HOW TO MAKE BEAUTIFUL DESIGNS ON YOUR SOURDOUGH BREAD

Okay, so you may have seen those really pretty Instagram pictures of beautiful designs of sourdough bread and now you want to give it a try. Well let’s get started!

I’m guessing at this point, you already have a great sourdough bread recipe that you’ve perfected a couple of times (or maybe not, that’s okay!), and now you want to make pretty designs like an expert.

My favorite Artisan sourdough loaf recipe is linked here. I made it nearly every single week.

What is the purpose of cutting lines into my sourdough bread?

There are two different types of cuts you can make into your bread, and both are important.

1). Scoring.

This is a deep cut that you will do that basically spans from end to end. We also call this the ear.

In the picture above, it’s the big one down the middle – you can’t miss it! I tend to make mine 3/4″ to 1/2″ deep and at an angle. This allows heat and steam to be released from your bead when you’re baking it. It also allows for a full rise.

I do this with ALL of my large loaves of bread, even if I add stenciling on top. Which leads me to..

2). Stenciling.

These are delicate slashes you make on the top of the bread that aren’t very deep.

I actually have designs on both sides of the score in the picture above.

This is where you get the pretty designs that we’re all striving for. Which, by the way, are more difficult to make sometimes than it looks.

Apart from making you look like an expert baker, the designs also allows for that steam to be released. I don’t always do this to every loaf, based on the type of bread or the mood I’m in.

Do I need a special tool to do scoring or stenciling to get beautiful designs?

Not exactly.

You definitely need a sharp knife to make the large scoring cut. And if you want to get fancy with stenciling, you need a knife with a small, sharp point.

When I first started with my bread, I just used a knife that I already had in my kitchen. I now I have a bread lame that is better designed to create what I want.

What is the white powder on the top of the bread?

I actually didn’t use it in the picture above, but it’s rice flour.

Rice flour has a different baking temperature so when you make you’re bread the flour won’t melt away. That’s why you can still see the flour on the loaves even after they’re baked. The rice flour just emphasizes the designs that you make.

When should I do the scoring and stenciling?

Once my loaf has risen, I put it in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes so that it firms up just a little bit. Of if you let your loaf proof in the fridge, score it right before you’re ready to bake. This makes it easier when you go to score and stencil it.

When I take it out of the fridge, that’s when I spray it with just a little bit of water and dust rice flour over it. I then make my cuts.

What if my beautiful designs don’t turn out on my sourdough bread?

Don’t get discouraged!

I’ve made some really good ears before and beautiful stenciling that I thought were going to turn out awesome. Unfortunately, sometimes the bread just doesn’t rise up when it’s baking and the bread doesn’t open up as nicely.

Play around with the depths and angles that you’re cutting and just keep trying!

Well, there you have it! Now you know how and why you want to score and stencil your sourdough bread to make it pretty!

Drop a comment below with any questions!