Unpopular opinion: I stopped using a bench scraper for dividing dough

I used to always use a bench scraper to portion my dough, thinking it was the only way to avoid deflating it. Saw a video of a pro baker in France just using oiled hands to tear off pieces, and decided to try it last month. My loaves actually rose higher and had a more open crumb, so am I missing something or is the scraper overhyped?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakota_king8017d ago

Oh man, totally get where you're coming from! I tried the same thing a few months back after watching this old Italian nonna on YouTube. She just scooped dough with her hand and twisted it off, no tools at all. My first attempt was a mess but once I got the hang of it, man, my ciabatta had these huge irregular holes that looked like a pro made it. I think the scraper actually pushes the dough down too hard sometimes, especially with wetter doughs. Have you tried it with higher hydration recipes yet?

the_wren17d ago

Did your friend burn their hands too?