This is my second bread from BBA.  I decided to stick with boules even though Reinhart says this is the perfect dough for all kinds of fancy shapes.  Everything went really well until the slashing.  I bought a lame from a local kitchen store and it just was not slashing the dough.  At all!  I tried wetting it, oiling it, using the other side of the blade... nada.  Finally I touched it with the tip of my finger and realized that it's fairly dull.  Sad!

I grabbed a semi-sharp serrated tomato knife to do the slashing instead.  While that actually cut into the dough, it did so with a fair amount of drag, so I didn't get the cleanest slashes.  Ah well.  Time to go to the hardware store to buy a package of razor blades, I guess. 

The recipe said it made three loaves.  They turned out to be rather small loaves, so next time I think I'll split it into two if I'm going to do the same shape.  But there is something nice about these little boules, though.

The crumb on this is decent.  The taste is good, but I think I like the taste of the pain de l'ancienne better.  My husband liked the taste of this, but halfway through a big slice said there was an "aftertaste."  I don't know if he's tasting the whole wheat component (hard red winter wheat berries I ground in my vitamix) or what.  I don't think I let the bread overproof, and he said it wasn't an alcohol flavor, so I'm not sure what he's tasting.

Overall a fairly successful bake.  It was my first time using a pate fermente.  I even considered making two loaves and keeping the other third of the dough for a loaf tomorrow, but I haven't baked with a poolish yet so that might be my next project. 

 Upon seeing the posts questioning how to store your razor blades, I thought I would share my discovery with you all. I used to use a single edge razor and a sharpened paring knife and I even bought a lame from KA and tried the double edge razor on a coffee stirrer stick. All of those devices will slash your dough some of the time without getting snagged or tearing the surface. Some recommend the blade be wet or oiled or floured to help glide the blade without sticking. None of those devices will work reliably all the time or on any type of dough, even over proofed fragile dough.

I have read several places that a serrated knife will work for slashing but it seemed like a good way to snag the dough so until recently I disregarded the advice and stuck with a sharp razor like knife. When I couldn't find my blade quickly one day I grabbed my old Tomato knife and slashed my dough more easily than ever before. It was an epiphany of sorts. We all want to create some artful design that shows our artistry and I usually hold my breath when it comes to slashing. After a few times on a variety of french, rye's, sunflower seed loaves, I am hooked. There isn't a better way to reliably slash dough. The knife I use was sold as a Tomato knife when I bought it 25 years ago. It's a 5 inch blade with a very non aggressive serration that has been worn down over the years. I found a Tomato Knife from Komachi on Amazon for $14 that looks like it would be about the same as my knife when new. Plus it comes in a case! If you haven't tried a serrated (maybe a worn out serrated) knife for slashing I urge you to try it out. I like the small size better for more gentle handling and my rounded tip makes curves a breeze. Check it out!

Eric 

My Knife

Komachi

this is just an example of slashing using chopsticks to "think out" a solution...

Hi

I just wanted to see if I could get a thread started about some slashing do's and don'ts. Nancy Silverton got me to appreciate its importance, but her technique has never quite worked for me.