Just realized my sourdough scoring was holding me back after a judge at the county fair said 'Looks great, but that ear is tearing your crumb'.

I was doing deep, dramatic cuts for a big 'ear' but it was causing the bread to burst unevenly. Now I do shallower, wider slashes at a 45-degree angle and my oven spring is way better, lol. Anyone else get stubborn about a technique that was actually hurting your results?

3 comments

3 Comments

parker_thomas6d ago

Man, I was doing the exact same thing for months. How stubborn was I about my super deep, single slash? I thought that was the only way to get a good ear. Turns out I was just letting all the steam and energy out way too fast. Switching to a few shallower, angled cuts let the bread expand more evenly. The crumb structure is so much more open now. It's wild how one small change can fix a big problem.

ryanh566d ago

Oh man, that shallow angle is everything. I was tearing my hair out over flat loaves until someone told me to hold the blade almost sideways. It just gives the top that little bit of resistance to peel back perfectly.

grant_hart13h ago

Forget the angle for a second and feel the dough's skin. A tight, cold loaf fights a shallow cut. I proof mine in the fridge overnight, and that cold surface makes the blade skate right where I want it. It's like scoring leather versus warm clay. The temperature gives you that clean pull without tearing.