How to Score Sourdough Bread — A Beginner's Guide to Bread Scoring

Scoring is the cut you make in the surface of your sourdough loaf just before it goes into the oven. It looks decorative, but it serves a critical function: it controls how the bread expands during baking. Done well, it gives you a dramatic ear, an open crust, and maximum oven spring. Done poorly — or skipped — the bread tears unpredictably and the crust can seal too quickly, limiting how much the loaf opens.

Why Scoring Matters

As the loaf hits the intense oven heat, the gases inside expand rapidly. The dough needs a weak point to expand through — without a score, it will find its own weak point (often the seam at the bottom, or a random split on the side). A deliberate score directs all that expansion energy to exactly where you want it, producing a controlled ear and an evenly shaped loaf.

The Tools You Need

A sharp blade makes all the difference. Dull scissors or a kitchen knife drag rather than slice, deflating the dough rather than opening it cleanly. The right tools:

• A bread lame: The traditional scoring tool — a thin razor blade on a handle. Our bread scoring lame has a curved blade holder that naturally produces the angled cut needed for a proper ear. Our magnetic bread lame adds a retractable blade and magnetic storage for safe, easy use.
• Replacement blades: Replace the blade every 3–5 bakes or whenever the blade drags rather than glides. Available in our bakeware maintenance range.

The Basic Score — The Single Slash

For beginners, a single long slash is the most reliable score:

1. Remove the dough from the fridge (if cold proofing) and immediately score — don't let it warm up
2. Hold the lame at a 30–45° angle to the surface of the dough (not straight up)
3. Make one swift, confident cut from one end of the loaf to the other — about 1–1.5cm deep
4. The cut should run along the length of the loaf, slightly off-centre

The angled blade is key. A straight-down cut produces a simple split; an angled cut creates the flap that becomes the ear.

Scoring Depth

Too shallow and the score seals during baking before the bread has fully expanded. Too deep and you deflate the dough. Around 1–1.5cm deep is right for most loaves. The blade should feel like it's gliding through without resistance — if you're pressing, the blade is dull.

Scoring from the Fridge

Cold dough scores more cleanly than room-temperature dough. The firm exterior gives the blade something to cut through without the dough sticking or tearing. Always score immediately after removing from the fridge — don't wait.

Pattern Scoring

Once you're comfortable with the basic slash, you can experiment with patterns — wheat stalks, leaves, crosses, geometric designs. The principles are the same: sharp blade, confident cuts, correct angle. Decorative scores are shallower (around 5mm) and don't need to produce an ear — they're about aesthetics rather than expansion control. Use the single slash as your main functional score, then add decorative cuts elsewhere.

Troubleshooting Common Scoring Problems

• Score seals shut in the oven: Cut deeper or add more steam (bake covered longer)
• Dough deflates when scored: Over-proofed dough — reduce proof time next bake
• Blade drags and tears: Replace the blade
• No ear forms: The blade angle is too steep — hold it closer to horizontal
• Crust splits in an unexpected place: The score wasn't deep or long enough

For the full baking process from shaping through scoring and baking, see our Classic Sourdough Bread recipe.