They crack because the gas pressure inside is expanding the loaf more than the crust strength can withstand. One reason people score bread is to get the expansion to happen where they want and where it would make the bread look more decorative.
Conceivably the oven temperature was way too low, so the crust couldn't harden soon enough during expansion.
The above is pretty generic, but you didn't write anything about the kind of flour, the hydration, the manner of baking, or any other information that might help.
Hydration is 83 % and I have never been able to successfully score it. It is a Poolish with 16 hrs followed by 6 hr bulk ferment. Baking temp 200 Centigrade. 20 min proofing. Flour is French 100%
By French flour you mean low extraction nearly white flour, right, like T65? I'm surprised by the 20 minutes proof. It's so short. What is the temperature it proofs at?
I'm assuming that the loaf is proofed covered, is that right? I expect a dough with that high a hydration to be very sticky. Is that what you experience? Here are some things you could try (you may have tried them all already):
1. Proof uncovered if you have been proofing it covered. That will let the surface dry a little, which will make it easier to score;
2. Dust the loaf heavily with flour a few minutes before scoring;
3. Refrigerate the loaf after shaping. It will take longer but it should still proof fine in, say, an hour or maybe less - give it enough time, anyway. Score and bake right out of the refrigerator.
4. Give up on using a lame. I've never been successful at scoring a wet loaf with one. They all stick and drag too much. I have had good results with one or another chef-style knives as long as they are very sharp and used with quick firm movements.
Each of these suggestions will make scoring more feasible, by which I mean without having the scoring tool stick and drag too much, or catch a corner. It might take several together to help enough. All in all, I'd first try refrigeration of the loaf uncovered before the others.
I have to agree that scoring is necessary, particularly given the hydration your recipe calls for. Higher hydration means the skin of the dough has more time before it dries out and resists spreading and rising, and this allows more likelihood that your bread will tear from oven spring. The only way I'm aware of to counter this is to score the loaf so that it has the ability to spread in desirable rather than random directions.
If you're having great difficulty scoring the dough, these tips may help.
1.) Wet your blade with water before each stroke to help prevent dough sticking.
2.) Use fast slashing techniques as slower slashes cause the dough to stick to the blade.
3.) Consider adjusting the amount of yeast used in your recipe and a longer end proof. Lower yeast content will slow the proofing enough that if you leave the dough uncovered, it can form a thin "skin" that will be easier to score.
4.) Refrigerate the dough during the final proof so that it will be more firm, and to allow a longer final proof to give it the aforementioned skin.
Hope it helps, though you may need to experiment with using a combination of these techniques.
You're welcome, but in all honesty most of my advice was just confirming what TomP had already said. And as he said, you may have to combine several of these techniques to achieve what you're looking for. But it's always a great thing when that happens because you get to learn several techniques at the same time and see how they work, rather than having to learn one at a time over many, many more loaves that weren't quite what you had hoped for.
Here's to your next adventures with a whole new set of tools!
They crack because the gas pressure inside is expanding the loaf more than the crust strength can withstand. One reason people score bread is to get the expansion to happen where they want and where it would make the bread look more decorative.
Conceivably the oven temperature was way too low, so the crust couldn't harden soon enough during expansion.
The above is pretty generic, but you didn't write anything about the kind of flour, the hydration, the manner of baking, or any other information that might help.
Thanks.
Hydration is 83 % and I have never been able to successfully score it. It is a Poolish with 16 hrs followed by 6 hr bulk ferment. Baking temp 200 Centigrade. 20 min proofing. Flour is French 100%
By French flour you mean low extraction nearly white flour, right, like T65? I'm surprised by the 20 minutes proof. It's so short. What is the temperature it proofs at?
I'm assuming that the loaf is proofed covered, is that right? I expect a dough with that high a hydration to be very sticky. Is that what you experience? Here are some things you could try (you may have tried them all already):
1. Proof uncovered if you have been proofing it covered. That will let the surface dry a little, which will make it easier to score;
2. Dust the loaf heavily with flour a few minutes before scoring;
3. Refrigerate the loaf after shaping. It will take longer but it should still proof fine in, say, an hour or maybe less - give it enough time, anyway. Score and bake right out of the refrigerator.
4. Give up on using a lame. I've never been successful at scoring a wet loaf with one. They all stick and drag too much. I have had good results with one or another chef-style knives as long as they are very sharp and used with quick firm movements.
Each of these suggestions will make scoring more feasible, by which I mean without having the scoring tool stick and drag too much, or catch a corner. It might take several together to help enough. All in all, I'd first try refrigeration of the loaf uncovered before the others.
TomP
Hello, flynnboy.
I have to agree that scoring is necessary, particularly given the hydration your recipe calls for. Higher hydration means the skin of the dough has more time before it dries out and resists spreading and rising, and this allows more likelihood that your bread will tear from oven spring. The only way I'm aware of to counter this is to score the loaf so that it has the ability to spread in desirable rather than random directions.
If you're having great difficulty scoring the dough, these tips may help.
1.) Wet your blade with water before each stroke to help prevent dough sticking.
2.) Use fast slashing techniques as slower slashes cause the dough to stick to the blade.
3.) Consider adjusting the amount of yeast used in your recipe and a longer end proof. Lower yeast content will slow the proofing enough that if you leave the dough uncovered, it can form a thin "skin" that will be easier to score.
4.) Refrigerate the dough during the final proof so that it will be more firm, and to allow a longer final proof to give it the aforementioned skin.
Hope it helps, though you may need to experiment with using a combination of these techniques.
Randem (aka Simplicity is Important)
Thanks Randem !
You're welcome, but in all honesty most of my advice was just confirming what TomP had already said. And as he said, you may have to combine several of these techniques to achieve what you're looking for. But it's always a great thing when that happens because you get to learn several techniques at the same time and see how they work, rather than having to learn one at a time over many, many more loaves that weren't quite what you had hoped for.
Here's to your next adventures with a whole new set of tools!
Randem.