Scoring

Printed from https://gourmetgastronomer.com/baking/sourdough/scoring/

Cutting the surface of a proofed loaf so that oven spring opens along an intended line rather than at a random burst.

Appears in Learn sourdough · Previous: Final proof · Next: Baking the loaf

Scoring is a controlled wound. Steam and heat inflate the loaf; the cut is where the baker wants that expansion to go.

A shallow, angled cut gives oven spring a planned path so the loaf opens as an ear instead of tearing at a random weak spot.

The angle, depth, and timing of the cut depend on how the Final proof went and on how much surface tension Shaping left behind. A loaf that is not ready to bake will not suddenly become ready because it was cut well.

Then the loaf meets heat: baking.

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Appears in pathways

Learn sourdough

Sources & further exploration

Further exploration

The Taste of Bread — Raymond Calvel. Aspen Publishers. 2001. ISBN 978-0-8342-1646-4 — English edition of Calvel's technical account of French bread. The link is a WorldCat catalog record for the print edition; it is not a public full-text copy.

Updated 2026-08-27. gg:topic:scoring · CC BY 4.0

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Recommended

Gourmet Gastronomer. "Scoring." Updated 2026-08-27. https://gourmetgastronomer.com/baking/sourdough/scoring/ gg:topic:scoring.

Chicago

Gourmet Gastronomer. "Scoring." Gourmet Gastronomer. Updated August 27, 2026. https://gourmetgastronomer.com/baking/sourdough/scoring/.

APA

Gourmet Gastronomer. (2026, August 27). Scoring. https://gourmetgastronomer.com/baking/sourdough/scoring/

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