Not sure where but I was reading a internet article that stated there is no need to slash the dough when baking a bread in a cast iron pot. The article stated that the bread would naturally break apart creating it's all natural slash within the humid cast iron. I tried it today but was disappointed as the bread did not break apart and create its own slash. The bread had minimum oven rise with only the tiniest crack on top.
True when you load the dough into the pot seam side up. That will be the weak point for the dough to start its bloom. False if you load the dough seam side down. The dough will then look for the weakest exposed point to expand and bloom wherever that is.
Oh.... my seam side was down.
Slash or not slash is always possible, it depends if underproof or overproof. Underproof break the bread...correct proof no break. In Italy many breads are made without score.
You can see my Genzano bread...
Gaetano
Just cut into the loaf and I must say I am disappointed by the Crumb. Although I am not surprised due to the lack of oven spring.
And the journey of learning continues......
If you do not plan to slash it, make sure it's seam side up. This is the method advocated by both Forkish and Jim Lahey. Someone else already mentioned that, but I'm seconding it.
I have used a dutch oven (with lid) for years and get spectacular fractures in the top crust without any slashing, even with the seam side down (my seam is mostly but not always down, just depending only mood). If you slash the dough or put the dough in the oven seam-side-up (which is just depending on a naturally occurring slash), the slash will begin the rupture process but if you search this forum thoroughly you'll find many posts of balers inquiring why their loaves that have slashes don't fracture nicely or at all. I suspect that there is a tradeoff between how hot the oven is when the dough enters, how much moisture is available to allow the dough to expand and when you put the cast iron lid on the dutch oven (or stop the steaming process if you are using more advanced steaming methods). If that is correct then you would juggle those variables until you find that one that works for you in your conditions. For me, I found that preheating the oven 50 degrees hotter on the preheat (sometimes 25 degrees, depending on the recipe), loading the dough, close the one door then dropping the temperature to the normal temperature gives me a good rise and some spectacular fracturing. It seems that experimentation is for best friend.