How to Make Mini Wafer Paper Rose Sourdough Loaves (Artistic Scoring Tutorial)
This artistic sourdough design is a special one- not just because of how cute it is, but because I made these mini wafer paper rose sourdough loaves with Sophia my 4 year old!
We took my go-to sourdough recipe, split it in half, and turned it into two petite boules, each decorated with delicate wafer paper roses and all natural colors.
This tutorial combines a few of my favorite techniques but is so easy to pull off! It includes 3D elements, wafer paper application, colored flour powders, and sculpted petal scoring all on a miniature scale which adds so much cuteness! You can of course make one larger loaf but minis are always more fun in my opinion- just make sure you have a baking vessel that can fit both- the Challenger Breadpan fits two minis snugly for me.
If you’re looking for another gorgeous design that feels seasonal and eye catching take a peek at my Valentine’s Day Heart Sourdough Loaf. If you make either design, I’d love to see them- tag me @the.sourdough.mama on instagram so I can admire your beautiful bakes!
Here for the Rose Wafer Papers?
Here you go! I absolutely love 3CatsAndAPig wafer papers- she has the best designs!
Watch the Process
In addition to the steps outlined below, I highly recommend watching the reel I created for this loaf HERE for visual reference. It will give a bit of extra guidance to ensure you are a success with your Mini Wafer Paper Rose Sourdough Loaves.
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Why Mini Loaves?
Mini boules are perfect for artistic scoring because they feel less intimidating and you can bake two at once! They’re also ideal when baking with kids, gifting, or experimenting with new techniques like wafer paper without committing to a full-sized loaf.
To create these, I simply prepared my usual sourdough dough (around ~1000g) and divided it evenly into two portions after bulk fermentation. I used cereal bowls lined with cloth and a hairnet (prevents sticking) as my mini bannetons.
What you’ll need
About 3CatsAndAPig Wafer Papers
One of my favorite tools for delicate decorative loaves is edible wafer paper from 3CatsAndAPig. Wafer paper is a food-safe sheet typically made from rice starch, water, and oil. It’s ultra thin, neutral in flavor, and bakes right onto your sourdough crust.
I love using 3CatsAndAPig’s designs because they’re beautifully detailed, customizable, and hold up well on the dough surface. For this rose loaf, I chose THESE floral shapes and they paired perfectly with the soft hibiscus and pink powder colors.
Tips for best results:
- Apply the wafers to a lightly damp surface– wetting the dough gently helps the wafer paper stick evenly without tearing.
- Handle with care– wafer paper is delicate, so press it gently into place rather than stretching or dragging it.
- Cover with parchment paper when applying powders around the wafer paper so the wafer paper itself stays vibrant and clean.
If you haven’t tried wafer paper yet, it’s a fun way to bring illustrative elements to your sourdough while keeping everything edible and simple!
Dough Preparation & Shaping
Night Before
10:00 PM — Prepare your levain (starter you will use to bake with):
10g starter + 50g flour + 50g water
(Adjust based on your kitchen temperature. This works well in my kitchen when it is around 75°F.)
need a starter?
Dehydrated Sourdough Starter
Day 1
8:00 AM — Mix + fermentolyse
9:00 AM — Begin stretch & folds
Bulk ferment 7–8 hours with 3–4 folds (varies by climate and dough temp)
4:00 PM — Divide the dough into 2 mini boules + cold proof overnight
Day 2
10:00 AM — Freeze the mini doughs 30–45 minutes (for crisp scoring)
Preheat oven to 500°F with Dutch oven inside- make sure you have one large enough for the two mini loaves or open bake them
11:00 AM — Bake at 430°F
20 minutes covered + 15-20 minutes uncovered
Step-by-Step Mini Wafer Paper Rose Design
1. Prep the Mini Doughs
- Freeze the doughs 30–45 minutes while your dutch oven pre-heats in the oven at 500°F
- Place your materials (see list above) at your scoring station
- Bring the chilled doughs to your scoring station
- Lay 3 (approx. 20 inch) pieces of baker’s twine across the bottom of each dough like the spokes of a wheel to create 6 equal sections
- Flip them over onto parchment or a BreadMat and remove the bannetons
- Brush off excess flour
2. Apply the Wafer Papers & Colored Powders
- Spritz the entire surface with water so they are fully coated in a thin layer of water. The dough should be glistening but not dripping
- Place the wafer papers on top of the damp dough and gently press them down- do not rub or they will tear
- Place small pieces of parchment gently on top of the wafers to cover them during flour dusting.
- Using a flour duster, sprinkle the pink flour or red powder onto the dough and around the wafers.
- Once sprinkled, gently smooth the powder with your fingers.
- Carefully lift the parchment up by slowly rocking it side to side until it lifts away from the wafer paper
Pro Tip: You could also leave the small pieces of parchment covering your wafers. This will help the baker’s twine not stick to the design during baking- something I wish I had done! I took it off during my creation video so the pretty design could be seen.
3. Tie the Doughs
- Snip one of the strings off at the base of the dough so you only have 5 strings- six will make your sections for the petals too tight-5 is ideal!
- Gather the strings together with your non-dominant hand. Take one string and wrap it around the others several times, cinching them into a stable bundle. Bring that wrapped string up to join the rest, then tie them together, leaving about one finger-width of slack so the dough can expand freely.
- You want the strings to sit just flush against the dough- tight enough to stay in place, but not so tight that they dig into the dough, which could cause the top of your design to burst while baking.
- Space the strings to create 5 equal sections.
4. Scoring the Petals
- Use a toothpick to lightly trace your petals within each section (optional). They should be wide, but leave a small gap near the strings, and slightly pointed at the ends.
- Use your lame to score each petal and cut to about ⅛ inch deep to create definition and separation as the bread bakes.
5. The 5-Minute Expansion Score (Covered Bake)
- Lower your oven heat to 430°F (some ovens may perform better at 450°F– go with your preferred baking temperature for sourdough) and bake the dough covered for 5 minutes.
- Note:
- If your dough tends to split early or set quickly, reduce to 3–4 minutes.
- If it’s still too soft and jiggly, extend to 6–7 minutes.
- You want the dough to be firm enough to lift portions but not baked to the point where it is no longer flexible. This may take some trial and error!
- Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and take out the dough (if the dutch oven sides will be in the way when you go to score the dough).
- Using a sharp lame, carefully cut around the perimeter of each petal.
- I cut about 1/4 of an inch down from the original petal cut to give it a border and more dimension.
- Aim for a clean, confident cut.
- This outer cut is what allows the petal to lift and pop up during the rest of the bake.
- Note: if your dough tends to burst with minimal scoring like this, you could try making a small cuts all along the bottom outside edges of your dough- where it won’t be seen- this can help alleviate the splitting.
- Return the dough to the Dutch oven and bake covered for 15 more minutes.
6. Finish Baking (Uncovered Bake)
- Uncover, gently remove the strings, and continue baking for another 15-ish minutes, or until golden
- You may want to loosely cover the tops with foil to prevent them from over-browning.
- Transfer your finished loaves to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 30 minutes.
Final Thoughts
- These mini wafer paper rose loaves are a beautiful way to blend art and sourdough, especially when shared with little hands in the kitchen. Wafer paper opens up endless creative possibilities, and working on a smaller scale makes experimenting feel playful instead of precious!
- If you give this technique a try, I’d love to see it. Tag me @the.sourdough.mama or send me a photo and if you’re baking with your kids, even better.
Want More Sourdough Art?
If you loved this design, you’ll adore my Artistic Scoring Ebook linked below!
If you try this loaf, tag @the.sourdough.mama on Instagram- I love seeing your creations and often share them!
