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Slashing

Tarheel_Boy@webtv.net (Skallywagg)
Mon, 7 Jul 2003 08:34:22 -0400 (EDT)
v103.n030.1
Cindy HK writes:  Please comment on the best time to slash the bread and is 
it functionally necessary or is it for cosmectic reason? I always have a 
fear of deflating the bread after slashing it.

Bob the Tarheel Baker says:  The best time to slash your bread dough is 
just before you put it into the oven.   My "weapon of choice" is a 
stainless steel polymer clay blade that potters use.  Look for it in craft 
stores.  The brand name is Nuflex and it is made by Amaco.  Or you can use 
a very sharp knife that has been sprayed lightly with vegetable oil so it 
doesn't drag or tear the dough.  I have used, but dislike lames or razor 
blades.

After the dough rises, slash the top in a design of your choice, cutting 
about 1/4 inch deep.  Yes, Cindy, it is functionally necessary, but bakers, 
being a proud lot, also slash for cosmetic reasons.  In the "olden days" 
when communal ovens were used, individual bakers created their own slash to 
act as an identifying mark.  The late Lionel Poilane cut a distinctive four 
slashes on his loaves.  My slash is somewhat like a stylized wheat 
sheaf.  Slashing creates a place for the bread to expand, instead of it 
"blowing out" and creating an ugly loaf of bread. Also, bubbles may appear 
under a crust where there is no slashing.

After you slash, lightly sprinkle a little flour on top of the loaf before 
baking to give a rustic look.