The first question I always hear” why do I need a Bread Knife,”. My standard answer is always the same: You need a Bread Knife for cutting bread, as simple as that.
A Bread Knife is alway serrated and the total length is normally langer that your other knives. A good Bread knife should saw through a tough crust without mangling or compressing the tender crumb within.
Length:
A normal Bread Knife has a length of 9″ or 10″. This will help you to slice any bread regardless the dimension of your bread. The motion used to slice crusty bread is a ‘sawing’ action. Therefore, the longer the blade, the more efficient the slicing will be. In other words, you will get ‘more slice for less work’ because you can use the whole length of the blade before sawing in the opposite direction.
Material:
Most Bread Knives are made out of stainless steel these days. This works well, but if you can find one that is made of high carbon stainless steel, then that would be even better. High carbon stainless steel is tougher and more durable than regular stainless steel, and will stay sharper for longer.
Form:
Most Bread Knives are straight with the handle in line with the blade. This gives you a perfect comfort when sliding your bread.
Serrated:
Scalloped serration – This type of serrated knife has rounded serrations, without any actual points on the edge. It tends to be more effective for softer breads and fruits such as kiwis or tomatoes.
Pointed serration – This type of knife has sharp points spaced evenly out across the edge. The pointed serrations are well suited to slicing sourdough bread.
Almost all Bread Knives are with a serrated blades. It’s true that the distance between the gap of a wavy serrated Bread Knife can play a major role for the result of sliding your bread.
Having fewer serrations means there is a wider gap between each serration. Remember, the gaps between serrations provide a way to reduce friction. The wider the gap, the less friction there is, making for more efficient slicing.
