Even if the recipe doesn’t call for slashing the bread dough when putting it into the oven, do any of you slash your dough anyway? If you do, does slashing give you a better oven spring and rise when baking?
I’m curious,
Leah
I slash nearly all loaves, but I make primarily free form “artisanal” loaves with natural leaven. I don’t know that the slash/score affects anything other than appearance. The fermentation “gas” has to go somewhere 
and the scores help ensure that the loaf is going to open at the scores vs some odd bulge(s) and/or rips. That said, some enriched doughs (brioche) you might not slash (lower temp, less “explosion”) as well as some sandwich loaves, but I tend to do a straight slash down the middle of a sandwich loaf.
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I had always slashed but then tried putting the seam side down and letting nature take its course. I like it… lol
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Since I started my bread journey, I’ve been a “purist” in the sense that I tend to follow baking instructions “to the letter”. If the instructions (or video) doesn’t include slashing the bread before baking then I don’t slash. Well, this morning I was baking one of my favorite breads, cranberry pecan sourdough. The instructions and video do not include slashing the bread. So, I haven’t…until today. Today I decided to make a small slash in the bread to see if I got a better rise and oven spring on it. After all, it’s a “heavier” loaf with all those pecans and cranberries in it. Today’s bake is the tallest loaf of cranberry pecan I have ever gotten! That small slash made a huge difference!
Houston, we have liftoff!
Leah
Another view – tallest CP I’ve ever baked!
I so look forward to slicing into this once it cools! I anticipate an afternoon snack of it with a nice cuppa hot tea. Yum!
Leah
That’s so pretty! Looks delicious.
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@Fermentada Thanks, Melissa! The cranberry pecan is at the top of my “favorite bakes” list. It’s just one I adore. But recent bakes of it lacked a good height. It seemed like Cyril’s oomph got up and left but there’s nothing wrong with Cyril. Let’s face it, this is a heavier loaf since it’s loaded with “stuff.” Yesterday I had fed Cyril knowing I wanted to bake a CP. Today my thought pattern was to make a small slash after putting it in the clay baker. I knew it wouldn’t cause any harm and hoped it might help the oven spring. Bingo! When I took the lid off the clay baker my husband heard me say, “It worked!” I haven’t cut into it yet but I think it’s one of my best ones yet.
For a fleeting moment I thought of calling myself “Slash” as a nickname; then rapidly decided against it 
Leah 
Today I baked a round loaf and did not slash it. It did not explode out the side or somewhere else, but the bottom portion is heavy, almost in need of longer cooking. I was thinking that had I slashed it, it would have given the loaf an opening so the bottom could rise more & easier.
@Fermentada Melissa, Last night we were watching an episode of “The British Baking Show” and, of course, that new episode was BREAD WEEK! As we’re sitting on the sofa I look at my hubby and said, “Now I want bread!” 
I already had a nice large cuppa tea 
on the coffee table so I got up, cut a large slab of cranberry pecan bread, slathered it with good Irish butter and proceeded to indulge. Yum! 
Thanks to Breadtopia I can have Bread Week anytime I want!
Leah
@BeachBumm Your experience is similar to the ones I’d been having lately. In the beginning of my bread journey the breads would nicely burst with an oven spring and rise well, exhibiting a unique personality all their own with each loaf. But in recent months, the same recipe that I never needed to slash, wasn’t “bursting” and was getting a bit heavy (for lack of any better description). That’s why I decided to slash the bread, even though, technically, the recipe didn’t call for it. Because I got such a better result by slashing, I think I’m going to put a small slash 
into every bake from now on. In my mind I figure it couldn’t hurt!
Leah
Lately, when I slash the tops my uncooked loaf loses height, almost immediatly - that’s when I decided to try baking with no slash. I got far better oven rise w/o the slash, but a heavy bottom and small little air holes in the crumb. I’d like to be able to slash the top AND keep the height of the loaf.
@BeachBumm I’ve had that happen too, depending on the particular loaf of bread I’m baking at the time. My train of thought is if I’m slashing the loaf immediately after placing the dough in the hot preheated clay baker and then immediately closing the baker with the lid and baking it, the small amount of height that may be lost by doing the slash will be compensated for with the heat of the oven, the moisture in the dough and the subsequent oven spring I hope to achieve. Of course, I’m only a novice baker and NO scientist so this is only my opinion. 
I am married to a retired civil engineer though. I swear some “engineer-eze” has rubbed off on me after 47 years of marriage. 
Leah
Nice! I enjoy watching that show too, though I’m so bad at it. I always get antsy and want to bake too, so I pick up my phone and start researching recipes and completely forget the show is even on. Maybe I need to slice some bread and make some tea next time
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When I slash the dough seals itself after I put it in the oven, so I can’t tell if it works.