Lame (kitchen tool)

A lame with plastic handle and protective cover

A lame (/læm, leɪm/, from French lame, inherited from Latin lāmina, meaning saw) is a double-sided blade that is used to slash the tops of bread loaves in baking. A lame is used to score (also called slashing or docking) bread just before the bread is placed in the oven. Often the blade's cutting edge will be slightly concave-shaped, which allows users to cut flaps (called shag) considerably thinner than would be possible with a traditional straight razor.

A slash on the loaf's surface allows the dough to properly expand in the oven without tearing the skin or crust and also allows moisture to escape from the loaf. It also releases some of the gas, mainly carbon dioxide, that is trapped inside the dough. Proper scoring also allows the baker to control exactly where the loaf will open or bloom. This significantly improves the appearance of baked breads. Scoring, finally, creates varieties in forms and appearance. It brings out the bread baker's artistic talent, allowing a unique signature.

Sourdough scored with lame, before baking
Sourdough bread scored with lame, after baking
Scored loaves of artisan French-style country bread
Loaves of rye bread showing several different kinds of scoring patterns

References

Jeffrey Hamelman (2004). Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipes, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 978-0-471-16857-7
REINHART, P. (1998). Crust & Crumb: Master Formulas for Serious Bread Bakers, Ten Speed Press

v t e Bread
Types	Brown bread Bun Flatbread Multigrain Quick Rye bread Salt-rising Sandwich bread Soda bread Sourdough Sprouted Unleavened White bread Whole wheat
Ingredients	Baker's yeast Barm Calcium propanoate Dough conditioner Eggs Fat Flour Leavening agent Milk Salt Sugar Water
Equipment	Oven Bread machine Bread pan Dough scraper Farinograph Lame Peel Stand mixer Warmer Toaster Weighing scales
Processes and techniques	Autolysis Baking Biga Chorleywood bread process Kneading Leavening Maillard reaction No-knead bread Proofing Pre-ferment Pre-slicing Sponge and dough Steaming Straight dough Vienna process
Uses	Bread crumbs Bread bowl Bread pakora Bread pudding Croutons French toast Rusks Stuffing Sandwiches Toast
Other	Bakery Breadmaking Baker percentage Bread and salt Bread in Europe History of bread
List articles	American breads Brand name breads Bread dishes Bread rolls British breads Buns French breads Indian breads Pakistani breads Quick breads Sourdough breads Sweet breads Swiss breads Toast dishes
Category

