Hey there! Do your store the dough in the fridge or on the kitchen counter? I had the exact same problem. I would store the dough in the fridge overnight, then take it out on the counter for an hour or two before trying (and failing) to score and bake. Recently though I learned from a website (danish one), that you should score and bake the dough straight out from the fridge, since the structure will hold when it has been cooled. I have had no problems scoring since, the dough keeps its shape and the blade goes way easier through the dough 🙂

Elsewise, maybe the hydration percentage in the dough is a little too high? Maybe try with a little less water in the dough, so it won’t be too soft?

Finally it could be that the gluten network isn’t strong enough (or maybe it has been overworked and therefore ripped apart). Do the gluten test on your dough to see if it has been “beaten” enough.

I am but an amateur, but I hope, it was somehow helpfull. Happy baking! 🙂

Hello DeLynn,
The answer could be yes and no. We are not the heaviest of flouring bakers, but too much could also hinder the scoring we think. The drying out of the top does help people with their scoring we know, but prefer our dough not to dry out and we rely on a very sharp blade, swift and decisive action and guidance with our hands of the dough. In short, in the end it should not really matter if there’s flour on top, you would still be able to score the dough well.

Enjoy the process and the baking

Hello Darren,
Our suggestion would be to score deeper and also over the full length of the bread, really well from side to side. You need to make your scoring the weakest spot where the bread will open. The tears indicate your scoring might be a bit too shallow. Also make sure your bread is well enough proofed before baking.

Hello Carole,
What flour type and recipe do you use and at what temperature is your dough proofing?

Hello Nancy,
Because you describe your blade is new and sharp, we think you just need to practice some more to make faster / ‘swifter’ and decisive moves with the blade. Use some oil on the blade to make it easier and guide the dough with your hand /fingers a bit to counter the movement of the blade. Every loaf is a new chance to practice, it is a skill, like many others that takes some time to get right.

Hi Daniel,
It is always best to try a recipe as stated and after that see what needs to be altered to make it your own. There will always be adjustments, even with your own versions, you will see you sometimes need to change the hydration just a bit with the seasons or with a new sack or brand of flour for instance. And as long as you are satisfied with your own bread, that is the most important thing of course.

Wishing you lots of baking joy and crusty loaves!
Marieke & Ed
Weekend Bakers

One difference by me. When ever I use the standard amount of water when doing the Sourdough Bread, the mixture is always very soggy and sticks to you like limpets. When I use the normal bread water content i.e. 1: 1.66 or 600g water to 1000g flour it is much better top handle. So I reduced the water content by 100g on this recipe. Very satisfied with the result. Many thanks!

No grant you need to do some more R and D. For those of you reading this do not loose heart. The only ingredients you need are flour, water, salt and yeast or a natural levean. No oil, milk or butter and nothing added to the flour. What is most important is developing good dough strength and elasticity, and properly fermenting your dough. Of it is over proofed it will be a mess. If it is under proofed it won’t spring well. You can definitely make great free for artisan bread in a home fan oven. Using a combo cooker or Dutch oven is the best but a good thick baking stone and a tray full of lava rocks and water will work great too. If using a baking stone turn fan off if possible. And definitely always slash/score right before you put the bread into the oven. Not before the final rise. The persons skill is what makes good bread even more than the ingredients and equipment. Preshaping and shaping should be done with a confident but gentle hand. Practice practice practice

Hello Chris,
The lines are made by putting the loaf in a proofing basket / banneton made of cane that has been prepared with flour. You can see how this works here:
www.weekendbakery.com/posts…-banneton/

Degassing is perfectly normal (a certain amount) and you should not worry about it, provided you use the right bread flour and your dough has the capacity to spring back in the oven.
You can also see this in our short video here (this is from quite a few years back, but the time lapse oven spring is still fun to watch): www.weekendbakery.com/posts…the-movie/
So make sure you use the right flour, proof to the right point and use enough steam in your oven to make a good oven spring possible.
Also check out our oven and stone oven tips:
www.weekendbakery.com/posts…your-oven/
and
www.weekendbakery.com/posts…ven-users/