February 18, 2022 - 2:03pm
My lame is lame
Hi there!
I bought a lame with a long wood handle and I'm thinking I need something that doesn't have a handle. I'm still not getting the ear I want. Can someone tell me if the UFO lame is a trademark? Or are there knock offs? And are the knock offs just as good? There seems to be several on amazon that is name "UFO".
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If you want ears, you need a curved lame. I have two, one curved the other straight.
I received a curved one as a bonus in a bread basket purchase, but I confess I have trouble using it since it makes curved cuts. I'm puzzled at how to use it effectively.
I thought you scored bread fairly deeply with a lame. Well, scoring deeply with this thing would mean that you'd end up cutting a circle if you made the score line match the curvature of the blade. What am I missing?
This is a good demo: 5. Scoring Baguettes - YouTube
You don't score very deep.
@gavinv Totally disagree. Take a look at the many bakers using a ufo lame and you will see beautiful ears. It is about technique.
What about on baguettes? I see many people score boules with straight blades that get a good ear by slicing around the part of the circumference and baked in DO or cloche. I can only get a good ear on a baguette using a curved lame as per Hamelman's technique; and yes I do know about scoring techniques.
I use a curved lame on baguettes and oval loaves. A straight lame on round loaves as well as scissors, also scissors on epis de ble. Not forgetting a rolling pin on pain fendu. Don't restrict yourself to a single way of scoring. I also use a serrated streak knife on seeded loaves.
I agree a curve is nice, I have several and for baguette use my arc lame usually But I wasn't commenting on what was possible, I just disagree with this: "If you want ears, you need a curved lame." I know some people that just hold a razor blade in their fingers and get beautiful ears on everything bake.
Thanks. You're correct. I was just thinking of my own use rather than what others do.
I've tried numerous different kinds of lames, including curved with handles, special knives, the small gadgets (like the UFO kind). Over the years I have finally settled on 'naked' double-edged razor blades that I buy in bulk and hold in my hand. I've never had an accident and when it's time to bake, I place the razor in a small bowl of water, to help reduce friction when scoring and to help keep track of the blade. This method works a charm for me.
I don't have any issues getting lovely ears on my loaves and feel that I have more control over angle and depth this way. But, that being said, everyone has their own favorite ways of doing things. I'm only commenting because there isn't just one way to achieve a goal--there are MANY other variables at play related to success or lack thereof regarding a good ear on a loaf: hydration, dough tension, baking method, steam, temp, etc., as well as scoring method and angle.
I think trial and error is your best friend for this variable in your baking...you will find what works best for you and your dough recipes/formulas!
Agree. Both my lames are 'naked' double-edged razor blades. I make one of the blades curved by bending it over the holder. They last a long time also and I rotate around the four corners. However, the only way I can get ears on my baguettes is to use the cured one.
I had the exact same experience, especially for scoring warm dough. I tried a couple of different lame styles (a classic and a rigid stainless steel version), but I find the feedback and responsiveness from directly holding the blade with a pinch grip makes it much easier.
Thanks for the input everyone. My long handle lame is curved. I would try the naked lame except I'm clumsy. That's why i thought something like the UFO might be safer for me.
see this https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/56948/better-lame#comment-413766 .
And further down the thread I added: "But a tool is only as good as the hand that holds it. Most folks around these parts say that I can score pretty well using it. To some it may be a nasty little thing, can't argue much with that. But when I hold it and use it, it turns into a thing of beauty."
What will make the difference is attention to detail and practice.
Here is another slashing demo by a sourdough expert:
How to score a baguette - YouTube
It is more difficult than look for a newbie to slash with a curve blade properly, as only one corner of the blade is used for the slashing while the curvature of it is for positioning. I have tried both straight and curved and I seem to get a better result with a straight blade at an angle. For me an ideal slash would be to dig the blade into the dough as horizontal as possible but that is very difficult to do with a relatively flat profile of the dough. I see a lot of experts getting beautiful ears with a relatively straight slash. I think the slashing angled or not is just a part of the overall dough making process as there must be some other variables at play. I have noticed by baguettes do not expand predictably even though I can get some explosive oven spring, and I am not sure how to control it yet. Good luck!
One more thing, whatever blade holder you get, make sure to get one as thin as possible as the holder could dig into the dough when slashing at an angle.
There are lots of knock offs out there. I have no connection to Wiremonkey who first came up with them. But I have a couple of his products and I would recommend supporting him. He is a great guy that supports the bread community and puts out a great product.
Take a look at his arc lame if you want to have that shape to your blade. I switch between that and ufo.