How to Score Sourdough Bread: A Maker's Guide
Scoring is the cut you make in your dough just before it goes in the oven. Done right, it controls where the loaf expands so you get a clean "ear," good oven spring, and the look you want instead of a random burst along the side. The short version: use a sharp blade on a lame, hold it at about a 45-degree angle for an ear or 90 degrees for decorative cuts, work fast on cold dough, and commit to one confident stroke.
We've spent years designing the tools bakers use to do this, so the rest of this guide is the stuff we've learned from making lames and talking to thousands of bakers, not just the basics.
Why do you score sourdough at all?
As your loaf hits the heat, the dough wants to expand fast. If you don't give it a deliberate place to open, it'll tear wherever it's weakest, usually a blowout along the bottom or side. A score is you deciding where that energy goes. A good cut gives you that raised, crisp flap bakers call the ear, better volume, and a finished look that's yours on purpose.
What do you need to score sourdough?
You need a sharp blade held in something you can control. That's a lame (pronounced "lahm," from the French for blade). You can technically use a bare razor or a paring knife, but a bare blade is hard to hold safely and a knife is too thick to cut cleanly without dragging.
A few options depending on how you like to work:
- A handled lame like the Goose makes it easy to slash in a deep pan, or flip it over and hold it like a pencil or paint brush for fine detailed work.
- A round lame like the UFO gets you close to the blade, and when you're done, the blade tucks inside for safety.
- A small curved lame like the Arc is great if you like the deep curved cut of a traditional grignette.
- A tiny straight lame like the Poco suits bakers who want the simplest possible blade holder.
Whatever you use, keep the blade fresh. A dull blade is the single most common reason a score drags and deflates the loaf.
What angle should you hold the lame?
This is the part that changes everything, and it's where most new bakers go wrong.
For an ear, hold the blade at a shallow angle, roughly 30 to 45 degrees to the surface. You're cutting a flap, not a trench. That flap lifts and crisps as the loaf springs, and that's your ear.
For decorative scoring (leaves, wheat stalks, patterns), hold the blade straight up at about 90 degrees and cut shallow. Vertical cuts open evenly and keep their shape, which is what you want for detail work rather than one big expansion point.
How deep should you score sourdough?
For a main expansion score, about a quarter inch deep (roughly half a centimeter). Deep enough to give the dough a real seam to open along, not so deep that you cut into the structure and let it collapse.
For decorative cuts, go shallow, more like an eighth of an inch. You're drawing on the surface, not opening the loaf.
When should you score, and does temperature matter?
Score at the very last second, right before the dough goes into the oven. And score it cold. Cold dough straight from the fridge is firmer, so the blade glides instead of dragging and sticking. If your dough has warmed up and gone slack, it'll grab the blade and tear. A cold, well-proofed loaf is the easiest thing in the world to score.
How to score sourdough, step by step
- Take the dough out cold and turn it onto your parchment or baking surface.
- Decide your design before you touch it. Hesitation is what ruins a score.
- For an ear, set the blade at a shallow 45 degrees near one edge.
- Make one smooth, confident stroke. Don't saw, don't go back over it. One pass.
- Add any shallow decorative cuts at 90 degrees.
- Get it into the hot oven immediately, with steam if you bake covered or with a tray of water.
What are the easiest scoring patterns for beginners?
Start with a single long slash down one side at a shallow angle. It's the most forgiving cut and it reliably gives you an ear provided your dough is well developed. Once that feels natural, try a simple cross, then a wheat stalk (one center line with short angled cuts branching off). Save the intricate leaf-and-vine work for after the basics feel automatic.
Troubleshooting: why isn't my scoring working?
The blade drags and pulls the dough. Your blade is dull or your dough is too warm or wet. Swap in a fresh blade and score the dough straight from the fridge.
My loaf deflates when I cut it. Usually over-proofed dough or too deep a cut. Proof a little less, and keep the main score around a quarter inch.
I'm not getting an ear. Your angle is too steep. Lay the blade flatter, around 45 degrees, so you're lifting a flap instead of cutting a vertical trench.
My decorative cuts disappear after baking. They were too shallow or the dough was under-proofed and sprang over them. Cut a touch deeper and make sure the loaf is properly proofed.
Do you really need a lame, or can you use a knife?
You can start with a knife, but you'll quickly outgrow it. A razor blade is far thinner than any kitchen knife, so it parts the dough instead of crushing it, and a lame gives you the control and safety to make that one confident stroke. It's the one tool in your kit that will most visibly change your results.
Once you've got the basics down, scoring stops being the scary last step and becomes the fun part, the place where a loaf becomes yours. Grab a fresh blade, keep your dough cold, and commit to the cut.