Jeni Wright, Eric Treuille, Le Cordon Bleu

Finishing Loaves

Appears in
top 1000Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Techniques
Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cooking Techniques

By Jeni Wright, Eric Treuille and Le Cordon Bleu

Published 1996

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Bread can be baked with just a light sprinkling of flour on top, but most breads are finished with a glaze or topping - these can be applied before or after baking. Another finishing touch is to cut the dough so that it opens out attractively during baking.

If several finishes are used, the order to follow is glazing, topping and cutting.
Slashing
Make slashes 5 mm deep and 4 cm apart, using a small knife. Make smooth strokes to avoid dragging the dough.
Criss-cross top
Cut two snips in the top to form a large X, using kitchen scissors. Each cut should be about 1 cm deep.