Gash
Gashing is cutting shallow slits or a decorative pattern into the surface of food with a knife, most familiarly the top of a pie crust or a loaf of bread before it bakes. On a double-crust pie these cuts, sometimes called vents or slashes, let steam escape from the bubbling filling so the crust does not balloon up or split unpredictably. On bread, the slashes both decorate the loaf and control how it expands in the oven.
A few well-placed gashes in a top crust are simple to make: with the tip of a sharp knife, cut two or three short slits or a small pattern in the center before baking. For bread, use a very sharp blade and cut at a slight angle in one confident stroke so the dough opens cleanly rather than dragging and tearing. On pastry the cuts can also be purely decorative, forming leaves or lattice-like designs that make a homemade pie look polished.
A few well-placed gashes in a top crust are simple to make: with the tip of a sharp knife, cut two or three short slits or a small pattern in the center before baking. For bread, use a very sharp blade and cut at a slight angle in one confident stroke so the dough opens cleanly rather than dragging and tearing. On pastry the cuts can also be purely decorative, forming leaves or lattice-like designs that make a homemade pie look polished.