Lame

A lame is a scoring tool made from a thin double-edged razor blade fixed to a handle, sometimes with a slight curve, used to cut the surface of shaped dough right before baking. The blade needs to be extremely sharp and thin so it can slice cleanly through the dough's skin without dragging or tearing it.

Scoring with a lame controls where the dough expands during oven spring, directing gas release along a chosen line instead of letting the loaf tear randomly at its weakest point. A confident, quick, slightly angled cut, often at 30 to 45 degrees to the surface, helps create the raised flap of crust known as an ear, while a hesitant or too-shallow cut usually leads to a less pronounced rise along that line.

A curved lame is often easier for beginners to control on round loaves, while a straight blade works well for long, single cuts on batards. A common mistake is using a dull or bent blade, which tears rather than slices; blades are inexpensive and meant to be swapped out regularly. Scoring too late, once the dough surface has already started to dry out or the loaf has relaxed, also makes clean cuts harder to achieve.