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Slashing Bread
Appears in
By Joanne Chang
Published 2010
For the same reason you put on earrings, wear a belt, or button your coat, you slash bread dough before baking: it’s a nice finishing touch. In other words, it’s mainly an aesthetic technique. Slashing the loaf guides the expansion of the bread in the oven and helps make the bread look pretty when it emerges. If you don’t slash, the bread will burst on its own every which way, a result that some bread bakers like. In fact, you’ll find that many rustic loaves haven’t been slashed.
To slash bread, use a sharp paring knife, a razor blade, or a professional lame. Dip it in water to keep it from dragging. Use the tip of the knife or blade, not the length of it, and use quick, strong, sure movements. There’s no wrong way to arrange your slashes, but here are a few suggestions: For baguettes and long loaves, space slashes an even ½ to ¾ inch apart. For round loaves, either make four slashes to form a square, so you end up with a little hat in the middle of your bread, or make one slash down the middle of the loaf and a few diagonal slashes on either side, which should meet the slash down the middle.