Maurizio Leo, post author

October 23, 2017 at 2:56pm

In reply to by Judith P. Oppenheim (not verified)

Judith, Doughs that are high in hydration can be more challenging to score, especially when attempting intricate designs. I almost always overnight retard my dough in the fridge and this helps ease scoring as the cold dough, even if high in hydration, tightens up and the lame slides through cleaner. If you're not scoring cold dough straight from the fridge, the first thing I always check (and I know, it seems obvious but I still have to check myself!) is that I have very sharp blade. Commercial razor blades actually dull faster than you'd think! From there, I hold the lame firmly and move as quickly as possible through the dough; fast, confident slashes will yield straighter and cleaner cuts. If the dough snags at points just keep going, usually they'll disappear during the bake. Do check to make sure at those snag points the "skin" of the dough is still cut through, if it's not, lightly score that little section a bit deeper. I hope this helps, Judith!
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