Small knife for scoring bread?

[timebard]

Hey y'all - my wife got into baking bread at home recently and on the latest loaf mentioned having not scored it deep enough. Not being one to let an opportunity pass by, I suggested that what she really needs is a dedicated knife for the job, and amazingly I scored a win on that one!

Anyone have suggestions for a small, thin, and stainless knife with a little character, say $100 or less? Something like a kamisori or kiridashi seems like it would fit the bill but the cheap options I see are all carbon and she'll inevitably leave it dirty in the sink for days at some point. My other thought is a small stainless Opinel folder or Higo.

Obviously she could just use a cheap parer or lame but where's the fun in that? Thanks y'all!

 

[MarcelNL]

what I see used most is something akin to the (or precisely that) a handle containing old fashioned disposable razor blades from the 'safety razor' era.

Guess it needs to be very thin and very sharp especially with higher hydration dough to not get caught.

this is what I see being used;
https://www.baktotaal.nl/brandnewca...AIh9DYyA3Pd1laybvC65QlBNwxFLzLcBoC8awQAvD_BwE
likely high end versions do exist, the good news is that the blade will be disposable ;-) it's called a 'Lame'

 

[mengwong]

i wonder what the Japanese knife term for lame is

 

[MarcelNL]

i wonder what the Japanese knife term for lame is

bread IME is not a Japanese staple, so it may not exist...

 

[SammieM]

As Marcel suggested the best thing to do is use a lame. No knife would be thin enough to score repeatedly wet dough. I’ve tried number of different knives and nothing beats a razor blade. Plus when you are scoring it should be done under an angle so during the oven spring the bread forms “ears” if you score perpendicularly that doesn’t happen…
Good luck on your search, but my money would be on a lame with a decent handle. They range from 10-400€ depending on the brand.

PS
Do a quick search on Etsy…

 

[user 16756]

Obviously she could just use a cheap parer or lame but where's the fun in that? Thanks y'all!

good results tbh.

not only is a razor blade going to do better than any knife, but the curved ones are even better. if you want to understand why, get a thinsh credit card and bend it like a razor blade on a lame and slash something soft with it.

and while I feel like kkf's resident kiridashi defender, tbh I cant think of a worse tool. the shape is just all wrong. if you want the big ears you need a very flat angle and again the curved lames are the best for this as they allow you to hold the lame in a more natural position.

 

[ethompson]

I use a loose double edge razor blade no handle or nothing. Tried everything and found I like that best 95% of the time

 

[parbaked]

bread IME is not a Japanese staple, so it may not exist...

Bread and bakeries are very popular in Japan.
There's a bakery in almost every supermarket, department store, train station, neighborhood etc.
A Japanese bakery is loosely based on a French boulangerie.
In fact, the Japanese word for bread is "pan" from the French "pain".
Used almost daily especially in urban areas.

This article outlines how it developed.
Bread in Japan

All the bakers I met in Japan use a lame when making baguettes...

 

[timebard]

Etsy seems to be a good recommendation, seeing lots of lame options there with a little more character than what I'd seen elsewhere. Thanks KKF!

 

[user 37848]

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/...-catcheside-halcyon-forge.66229/#post-1015145
That 320 suji would be perfect. If the wife doesn’t want it, you could always keep it for yourself

 

[jaydee]

Just checked richard bertinet's book and yep, baker's lame.
Baker's lame
he is in the uk though which i did not realize.

on a funny? Note:
The tip of a kamon gyuto should do judging from pictures but not very practical

I use a thin paring knife but no, it is not ideal.
You pull and drag the dough this way.

 

[DitmasPork]

I'd picked up a lame from Graydon Decollibus for my dough scoring tasks, happy with it, stellar wood too.

 

[KenjiF]

I have had the best results with feather razor blades so I guess a Kamisori would work. Probably more fun but also difficult with odd shapes, patterns, and such...