Here's How Deep You Should Score Bread Dough For Best Results

There's little that's quite as satisfying as baking a homemade loaf of bread, with a beautifully balanced crumb structure, a golden crust, and a perfect rise. Many bakers spend years perfecting their ingredient ratios, resting times, proofs, and bakes. But when it comes down to scoring bread, it's easy for the whole process to come crumbling down (pun intended). Even though there are ways to get around scoring bread, like baking your dough seam side up, we are suckers for beautifully scored loaves and think you really should score your bread dough. So we talked to Nathan Myhrvold, founder of Modernist Cuisine and co-author of "Modernist Bread at Home" to get his tips on scoring for the best results.

Myhrvold is an innovator of baking techniques, with years of practice in achieving a perfectly measured score. The expert baker says, "Try to make cuts that are 3–6 mm (1/8 –1/4 inches) deep and score to the same depth each time. As a loaf of bread bakes, it generates steam that pushes aggressively along the paths of least resistance. Scoring to the same depth helps the loaf expand evenly."

Some skilled bakers turn into Picasso with a knife, etching museum-worthy renderings of wheat, flowers, and geometric shapes into the tops of their loaves. And while you don't need an art degree to start, there are a few scoring tips you should keep in mind. Nathan Myhrvold suggests, "If you're a beginner, look for disposable depth guide lames. They're a good choice because they promote even cuts and prevent slicing too deeply." (A lame is a tool specifically made for scoring bread.) Also, scoring chilled dough is easier because it is firmer than warm dough. And scoring should be your absolute last step before placing your bread in the oven, ensuring that you don't deflate the gas you've developed during the rise and proof processes.

Of all the breads you can score, we highly recommend practicing scoring on a sourdough loaf. The starch and yeast in sourdough make it greatly expand in the oven, so scoring helps all the heat find a place to go while still letting the bread grow to a comfortable size. But really, you can't go wrong with any crusty loaf of bread.