side. A well-scored loaf channels all that energy into a controlled bloom, giving better volume and a handsome open cut. The angle matters too: a shallow, slanted slash lets one edge of the cut lift and curl into the prized 'ear', the crisp ridge that marks a well-executed bake.
Beyond function: decoration
Once the main expansion cut is in place, shallower cuts become a canvas — wheat stalks, leaves, chevrons and geometric patterns scored lightly into the surface, opening decoratively without steering the loaf's rise. A dusting of flour before scoring makes the pattern stand out in dark-on-light contrast after baking.
At Love Made Edible
Each LME sourdough loaf is scored by hand just before it meets the oven — a deep expansion cut for the ear, and the baker's pattern of the day on top.
Related terms
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do bakers cut slashes into bread before baking?
The cuts control where the loaf expands during oven spring. Expanding gases must stretch the dough somewhere, and scoring gives them a chosen path — otherwise the crust ruptures at its weakest point, often as an ugly blowout along the side or base.
What is the 'ear' on a sourdough loaf?
The ear is the crisp ridge of crust that lifts and curls along a score line as the loaf blooms. It comes from a shallow, angled cut on a well-shaped, well-proofed loaf with strong oven spring — which is why bakers treat a good ear as a badge of a well-executed bake.
Why won't my scores open up in the oven?
Usually the loaf is overproofed — the gas was already spent, so there's little expansion left to open the cut. Slack shaping, timid or too-shallow scoring, and a dragging blade are other culprits. A taut skin, a confident stroke and a properly proofed dough open beautifully.
Tastethetechnique
Everything in our kitchen is baked fresh to order — eggless and vegan variants available.