v t e Knives and daggers
List of daggers List of blade materials
Kitchen and table knives	Boning Boti Bread knife Butcher knife Butter knife Caidao Cheese knife Chef's knife Cleaver Electric knife Fillet knife Grapefruit knife Lame Mezzaluna Parmesan knife Pizza cutter Splayd Steak knife Tomato knife Japanese kitchen knives Deba bōchō Maguro bōchō Nakiri bōchō Santoku Sashimi bōchō Udon kiri Unagisaki hōchō Usuba bōchō Yanagi ba
Other knives	Aircrew Survival Egress Knife Athame Balisong/Butterfly Ballistic Ballpoint pen knife Bayonet Boline Bolo Boot knife Bowie Cane knife Ceramic knife Clip point Combat knife Commander Corvo CQC-6 Deba bōchō Diving knife Drop point Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife Gerber Mark II Ginsu Golok Gravity knife Guna Hacking knife Higonokami Hunting knife Jacob's ladder Karambit Kard Kirpan Kitchen knife Kukri Laguiole knife Machete Mandau Marking knife Misericorde Mora knife Multi-tool Navaja Neck knife Nontron knife Opinel knife Palette knife Pantographic knife Parang Penknife Penny knife Pirah Pocketknife Phurba Putty knife Puukko Rampuri Resolza Sabatier Sami knife SARK Scalpel Seax Sgian dubh Sharpfinger Sheath knife Shiv Sliding knife Smatchet SOG Knife Straight razor Strider SMF Survival knife Swiss Army knife Switchblade Taping knife Throwing knife Trench knife Tumi Ulu Utility knife Warrior knife Wedung X-Acto Yatagan
Daggers	Anelace Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife Arkansas toothpick BC-41 Bagh nakh Balarao Baselard Bichuwa Bollock dagger Cinquedea Dirk Ear dagger Emeici Facón French Nail Gunong Hunting dagger Janbiya Jile Kabutowari Kaiken Kalis Katar Khanjali Khanjar Kris Kunai Mark I trench knife Parrying dagger Poignard Pugio Push dagger Rondel dagger Seme Shobo Sica Stiletto Tantō U.S. Marine Raider stiletto V-42 Yoroi-dōshi
Manufacturers	Aitor Knife Company Al Mar Knives American Tomahawk Company Aritsugu Benchmade Böker Buck Knives Camillus Cutlery Company Cattaraugus Cutlery Company Chris Reeve Knives Chroma Cnife Clauss Cutlery Company Cold Steel Columbia River Knife & Tool Cuisinart Cutco Dalian Hanwei Metal Dexter-Russell Ek Commando Knife Co. EKA Emerson Knives F. Dick Fällkniven FAMAE Fiskars Gerber Legendary Blades Füritechnics Glock Ges.m.b.H. Imperial Schrade Ka-Bar Kershaw Knives KitchenAid Korin Japanese Trading Company Kyocera Leatherman Mad Dog Knives Marble Arms Medford Knife and Tool Microtech Knives Morseth Muela Murphy Knives Olfa Ontario Knife Company Opinel Randall Made Knives Rösle Sabatier Shun Cutlery Slice, Inc. SOG Specialty Knives Spyderco STI Knives Strider Knives Thiers Issard TOPS Knives Tramontina Victorinox W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. Carl Walther GmbH Wenger Western Knife Company Wilkinson Sword Wüsthof Yoshida Metal Industry Global Zero Tolerance Knives Zwilling J. A. Henckels
Knifemakers	Rex Applegate James Black Blackie Collins John Nelson Cooper Ernest Emerson Jerry Fisk Bill Harsey Jr. Phill Hartsfield Gil Hibben Jimmy Lile Bob Loveless William F. Moran Ken Onion Ralph Osterhout Bo Randall Chris Reeve A. G. Russell Jody Samson William Scagel Mike Snody Robert Terzuola Michael Walker Buster Warenski Daniel Winkler
Associations	American Bladesmith Society Cutlery and Allied Trades Research Association Knifemakers' Guild
Category:Knives / Daggers

v t e Kitchen tools
Kitchenware Cooking vessel Cookware and bakeware Cutlery Dishwashing Eating utensils Food preparation utensils Food storage container Tableware Teaware
Apple corer (Apple cutter) Baster Beanpot Blowtorch Bottle opener Bowl Bread knife Browning tray Butter curler Cake and pie server Candy thermometer Can opener Cheese cutter Cheese knife Cheese slicer Cheesecloth Chef's knife Cherry pitter Chinois Chopsticks Citrus reamer Clay pot Cleaver Colander Mated colander pot Cookie cutter Cookie press Corkscrew Crab cracker Cutting board Edible tableware Egg piercer Egg poacher Egg separator Egg slicer Egg timer Fat separator Fillet knife Fish scaler Fish slice Flour sifter Food mill Funnel Garlic press Grapefruit knife Grater Gravy strainer Honey dipper Honing steel Ladle Lame Lemon squeezer Lobster pick Mandoline Measuring cup Measuring spoon Meat grinder Meat tenderizer Meat thermometer Melon baller Mezzaluna Herb chopper Microplane Milk frother Milk watcher Mortar and pestle Nutcracker Nutmeg grater Oven glove Pastry bag Pastry blender Pastry brush Pastry wheel Peel Peeler Pepper mill Pie bird Pizza cutter Potato masher Potato ricer Pot-holder Poultry shears Roller docker Rolling pin Salt and pepper shakers Scissors Scoop Sieve Slotted spoon Spatula Spider Strawberry huller Tamis Tomato knife Tongs Trussing needle Twine Weighing scale Whisk Wooden spoon Scraper Dough Zester
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