A bread knife is a specialty knife designed to cut through the bread crust without compressing its soft interior in the process. The key design point is the frequency and width of the serrations. In some cases there is a straight blade section on either end of the bread knife with a longer serrated section in the middle. Serrated bread knives are often ground on only one side – called a single-bevel blade. Low-frequency serrations – lower number and wider spacing of teeth – help the blades glide through bread quickly and cleanly. What is a bread knife good at cutting? Basically anything with a hard skin or crust.
KNIFE BLADE SHAPE
A bread knife is shaped similar to the Santoku knife with 2 differences – it is serrated teeth and is much longer. The idea behind the length of the blade is it allows the cook to cut large surfaces in long, smooth strokes – much like a saw in carpentry. The serrated teeth help the knife grip the bread’s surface, keeping it straight and steady without having to apply downward pressure that might compress the loaf.
BREAD KNIFE SIZE
Bread knives come in length varying from 6″ to 14″ – the right size depends on what you will be cutting most frequently. For the average home cook an 8″ (20 cm) blade is the right length as it is long enough to cut though most large breads yet short enough to control easily. If the blade is too long it may flex while cutting – making cutting straight difficult for home cooks.
WHEN TO USE IT
Whether freshly baked or several days old the bread knife can handle cutting straight and smooth with ease. Soft white bread or crusty artisan bread poses no problems for a Kikusumi bread knife. Bread is not the only use for this knife – it is great for cutting through both soft cakes (sponge) and dense cakes (pound cakes) even when freshly baked. Hard skin fruit like pineapple or vegetables like pumpkin can also be peeled with the bread knife so long as one is careful not to flex the blade.
BEST BREAD KNIFE
In addition to slicing breads, bagels, and rolls, your bread knife can also slice through tough-skinned bell peppers and tomatoes. The serrated blade will gently cut through a tougher skin without crushing the juicy interior. It is also great for cutting away the rind of watermelons, honeydew. And it’s perfect for slicing other baked goods, such as cakes.
Kikusumi bread knife was designed with a straight blade section on the front and back end of the blade. The idea behind it its that the straight edge easily cuts through hard crusts while the serrated center section grips and smoothly slices the bread. The result is that the Kikusumi bread knife makes a very clean cut, creating beautifully thin slices with minimal crumbs.