Lame

A lame (French for 'blade') is the tool a baker uses to score — slash — the surface of shaped dough just before it enters the oven. The blade itself is a standard double-edged safety razor (or a single-edge variation) either mounted rigidly straight or bowed into a curve on a stainless or plastic wand. The curvature is the critical distinction: a curved (bowed) blade held at an acute angle to the dough surface creates an undercut that lifts the scored flap, forming the dramatic raised lip known as the 'ear' (grigne in French) that is the hallmark of a well-made sourdough boule or baguette. A flat blade held perpendicular produces a more open, blooming cut without a pronounced ear — preferred for fougasse, ciabatta, and certain rye loaves. The mechanism at work is controlled expansion: during the first minutes in the oven, the dough undergoes rapid CO₂ release and steam expansion (oven spring). An unscored loaf tears randomly at its weakest seam; scoring predetermines where that expansion happens, directing it outward rather than sideways, producing even crumb structure and a decorative surface. Scoring depth (typically 5–10 mm at 30–45°), pattern (single slash, cross, wheat stalk, leaf motifs), speed of stroke, and dough temperature all affect the final result. A dull blade drags and deflates; always use a fresh or stropped blade. The lame is also used for pattern scoring on proofed croissants and enriched doughs, though in those contexts the ear is not the goal.

“She drew the lame across the boule in a single confident arc, holding the blade nearly parallel to the surface to guarantee a deep ear on the spring.”

• TechniqueScoring
• ConceptOven Spring
• TechniqueShaping Bread

1. 1.Tartine Bread — Chad Robertson (Chronicle Books, 2010)
2. 2.The Rye Baker — Stanley Ginsberg (W. W. Norton, 2016)
3. 3.Advanced Bread and Pastry — Michel Suas (Delmar Cengage, 2009)

Confidence: high