One of the skills that even experienced bread bakers can find daunting is slashing – the process of making sharp cuts in the risen dough to control and direct its oven spring. By contrast, it’s easy to make attractive and impressive loaves by cutting the dough with scissors.
The epi in the top photo are a doddle to make, and cover up a multitude of shaping flaws which might otherwise show up in a straight baguette (instructions are here). The dough can also be snipped through and rejoined into star shapes, as we showed in an earlier tutorial…
Dragon tail baguettes are always stunning, and their appearance belies how simple they are to shape…
Balls of dough can easily be transformed into hearts with a single scissor cut…
And last weekend, I made these experimental sourdough wreaths…
- 300g ripe sourdough starter (see here for more information)
- 500g bakers/bread flour
- 250g remilled semolina flour*
- 250g 00 flour
- 565g water
- 18g fine sea salt
- fine semolina for dusting the bench
Note: if you can’t find the remilled semolina flour (it’s usually imported from Italy – look for packets marked Semola Rimacinata di Grano Duro), then substitute more 00 flour or bakers flour and reduce the water to 550g.
1. Combine all the ingredients to form a shaggy dough, then cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes. After this time, uncover the dough and give it a short knead in the bowl. Cover again, and allow to prove until doubled in size. Please refer to our Basic Sourdough Tutorial for more detailed information.
2. Dust the bench with fine semolina, and shape 350 – 400g portions of the risen dough into long sausages…
3. Shape each into a ring, and sit it on a parchment lined tray. Cover and allow to prove a second time. Preheat oven to 240C with fan.
4. Once the dough has had a second prove, dust your hands with fine semolina and widen the ring by lifting and stretching very gently…
5. With kitchen scissors, snip the dough into leaf shapes, taking care not to cut all the way through the dough. Gently rotate each cut section outwards…
6. Spritz the top of the loaves with a little water, then place the tray in the oven, reducing the temperature to 220C with fan. Bake for 15 minutes (keep an eye on them, as they can brown up very quickly), then rotate the tray and further reduce the oven temperature to 175C with fan. Bake for another 15 – 20 minutes or until well browned.
The finished wreath is deliciously crusty, and perfect for breaking apart and sharing…
I always have enormous fun making scissor cut breads, and I hope you will too. Please let us know if you come up with any clever new designs!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
I will be using this post as a private tutorial for me in the near future…. I have SO MUCH trouble with the scissors slashing technique, in part because I have a serious handicap with anything that requires spacial orientation – long story, won’t bore you with it.
but MAYBE with your virtual help I can pull this last one, or maybe the heart shaped… the dragon I find out of my skills, I laugh thinking about what my production would end up looking like… a smashed big bug on the windshield? ;-)
Sally, the dragon tail really isn’t tricky, and the epi is a breeze! Have fun experimenting!
Your loaves look great Celia.
Thanks Glenda!
Your bread is beautiful! I am very impressed. Thank you for the lovely photos and the tips.
Cheers Jeanne, I’m glad you liked the post, thanks! :)
Its amazing how simple something like a scissor cut can make a loaf of bread look so beautiful!
Have a happy week ahead Celia.
:-) Mandy xo
Mandy, that’s the best thing of all about cutting dough with scissors – we end up with sculptural bread and everyone thinks we’re clever! :)
What great ideas! I use kitchen scissors for so many things but never thought of using them to shape bread. I will have a go on my next baking splurge!
Pat, can’t wait to see what you come up with! :)
How beautiful – I make a sourdough loaf almost every other day but always using my banneton. Time to get creative!
Chica, bread can be so beautiful out of a banneton that it’s hard to do anything else sometimes! :)
I have to do this tomorrow – I love playing with things like this. :)
M, it will work well with regular yeasted doughs as well as sourdoughs! :)
I’d forgotten about the dragon tail baguettes. Must have another go. The wreaths look great for sharing – they look as though they should have a bowl of something in the middle to dip into. Or maybe for a big party they could be heaped up like a hoopla game. Sorry, getting carried away now.
I do love it when you get carried away…now I’m thinking of bread quoits. :) Also wondering if I can do a dragon tail wreath..hmm…
Celia, you are so clever. I never thought to use scissors but I have to give it a try now. These look so much fun to make and look terrific.
Diane, I have so much fun cutting dough with scissors. Sometimes I cut them into leaf shapes and try to make a pattern. Admittedly, I end up with some pretty weird looking rolls occasionally. :)
Weird? I’d just call them creative works of art.
