Slashing Dough
When baking artisan loaves, there is often a desire to slash the dough just prior to placing it in the oven in order to (1) have control over where loaf expansion will occur and to (2) enhance the appearance of the baked loaf. Slashing has proven to be somewhat of a challenge for me personally, so I am documenting some hints that might make this process more successful:
- During the final shaping, make sure that the dough surface is very tight (but not tight enough to rip the dough
- Use a very sharp blade for slashing - use either (1) a lame with a sharp razor blade attached; (2) a very sharp X-acto knife; or (3) a serrated knife (I've not yet tried this one, but heard from a couple of sources that it works well)
- When possible, make sure the dough surface is dry - if the dough is rising top-side up, you can use a fan to quickly dry the surface - this isn't practical when you are proofing the dough upside down
- For some doughs, you can lightly flour the surface before slashing to prevent the blade from dragging
- For doughs that you do not desire a floured top surface, you can very gently brush on some water prior to slashing to prevent the blade from dragging
- If possible, gently support the dough at the opposite direction of the slash
- When the desired effect is to create a large gas escape route while retaining a relatively flat top surface, run the blade at a 90 degree angle to the dough
- When the desired effect is to create a gas escape route and also create an elevated 'cap' (often called an 'ear'), run the blade at a 25 degree angle to the dough
- Most importantly though in creating an effective slash, cut at an ~1/4" depth using a confident, smooth, quick motion