Scoring Bread

Since we strive for a measure of visual consistency with our loaves, proper scoring is an important skill to develop. As bread encounters the fierce heat of the oven, it undergoes enormous expansion during the first few minutes of oven spring. By slicing the dough with a razor or cutting it with scissors to intentionally create weak spots in the dough, the baker attempts to control the final shape of the loaf. Bread that is unscored will pop rather indelicately any place it finds weakness along the surface. Loaf volume also increases when the bread is properly scored; by enabling the loaf to expand in certain areas, maximum loaf volume is encouraged. Conversely, unscored or improperly scored bread often has a somewhat distressed and truncated appearance.