bakingbread
I have seen someone asking how to get big holes in a bread? and then someone else asking how to get small holes in the bread?
Why would someone like big holes and the other person small holes?
Question: Is it all about the looks? Big holes look fancier than the smaller ones OR do the size of the holes impact the taste and texture of the breads?
As eggs are a very versatile ingredient: when substituting, it is important to determine whether the eggs are being used as a leavening agent or binder (or both). In recipes where the egg is used primarily as a leavening agent, I have used a mixture of baking powder (not soda), water, and vegetable oil in a 2:3:3 ratio, though you may want to experiment with the proportions depending upon your recipe. You may also need to vary the amount of other liquid in the recipe.
Where the egg is used primarily as a binder, you could use banana, applesauce, or gelatin, depending upon the recipe (obviously, you'll probably want to avoid the fruits in a savory recipe). I've used, and been thoroughly disappointed with, the available commercial "egg replacers" and don't recommend them for any purpose. I've heard of using flax, but have no personal experience with it.
However: as the father of (and resident chef for) a young child with egg and milk allergy, it is my experience that successfully substituting for eggs is very difficult. For breads in particular, I don't even bother with recipes that call for eggs or milk, and favor those that use the basic 3 (4): flour, water, yeast (salt).
A properly formed loaf, before it is baked, has a network of gluten strands stretched tightly around its perimeter. This network is in tension, helping maintain the shape of the loaf.
There are several reasons to score the loaf:
The tension in the outer network of gluten strands limits the ability of the loaf to expand, especially in the "oven spring" or final excited burst of activity that the yeast go through as the temperature of the dough rises at the beginning of baking. The score creates a slit in the network, allowing the loaf to expand, permitting more oven spring to take place.
The scores provide a weak point (due to the cut in that gluten net), controlling where expansion takes place oven spring proceeds. This may prevent cracks that would otherwise be unattractive.
Furthermore, the score allows aesthetically pleasing shapes or patterns to created on the loaf, as the the dough exposed during oven spring will have a slightly different texture (it isn't surrounded by the in-tension gluten network, and will have been baked slightly less as it comes to the surface of the loaf during the oven spring). This means it will tend to have a different (often lighter) color than the main crust where the in-tension network was in place. For example:
Another example, taken farther for a more artistic statement:
You can see the attractive pattern on the loaf from the scores (which are also functional in the first sense)—the look like a leaf. (Credit on photo).
Scoring is more important and effective in free form loaves which will have good oven spring.
Best Answer
There are lots of styles of bread, which of course different people have different preferences for, and which lend themselves to different applications.
First, what do the holes indicate? The holes are pockets or cells in the gluten network in the loaf--so the stronger the gluten network, the larger the holes can expand during proofing. similarly, the more active the yeast, or the longer the proof, the larger the holes will have the potential to expand.
So large holes tend to be found in breads with strong gluten networks, which have longer proofing times. These loaves will have chewier texture, and yeastier flavor, which can be very delicious.
For other applications, such as a typical US-style sandwich bread, the desire is for a more tender product, which is indicative of less gluten development; also, large holes would let spreads or condiments soak through the bread more easily, which is not so desirable in a sandwich to be eaten out of hand. So these loaves are typically ones with smaller holes.
So the holes are either a factor themselves (as in sandwich bread), or indicative of other qualities of the loaf (as in so-called artisan style bread)--but either way, they are a very visible indicator of the nature of the loaf, and so getting the desired holes will help get the desired loaf qualities.
I am sure there are many more qualified bread experts who will give you a more detailed answer...