How To Score Sourdough Bread: Depth, Angle + Easy Designs

You do not need an intricately decorated loaf to be good at sourdough. Most of the bread I bake gets one simple, functional score because my priority is helping the loaf expand well in the oven. Decorative scoring can be beautiful and fun, but it is completely optional.

Learn the functional score first. Once you can confidently control how your loaf opens, add decorative scoring if you enjoy it.

How Do You Score Sourdough Bread?

Basically, you turn your cold-proofed dough out onto parchment paper, then use a sharp lame or razor blade to make one confident expansion score immediately before baking.

For a simple batard, I usually score straight down the middle of the loaf, creating a double ear. You an also just score more towards one side of the loaf. Similarly for a boule, you can score straight down the middle, from a cross with 2 slashes or even a square, depending on how you want the loaf to look.

The main score should be deeper than any decorative cuts so the loaf has a controlled place to expand in the oven.

What Is the Purpose of Scoring Sourdough?

Think of scoring as creating a deliberate expansion point. Your loaf is going to expand somewhere in the oven. The score simply tells it where. If you don’t score your loaf, it will open at the weakest point. This will give your loaf a much more rustic appearance. There are two types of scoring:

Utility, Functional or Expansion Score – This is the deeper cut that controls where the loaf opens during oven spring. You only really need one utility score on your loaf to control where it opens. Anything more than this is optional.

Decorative Scoring – These are shallow cuts made mainly for appearance. They should not be deep enough to compete with the main expansion score. 

If you only ever use one functional score, that is absolutely enough. Most of my own loaves are scored this way because I care more about predictable expansion than intricate decoration.

What Tool Should You Use To Score Sourdough Bread?

The most popular tool to score sourdough bread with is a “lame”. This is a razor that is attached to a handle (often made of wood). The razor blade can be straight or curved depending on what you prefer.

If you do not have a lame and do not wish to purchase one, you could also use a small, sharp knife, razor blade or even scissors to score your bread. A lame or razor blade gives you the most precision.

In the photos you can see on this post, I’m using a craft knife with a straight blad. The red handled blade is a craft knife purchased from a hardware store. I used this tool for years, in fact it’s even shown in my book, Easy Sourdough On Any Schedule. The silver handled blade is a type of Exacto knife which I also love and am currently using because it’s easier to find replacement blades for. It’s very well priced and easy to replace the blades too.

The 4 Sourdough Scores I Recommend Starting With

Master one of these before worrying about wheat stalks, leaves or elaborate patterns.

1. Single Slash – Best for batards and creating an ear. Can be straight down the middle for a double ear or over to one side to create a more dramatic ear.

2. Cross – Best for boules and very beginner-friendly.

3. Square / Windowpane – Allows the loaf to open through multiple sides and works beautifully on boules. Not great for batards.

4. Baguette Score – Best for batards. 3 to 4 slashes made across the loaf like a baguette. Great for loaves that are a little over fermented and would otherwise spread.

Best Tips for Artistic Sourdough Scoring

When you are ready to move onto more artistic scoring designs, there are a few things to keep in mind to make it easier to achieve the look you desire.

• Cold proofing your dough before attempting artistic scoring will definitely give you the best surface to work with.
• Use unflavored dental floss to divide your dough into even sections to make artistic scoring easier.
• A light dusting of flour over the dough before you score will create a contrast when the dough splits open in the oven. This is particularly good for more intricate scoring which may not show up as well without the flour to highlight it. Rice flour is best for this application because it stays white when baked.
• Stencils that are applied to the dough before you score can help to give you an outline to work with. Use a toothpick to trace the design onto your dough.
• Remember to only lightly score decorative scoring so that it does not open up too deep. A utility score is a really good idea to ensure that your decorative scoring doesn’t burst. Alternatively if you want only decorative scoring, you will need to ensure your dough is almost over proofed to stop it bursting the scoring.

Troubleshooting – Why Is It So Hard To Score My Sourdough?

Many people say that they have trouble scoring their sourdough bread. People often comment that the blade (razor or lame) “catches” or snags on their dough and they are unable to score in a single slash.

Scoring sourdough can be difficult if you have:

• insufficient gluten development
• poor shaping technique
• misjudged fermentation (over or under)

Scoring & Gluten Development

Gluten development is really important for successful sourdough scoring because it ensures that the dough can withstand being cut and not collapse. If you haven’t developed gluten through to windowpane during stretching and folding, you may find scoring difficult.

To fix this, you need to concentrate on your gluten development techniques and ensure that your dough is stretchy and elastic and forms a window pane before you allow it to finish bulk fermentation.

Poor Shaping Technique

The shaping technique you use is important to the success of your sourdough scoring because if the dough is too slack and has no surface tension, your lame or blade will catch. The trick here is to make sure that your shaping is tight enough to create the surface tension needed for good scoring. Your dough should have an outer skin that holds everything in place.

Poor Fermentation

Misjudging the fermentation of your loaf will also result in difficult scoring. Both over and under-fermentation can cause your dough to collapse and spread when you score it. This is a good explanation of how to stop your dough from collapsing when you score it.

Loaf Bursts Outside of Scoring

This bursting is caused by under-fermentation. Because the dough has not fully fermented, it has too much energy left and so rises very fast in the hot oven. This rapid rise causes it to burst the scoring, even when you’ve scored it so nicely.

How To Practice Scoring Sourdough Bread

They say practice makes perfect, right? So the best way to improve at scoring sourdough bread is to practice! How do you practice scoring you might ask? Here are a few ways that you can improve your scoring technique:

• Make lots of smaller sourdough loaves. You could make a batch of simple sourdough and split it into two boules at shaping, giving you two bread canvases to practice on, or try this small batch sourdough recipe.
• Make a batch of mini sourdough boules – this will give you a tonne of practice!
• Practice drawing your preferred scoring patterns. This will allow you to get used to making the movements with your hands.

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