Spent $45 on a new lame and it made my scoring so much worse

I got a fancy new lame with a curved blade, thinking it would give me those nice ear patterns. It was about $45. The blade kept catching on the dough and tearing it instead of slicing clean. My last two loaves looked like they got in a fight. Anyone have a lame they actually like for high hydration dough?

3 comments

3 Comments

sarah_patel251mo ago

That curved blade design can be so tricky with wet dough. It sounds like the angle might be wrong for your specific technique. Honestly, I went back to a simple straight razor blade held in a basic handle. The fancy ones look cool but sometimes the simplest tool works best. You have to get that really shallow, almost flat angle with the dough surface. A fresh, sharp blade matters way more than the shape for me.

blair_webb1mo ago

Ever try just using a fresh utility knife blade?

christopher9431mo ago

Spot on, we overcomplicate so many simple things lol.