January 7, 2007 - 7:15pm
Scoring video
Here is a video of me scoring my loaf today:
More interesting than the scoring, to me, was the dough. I made a strange one: last night I made a real wet poolish with a cup of whole-wheat flour, much water (didn't measure) and about 1/4 teaspoon yeast. I also built up my AP flour-based sourdough starter. This morning I then threw them both together with another pound or so bread flour, an ounce of rye flour, a couple of teaspoons salt, and a bit more flour. So I ended up with a slack, rustic-like dough leavened with sourdough and a teeny bit of yeast. I haven't tasted it yet, but it seemed to perform real well. I'm curious to taste what combining the sweetness of a poolish with the tartness of a sourdough does.
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Floydm thats wonderful :)
I score that deep, and also go over it a few times to get it that deep. So your video did much to ease my worries about my technique. :) Also you loaf looks great.....even if you cut it lopsided :P
Thanks again. I and I am sure everyone else appreciates your efforts with the videos as well as the site :)
So I can only say thank you again :)
I was always taught to have my razor blade the OPPOSITE that you do--ie, the curve is up. Isn't that wierd? I think that way you get the angle you want, and creates those "ears" we all try to get.
I also rarely make more than one pass with the blade, unless I goof up and it's really too shallow. I would say my scoring is a bit less deep than yours, but not a lot--but it's just all in one "bold" slash.
I really should try and do a video, i think it would be interesting to see all of our different styles!
Now I'm obsessively watching those french videos (not set up to view WMV files at home on my mac) to see which way the blade goes! All those different slashes are awesome. Maybe I'll make a huge batch of baguette dough and go to town this week!
Oh and I always called it a "La-may" too. I took a class with Didier Rosada of SFBI and he had a lovely french accent and, of course, I can't remember how he pronouced it! Argh.
I was always taught to have my razor blade the OPPOSITE that you do--ie, the curve is up. Isn't that wierd?
The way you are doing it is probably correct. I'm trying it both ways and trying to get a feel for what works best.
I also rarely make more than one pass with the blade, unless I goof up and it's really too shallow. I would say my scoring is a bit less deep than yours, but not a lot--but it's just all in one "bold" slash.
Which also is, I believe the correct way to do it once you've got a hang of it. I don't yet.
I really should try and do a video, i think it would be interesting to see all of our different styles!
Agreed, I'd love to see some other people's techniques.
I've always believed that WAY too much emphasis has traditionally been placed on scoring technique and not enough on dough development. While it is important for a baker to learn proper scoring technique, it is not the scoring in and by itself that forms a proper grigne. While the scoring provides an outlet for the grigne to form, it is actually the stretching and breaking of some of the gluten strands within the score during oven spring that produces a beautiful grigne. This is why it is important that the dough of the unbaked loaf be at just the right level of development immediately prior to oven loading. Proper oven humidity also facilitates the stretching and partial breaking of the gluten strands.
It's really taken me a long time start getting the hang of final proofing/development. And I suspect a lot the times I've struggled with scoring certain loaves is because they either weren't shaped properly or I didn't proof them long enough. Or you slash them beautifully but then they don't respond in the oven the way you think they will.
There are SO many factors--bread is so amazing. And even though I know the goal is often supposed to be uniformity and consistency, part of what I love about home baking is changing things around, trying different techniques, dealing with a changing environment, and seeing what you get when you open the oven. It's almost like opening a present every time.
And I love learning all the new techniques here--and seeing how other folks adapt to baking really superb bread at home.