Greetings all, first time post, so please forgive me if I'm posting in the wrong part of the forum.
I've worked as a baker in the same place for around two years now. Started with no prior experience and over the time have been learning to make a fairly standard amount of breads (sourdough, ciabatta, rye, fruit loaf, corn, brioche, etc).
One thing that's always been a let down on the bread I make is the cuts on my sourdough, and getting the ears that look so good on a nice loaf of sourdough.
I've got some pictures to attach (you'll have to forgive the mood lighting in the staff room, but the cuts on the loaves should be fairly visible). All the loaves pictures we're baked in the same oven at the same time, same proofing, same molding, same resting, same dough mix, etc.
This bread needed at least 1/2 hour more resting, as the subsequent loaves that went in the oven proved, but even so, there are better cuts on four loaves and worse cuts on two (mine). Any advice you could give me would be great.
We use a standard lame, just the blade though, no wooden handle.
(Incidentally, I always end up getting light skin cuts on my index finger from the lame due to the way I'm holding it. Obviously a wooden handle would help, but the other bakers I work with don't use it. So I'm sure the way I'm holding the lame is not optimal either).
I try to make sure the angle on my cut is shallow (around a 45°), that I cut deeply into the loaf, and cut swiftly, straight though, not dragging the blade or anything.
Obviously there's only so much diagnosing that can be done over the internet, but any help that I can get would be fantastic.
It looks like the bread has proofed well and good oven spring, so no worries there. I think it's possibly the location of the cut. If you do it right down the middle of the loaf you won't get as good an ear as if you curve it slightly towards one side - sort of a 'smile'.
It is hard to advise you with complete confidence without knowing your dough hydration and your baking procedure, especially how you steam the oven. That said, the loaves with no ears could be totally due to you scoring too deeply. A shallow cut, i.e., about 1/4 to 1/2 inch, generally results in the best ear. A deeper cut produces a heavy fat ear that rises then collapses of its own weight.
You might want to read my tutorial on scoring. Scoring Bread: An updated tutorial
Happy baking,
David
I just have one useless comment. Your bakery is purple. :)
I've had the same trouble with getting good ears. I will say the few times I've gotten them, I had given them a cornstarch wash before scoring. Couldn't hurt to try that out on a loaf. And make the smiley face offset to one side as already mentioned.
Good luck and nice work there! Love your story.
Thanks all for the friendly and helpful replies!
Ears: Great to hear about the slightly curved cuts. I do usually curve mine, (perhaps slightly too much?), but it was a variable I was unsure on, and had wondered about. So thanks! Btw, why is it better to cut on a slight curve? Does it slow down the opening of the cut?
dmsnyder: Wow! Thanks so much for all that info! I read through your guide and watched your attendant videos, definitely the best resource I've had on the subject. Regarding your suggestion, it's quite possible a problem. It's hard to say exactly how deep I've been cutting (though I've never been warned about the dangers of cutting too deeply before), but I've now marked the appropriate depths on a lame and I'll see how I go from there.
Breadlee: Purple?? XD It's "mood lighting" in the now staff room. Before this place was set up that used to be a room for customers. But why kill good mood lighting hey?
Thanks for your consideration! It's not something I'd previously considered, but obviously the finish has great impact on the loaf. Do you brush your cornstarch wash on? Or is it weak enough to be spritzed?
Thanks all for your input (y)
I like that lighting. And I brush mine on a bit heavy.