Eat Well ABQ Sourdough Scoring Guide
How to Score Sourdough Bread
Practice the cut. Read the loaf.
Interactive 2D Scoring Studio
Hold the lame. Score the loaf. Get rated.
How the game scores you
One confident score is the beginner target.
A useful expansion score needs enough length to create a controlled opening.
A slight diagonal usually gives beginners a better chance of forming an ear.
A smooth stroke scores better than a wobbly, hesitant, back-and-forth cut.
Multiple strokes can read as decorative, crossed, flower-like, or overworked.
Draw your first score.
Press on the loaf and drag. Release to finish each stroke. Tap āJudge My Scoreā when you are done.
Visual checkpoint Ā· one clean expansion path
You finished the practice cut
Now read what happened after the loaf hit the oven.
A score only becomes useful when you connect the cut to the baked result. Choose the outcome closest to yours, or move into the mechanics behind the opening.
Scoring Problem Finder
What happened when the loaf baked?
Ear formation clue
No ear does not automatically mean the score was wrong.
Blade angle matters, but proofing, dough strength, steam, shaping tension, and oven spring all contribute.
Visual checkpoint Ā· compare the evidence
Your result is a clue
The blade is only one part of the answer.
Before changing every variable at once, understand the relationship between scoring, dough strength, steam, and proofing. That keeps the next loaf from becoming another guess.
Why Scoring Matters
Scoring controls expansion. It does not create fermentation.
Choose the opening
A deliberate expansion score gives pressure a controlled path.
Shape the ear
A slightly angled blade can create a flap that lifts during oven spring.
Delay crust setting
Steam helps the surface remain flexible while the loaf expands.
Supply the energy
Proper fermentation gives the loaf enough structure and gas to open.
The part a screen cannot teach
Confidence comes from feeling the dough.
The game can train your eye and your motion. A hands-on class lets Chef Evangalene show you the blade angle, surface tension, proofing cues, and pressure in real time.
Proofing and Scoring
The same score behaves differently on different dough.
Underproofed dough
Too much pressure
The loaf may burst aggressively, tear beside the score, or create a dramatic but uneven opening.
Fully proofed dough
Controlled opening
The loaf has enough gas and strength to expand through the planned score without collapsing.
Overproofed dough
Too little spring
The score may stay flat or barely open because the dough no longer has enough strength or expansion left.
Dry surface
Dragging and tearing
A dried skin can fight the blade, distort decorative cuts, and hide the real proofing condition underneath.
Read the dough before the blade
The same cut cannot rescue every proofing state.
If the loaf is underproofed, overproofed, weak, or dry, changing the scoring pattern alone will not solve the real problem. Learn the fermentation cues, then use the score to direct healthy expansion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sourdough scoring answers.
Does scoring sourdough actually matter?
How deep should I score sourdough?
Why did my loaf burst on the side?
Why did my score disappear?
Should beginners do decorative scoring?
Can the scoring game detect every possible pattern?
Ask Chef Evangalene
Still unsure why your score behaved that way?
Score with Confidence