hello dear members of the kkf i have a question for you regrading to cutting bread with very thick crust

[boblob]

hello dear members of the kkf i have a question for you regrading to cutting bread with very thick crust
i myself bake homemade sourdough with very thick crust taste is amazing but the problem i have is with cutting it
i have a bread knife but with this kind of bread it is extremely hard to cut through the crust i saw back and forth again and again and it almost does nothing, at the start the bread knife dosnt dig into the thick crust

my questions to you is:
I: what knifes do you use to cut thick bread crust?
II: do you use the claw method when using the bread knife if not how do you hold the bread ?
III: do you apply pressure when cutting ?
IV: i use the claw method in order to hold every ingredient i slice that is not a bread, holding the bread with the claw method is not firm enough V: .... but i do not want to just lay my hand flat on the bread because then my fingers are in danger ...
VI: what do you suggest that i can do ?

i am adding anothe question for yall i know there is a method to sharpen garden saws using a file is there any way to sharpen a bread knife ?

 

[btbyrd]

Turn the loaf of bread on its side. That usually makes it easier to slice crusty loaves without mangling them. I normally just use a serrated bread knife, but sometimes will use a gyuto if I have something with tough steel nearby.

 

[boblob]

Turn the loaf of bread on its side. That usually makes it easier to slice crusty loaves without mangling them. I normally just use a serrated bread knife, but sometimes will use a gyuto if I have something with tough steel nearby.

turn it on the side ?
how do you cut it this way it is extremely unstable?
do you hold the bread with the claw method ?
a video of the suggested method will be gladly appreciated!!!

 

[Luxman]

def use a breadknife from my experience it makes life so much easier - if it's really hard crust, it may wreck your thin edges!

 

[boblob]

def use a breadknife from my experience it makes life so much easier - if it's really hard crust, it may wreck your thin edges!

do you use the claw method when using the bread knife if not how do you hold the bread ?
do you apply pressure when cutting ?
do you lay the loaf regularly on the board ?

 

[mengwong]

You should ask this guy, lol

Breads - Sourdough rye beer bread

 

[btbyrd]

Like this. Sometimes with a claw, sometimes without. Depends on the size of the bread.

 

[boblob]

Like this. Sometimes with a claw, sometimes without. Depends on the size of the bread.

View attachment 207278

that seems very unstable imho
do you use pressure or you just saw for decades until the knife digs in the crust ?

 

[GorillaGrunt]

Gude bread knife. I use the 13” one for Dutch oven sourdough bread, it’s a really good match. As for sharpening, I’ve had some limited success sharpening a bread knife with specialized tapered round files, but I’m not into it. Similarly you could sharpen that saw with a saw sharpening file, probably a small thin flat or triangular one; Bahco makes some good ones.

 

[Jovidah]

If your knife is just skating across the surface it's either a crap knife, blunt or both. Cheapest functional solution is a Victorinox 26 cm pastry knife.

 

[superworrier]

Mercer bread knife is a good option and really cheap. The cheap one with the bad handle actually

 

[coxhaus]

I use a more aggressive bread knife as I have 2.

 

[daveb]

Thick crust begs for a Gude. It's worth finding one.

Dave Martell did an article on sharpening bread knives. My google-fu is not up to the task of finding it but it's in here somewhere.

 

[superworrier]

Mercer bread knife is a good option and really cheap. The cheap one with the bad handle actually

BTW part of how I came to buy this even when wanting to buy an expensive one is that the most important quality you need for cutting crusty bread is being thick and stiff (and having serrations of course), rather than having acute geometry/hard steel, so in this case, there is lower value add from higher cost That being said, I'm sure more expensive options are better, it's just that the ideal bread knife for hard bread is something cheaper to produce than the ideal gyuto. I still kind of want to acquire a Gude one day though. I'd still avoid knives like the Tojiro bread knife which are thin and are better for making crumb free slices of soft bread.

 

[Betsy L]

You need a new serrated bread knife. Suggestions above.

 

[superworrier]

To answer the other questions, I do claw grip. I don't use excessive downwards pressure. I cut the bread in half, then put it crumb side down and cut slices. This does not mangle the bread. I'm usually cutting crusty sourdough boules.

 

[cooktocut]

My 300ish mm takeda is my go to for cutting crusty bread… sounds crazy but it works really well and I don’t have to worry about tearing up my cutting board if I’m not paying attention.

 

[coxhaus]

My aggressive bread knife is hard on cutting boards, but it cuts crusty bread well.

 

[Jovidah]

I've always just kept a seperate cheap cutting board for bread-duty. I agree that serrated knives tend to chew up your boards.

 

[Benuser]

I've always just kept a seperate cheap cutting board for bread-duty. I agree that serrated knives tend to chew up your boards.

Rotating the bread while you're cutting it will avoid the knife to touch the board.

 

[Jovidah]

Rotating the bread while you're cutting it will avoid the knife to touch the board.

Yes but that requires a level of motor skill & coordination I usually lack in the mornings.

 

[mengwong]

Rotating the bread while you're cutting it will avoid the knife to touch the board.

 

[Delat]

that seems very unstable imho
do you use pressure or you just saw for decades until the knife digs in the crust ?

From your questions it sounds like your bread knife is super dull.

 

[mengwong]

Purists, avert your eyes …

If you have a preference for power tools, bread slicer „made in Germany“ - ritter has models that will fit into a drawer and pop up when needed. You could also consider a handheld electric bread knife.

 

[boblob]

From your questions it sounds like your bread knife is super dull.

the knife is actually almost brand new it was bought a few weeks ago

 

[mengwong]

Push harder.

 

[mengwong]

It is also legit and frequently more fun to use fingers to rip irregular chunks, you don’t always need slices.

 

[boblob]

It is also legit and frequently more fun to use fingers to rip irregular chunks, you don’t always need slices.

haha i agree but my family members get angry if i do so

 

[Jovidah]

the knife is actually almost brand new it was bought a few weeks ago

That says nothing. I don't know which knife it is, but plenty of knives get sold half-blunt, just like there's plenty of bread knives being sold that completely suck at cutting proper bread.

 

[boblob]

That says nothing. I don't know which knife it is, but plenty of knives get sold half-blunt, just like there's plenty of bread knives being sold that completely suck at cutting proper bread.

it is very simmilar to this
https://www.wusthof.com/products/wusthof-classic-8-bread-knife-1040101020