Celia, you are such a clever baker! And even better, you share you skills so eloquently. Love your work, girlfriend xox
Lizzy, that’s very kind of you, thank you! xx
How clever and how beautiful your bread is Celia! It looks as if it should be adorning a harvest supper display – better scoffed I suspect though.
Andrea, I’m thinking of baking a wreath and a star as a Christmas gift to go along with the chocolates this year! :)
Beautiful. I will save this for bread making days.
Thanks Francesca! Hope you have fun with them!
Wow that looks amazing! so clever :-)
Sandy, thank you, just so easy and fun too! :)
I have to put my hand up here – I am a total slashing failure. No matter which knife I use it always goes wrong, resulting in a less lovely loaf. You make this all look very easy, my friend. You are very skilled.
Slashing is something I’m still not very good at, after years of baking. Part of the problem is that my loaves are always quite high hydration, which means they don’t hold their shape once they start to rise. But I LIKE holey bread, so I keep making wet doughs! Thanks A! x
It’s so pretty Celia!
The only attempt I’ve made at scissor cut bread is when I tried to make bunny rabbit bread rolls. They looked really evil.
Hahaha…Claire, you’d have fun with these, I reckon! :)
I am definitely challenged when it comes to slashing bread. I always
forget about the scissors. Thank you very much for the reminder and for your stunning bread pics.
Tania, it’s hard to slash a really wet dough, which is why my ciabattas etc always look so..um..rustic. :)
Wow they really are quite pretty!
Thanks Lisa, fun to make too!
Such beautiful breads! (And wonderful photos, too.) My fiancee Paula is the baker in our household, and she’s made epi baguettes, like in your top photo, many times before, but never in a wreath! I’ve never seen that done before, but it’s a lovely idea.
Ooh, I’d love to think I’m the first person to make the wreaths, but I doubt it! :) Still, I didn’t see it anywhere else, so it’s original for me. Thanks for stopping by! :)
It all looks to be beyond my level of capabilities and that certainly is a serious pair of scissors that you have. I love all of your clever designs and the wreath is very festive xx
Charlie, I haven’t let anyone use my scissors to amputate a lorikeet’s leg. :)
Oh wow, these are all so beautiful! :-) You’ve done a splendid job. :-)
Thank you! :)
One day I hope we’ll be able to make gluten free bread work this well Celia! Your designs are beautiful sweetie, and the wreaths are perfect for the season too xox
Oh hon, I’ve given up trying to make gf breads. Sorry. I did try, but I can’t make them work.
No one can Celia… No one can……:'(
Oh my, they all look amazing! I have not baked sour dough for a while – cannot wait to get stuck back in :)
Tandy, how’s Cordelia going? Is she still bubbling away? :)
I’ll just bet you want top of kindergarten in cutting out. :) Seriously Celia those are great tips, I do use scissors for the top of loaves but never considered taking it further.
I wish I could remember kindergarten! :) Hope you have fun with these Rose!
want=were (I was bottom of typing class.)
Oh you clever clever girl x
Oooh praise from the chef, thank you! xx
Hi there! Totally LOVING your blog! I’m also a new participant for In My Kitchen!
http://blissfulyogajourney.blogspot.com/2013/11/in-my-kitchen-november.html is the direct post – I’d love to be added to your running list of participating links!
Thanks for playing Jennifer! :)
Ooh I’ve made long ones before but I like the wreath bread for Christmas! :D
I plan to make some for Chrissie! :)
What a beautiful round up of bread in all its loveliness! I love the heart shape of course, and that beautiful wreath. I’m hoping to make something similar, but it depends if I get up the courage.. xx
Barb, they’re fun to make and not all that hard either! :)
Oooh, that’s such a great idea, Celia! I think you should make some as Christmas gifts. I want to make one to take to my parents for Christmas. I’ve never even made an epi yet, but the wreath looks pretty simple and fun.
Thank you!!
xx
Mel, it’s really easy to make! I served one today on a board with a bowl of dip in the middle! :)
These are so gorgeous, and I love that they’re so simple! My rye/white flour starter is at day 3 and starting to bubble! I think I’m going to call it Fred… :)
Jas, that’s exciting! You’re better at it than I am, all I ever managed to grow was purple mould! :)
Celia, I’ve been having a conversation with Misky about sourdough, have you ever used 100% spelt flour in place of wheat? If so how did the loaves compare for flavour, texture and crust?
They are looking absolutely gorgeous! I remember we used to get bread like that from the baker’s when I was a kid. Must try this at home…