April 23, 2014 - 7:53am
When do you score?
The dough, that is.
I have seen 2 different instructions on different recipes:
1. Score immediately after shaping and at the start of the final proof and
2. Score at the end of the final proof and just prior to putting the loaf into the oven.
It certainly seems easier to score on the denser, non-proofed dough. Funny how the difference in instructions has stood out at me this last few months.
So WHEN should dough be scored and what is the reasoning behind the recommendation made? Are there times when one method is desirable over the other?
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clazar 123: I am attaching David's excellent scoring tutorial, which I just pointed out for another baker looking for scoring tips. I am certainly not as skilled as many bakers on this site, but I haven't heard of scoring before proofing....Good luck with your scoring. Best, Phyllis
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/31887/scoring-bread-updated-tutorial
It IS an excellent tutorial and I have been remiss in not viewing it long ago.
I have watched lots of bread baking videos and it was not highlighted much but I have seen the newly shaped doughs being scored before it is put in the proofer in a number of these videos (YouTube).
Is it just production convenience? Does the type of dough make a difference? I understand scoring rye (esp high rye percentage) before proofing-you just don't want to cause any loss of height achieved in a high percentage rye.
Any other reasons to do it one way or the other? Does it matter when?