“How do I get an ear on my loaf?” If I had a bushel of wheat for every time someone asked me that, I’d be a miller by now, not a baker.
It’s one of the most common questions we hear from new bakers. The usual advice? Cut deeper, change the angle, crank up the oven. Those tips help — but the truth is, scoring is just the final flourish in a chain of conditions that starts much earlier.
Before we dive into the scoring itself, it’s worth pointing out the bigger picture:
- Fermentation: Is the dough properly fermented?
- Gluten development: Does it have both elasticity and extensibility?
- Resting: Was the gluten allowed to relax between development periods?
- Shaping: Was the dough shaped correctly, with enough tension for proofing?
- Loaf type: Was it shaped appropriately for the desired final form?
- Environment: Is there enough steam to keep the crust from setting too soon?
- Baking: Is the oven at the right temperature?
Only when these fundamentals are in place does scoring really do its job. The score itself doesn’t create the ear — it simply directs how the dough expands during oven spring.
(Image above: Nicely Proofed Dough. Before scoring, ready for the oven. Dough domed and full of surface tension, showing good rise.)
So one day at the bakery, while loading the decks, I decided to run a quick experiment. I scored that day’s loaves in a variety of ways and snapped some photos to show how different techniques play out in practice.
Let’s look at some examples.
Deep, Shallow-Angled Score (~30°)
Off-centre, pointing inward.
- The grigne (grin) is wide, showing outward spread.
- Decent spring, but the loaf ended up a little wider and flatter as a result.
Shallow 90° Score
Minimal depth, straight down.
- The dough spread immediately, showing tension.
- Despite very shallow cut, the loaf developed an ear.
- A slightly deeper cut would have produced cleaner oven spring. (No long tears like those seen on the side shot.)
Slightly Deeper 90° Score
Same angle, more depth.
- Very good oven spring and final shape.
- Only a minor tear at the end of the score.
Off-Centre 45° Score (same depth as previous loaf)
- Good spring and final shape - very similar to the deeper 90° loaf.
- A reminder that scoring angle can guide expansion, but doesn’t override dough condition.
Score Closer to the Edge
- Grigne is mostly on one (the right) side.
- A small change in position makes a visible difference in symmetry.
Multiple Scores on a Boule
- Several shallow, 90° cuts create spreading rather than peel-back.
- This boule finished as more of an oval (batard) loaf.
Light Bake on Malthouse Loaves
- Shows that you can achieve an ear without a super-dark lip.
- (Personally, I still prefer the darker bake!)
Just Because…
Because sometimes bread is simply beautiful.
Takeaway
So, is the score important? Of course. It’s the detail that decides how your loaf opens during oven spring. But an ear isn’t earned at the moment of scoring — it’s the result of everything that came before: fermentation, shaping, proofing, steam, and heat.
Get those right, and the score simply does its job.
Because in the end, the score doesn’t create the ear — it merely reveals it.
Stay tuned for more on scoring soon, including Scoring As Last Ditch Course Correction, plus decorative scoring, and a quick video tutorial on how to tie and score a 'pretty pumpkin' loaf!
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