Bread lame and scoring: tools to score and load a loaf

How to score for an ear

A shallow angle lets one side of the cut lift as the loaf rises, which bakes into the ear. A vertical cut opens evenly on both sides.

1. Turn the proofed loaf out onto parchment; a cold loaf straight from the fridge scores most cleanly.
2. Dust the top lightly with flour if you want contrast.
3. Hold the blade at about 30° to the surface, the concave side up on a curved blade.
4. Cut one long, quick stroke about 1/4 to 1/2 in deep, slightly off-center along a bâtard, or a square or cross on a boule.
5. Load it into the oven at once.

Blades: sharp and cheap

Use double-edged razor blades and change them often: a dull blade drags and tears the skin. A very sharp serrated knife or a craft knife works for a single slash. Snip with scissors for a wheat-stalk pattern on a baguette.

Straight or curved

A curved blade makes an ear on oval loaves easier; a straight blade gives cleaner decorative cuts and works for most scoring. A 2-in-1 holder does both.

Loading into a hot Dutch oven

Turn the loaf onto a silicone sling or a sheet of parchment rated for your oven temperature, score it, and lift it by the edges into the pot. Use oven gloves that cover your wrists. On a combo cooker or a cloche, the base is shallow, so you can set the loaf down instead of lowering it.

Loading onto a steel or stone

Put the loaf on parchment rated for the oven temperature, on a peel or an upturned baking sheet, score it, and slide the parchment onto the steel with a short, firm push. Add steam at once. Without parchment, dust the peel with semolina so the loaf slides.

If reaching into a hot oven is hard

Choose loading that keeps your hands high: a cloche or a combo cooker's shallow base, pulled out on the rack before you set the loaf on it, or a light shell on a steel. A long sling handle keeps your hands away from the pot walls.