Bread lames for
a cleaner score

A bread lame is a handle that holds a razor blade, used to score the top of a loaf just before it goes in the oven. The cut gives the expanding dough somewhere to go, so you get a taller loaf with a clean split and the raised ear that artisan bread is known for, instead of a burst side. You can bake without one, but a very sharp, very thin blade is what makes the difference between a cut that opens cleanly and one that drags and tears, and a lame is the cheapest way to get that. Ours start at £2.99.

If you are just starting, the Plastic Bread Lame does the job. Our best seller is the Walnut Wood Bread Lame, which retracts into its handle and comes with a leather case and five spare blades. If you want something that lives on the bench for years, the Folding Walnut Bread Lame and the Traditional Walnut Bread Lame have walnut handles with brass fittings.

Yes. Our lames take standard double-edge razor blades, and we stock Feather Hi-Stainless replacement blades in packs of five. They fit any lame that takes a double-edge blade, not just ours. Every lame here except the Plastic Bread Lame comes with five spares in the box, so the first few changes are covered. Change the blade as soon as it drags rather than slices, and dispose of used blades safely.

You can, and a very sharp, thin-bladed knife will get you a usable cut. The problem is drag: a kitchen knife is thicker than a razor blade and tends to pull the dough surface rather than slice it, which flattens the score and blurs the pattern. A lame holds a razor blade at a fixed angle, so the cut is clean and repeatable.

One deeper cut rather than several shallow ones, around a centimetre down, with the blade held at a shallow angle to the surface rather than straight down. The angle leaves a flap of dough that lifts and sets into the ear as the loaf springs. Several shallow cuts will spread the loaf sideways instead, which is what you want for a decorative pattern and not for height. Score the loaf cold and straight from the fridge if you can. Our guide on how to score sourdough for better oven spring walks through it with the common mistakes.

Because it contains razor blades. By law we can only sell them to adults, so by ordering a lame you confirm you are 18 or over, and the parcel is delivered to a signature from someone aged 18 or over. It is still dispatched the same day on orders before 2pm Monday to Friday, by tracked Royal Mail.

Orders placed before 2pm Monday to Friday are dispatched the same day. Standard UK delivery is £3.99 by Royal Mail Tracked 48, usually one to two working days, with priority Tracked 24 at £4.99, and standard delivery is free on orders over £50. If you are adding a lame to a banneton or a starter order, it all ships together.