January 13, 2012 - 6:02pm
That crescent moon slash
Just some Vermont sourdough loaves that just came out of the oven. Would have been so much better I if I had just had time to proof them a bit more, I usually like them at the point where there is hardly any need to slash them. .... I don't know why I ever bother with that crescent moon slash, it never seems to work for me, I can't even remember if I ever saw a picture of it that I liked though I did read it described somewhere, but every once in awhile I attempt it, never ending up with results I am happy with usually with too much space under the ear pealing back and getting kinda burnt. Anybody got a good image of one?
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what your shooting for but i gotta tell you, those look pretty dang great to me. if your not happy with i'd be happy to take 'em off your hands for you ; )
Actually I probably will be giving a few away, our freezer is full and I don't want to store them in the fridge (my wife saw a sale and bought me some loaves of Fiber One Extra Fiber whole-wheat and something bread, which will probably remain in the freezer until it petrifies and I can use the slices for sanding down the edges of the bread box I want to build) . I am pretty satisfied with the other slashes I do, but I believe what I try to do with that "crescent moon" as I called it was described by an author (Hamelman?) as "or maybe just one bold slash" or something like that. Maybe too much diagonal slant on my slashing tool?
Those loaves look great! maybe try slashing closer to the top of the loaf rather than along the side?
with yours. Maybe as you say you just don't like the look. Here's my last loaf with that slash, a couple of weeks ago:
I like Louie's example, where the crust basically remains conformed to the roundness of the loaf, rather than lifting away like an orange peel the way mine always do.
Any chance of getting the recipe that you used for your bread, Louie? I am experimenting with alternative sourdough recipes at the moment and that looked great
I am the worst person to ask for a formula. I highly recommend Nancy Silverton's basic loaf for both the method and the score. You could also look at Hamelman's Vermont Sourdough or David Snyder's San Joaquin sourdough. These are good basic breads to have in your repertoire. Fwiw, I baked this one in a covered cast iron pot.