What type of knife is best for cutting bread?

Author: Willow Thiel  |  Last update: Tuesday, February 3, 2026

There's no better tool than a razor-sharp serrated knife for slicing bread, sandwiches, or tomatoes. If you don't agree, just try cutting a fresh baguette without one.

What is the name of the knife used to cut bread?

The bread saw knife, also known as a bread knife or bread cutter, is very useful for cutting this food into thin or thick slices. It is primarily characterized by its strong and long blade size with a wavy saw edge that allows you to cut without much effort or breaking the bread.

What bread knife do chefs use?

Global Sai Bread Knife

The Global brand is known among home cooks and professional chefs for its high-end design made entirely from stainless steel, handle included. The Sai Bread Knife's grip is a benchmark for ergonomics and is comfortable to hold with its thumb rest, no matter your hand size.

What is the difference between a bread knife and a serrated knife?

Pointed edge bread knives, which are often simply referred to as "serrated" knives, have sharp and aggressive teeth that are designed to pierce through the hard outer crust of breads using a saw-like motion.

What knives do bakers use?

serrated bread/cake knife

To be perfect for pastry it should be 10” or longer with smaller, more compact teeth that are great for cutting cake and soft bread. A bread knife with larger teeth that are more spread out is better for hard crust breads and might tear up a delicate cake.

Equipment Review: The Best Serrated Knives

What is the best knife to cut bread?

There's no better tool than a razor-sharp serrated knife for slicing bread, sandwiches, or tomatoes. If you don't agree, just try cutting a fresh baguette without one.

What makes a knife a bread knife?

Bread knives are used for cutting bread and are one of many kitchen knives used by cooks. The serrated blades of bread knives are able to cut soft bread without crushing it.

What is the best length for a bread knife?

Blade length is also another important consideration to make when shopping for a bread knife, as longer, narrower blades will minimize the amount of cutting you'll need to do to create thin, even slices. However, the standard length of any bread knife is approximately 7 inches to 10 inches.

Why are bread knives so sharp?

Serrated knives are used instead of a straight edge knife, such as a chef's knife or santoku, as the serrated edge has a much better ability to bite into food that is either too hard (e.g. bread) or too soft (e.g. tomatoes) than a straight edged knife.

Is a utility knife good for cutting bread?

When to Use a Serrated Utility Knife. Every home cook will utilize a utility knife. The blade is generally 5 to 6 inches, which is shorter than the average bread knife, but the serrated utility knife is still a great choice for small loaves.

How to sharpen serrated knives?

Don't move it along the edge, like you would a straight edged blade. Use the sharpener one serration at a time, sharpen it 5 or 6 strokes, then move to the next serration. Feel the back side when you're finished and if there is a burr, take a few strokes there, holding the knife at an angle so the side won't rub.

What should your first cut be when cutting anything that is rounded?

Simply use a sharp chef's knife and proper knife hold to slice off a thin piece of the food. Turn the food over onto its flat side, and you now have a flat surface for safe slicing and dicing!

What knife is used to cut bread before baking?

Mostly, a bread knife has what's called a serrated blade. The edge you cut with has a series of sharpened teeth separated by sharp, scalloped recesses. The teeth are designed to split into the bread's crust, while the scalloped areas between the teeth slice softer areas like the crumb.

What type of knife allows bread to be easily sliced?

Serrated Knife

A serrated knife, also known as a bread knife, easily cuts through foods with hard exteriors and soft interiors like bread, pastries, pineapples, or tomatoes. Serrated knives are known for their jagged or sawtooth-like blade edge that creates clean and even cuts without crushing delicate foods.

How to cut homemade bread?

Cut from the side rather than the top, on an angle, and saw with a sharp serrated bread knife. Some breads just can't be cut efficiently (such as a big soft puffy loaf of challah or sweet Portuguese bread), so we just go caveman, and rip off pieces with our hands.

What is the difference between a bread knife and a regular knife?

A bread knife has a longer blade than a standard chef's knife, usually between 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) in length. Some bread knives have a unique design with a straight-edged blade, while others have a slightly curved blade for a rocking motion during slicing.

How do chefs get knives so sharp?

“A sharpening stone or whetstone is used primarily by professional chefs to sharpen knives, razors, scrapers and more. They can be designed to require either water or oil for lubrication, which also helps to clear or wash away the metal that comes off the edge of the implements during sharpening,” he explains.

Why do bread knives have two points?

Here are the two types of blades and which one to choose: A pointed blade: Commonly, the serration in bread knives are sharp and pointed, making the distinct feature unlike in most knives. This kind of blade also makes it easier to slice bread with hard shells.

What to look for when buying a bread knife?

The Serration of the Blade

When choosing a knife, look for deeper and pointier serrations. They are more versatile and give better slices. Additionally, look for serrated knives with fewer serrations. Fewer serrations create more force when slicing crusty bread, making the knives more effective.

Why do bread knives have prongs?

The teeth grip what you're cutting, causing the knife to slice through it rather than just tear parts of the bread off. Serrations also make it easier to get through a crusty loaf of bread or a crispy roast because the teeth bite into the outer layer rather than slipping on it.

What knife must you use for cutting bread?

How does a serrated bread knife differ from a chef's knife? Bread knives are serrated because of how they're used to slice bread: in a sawing motion. This back-and-forth action combined with the jagged teeth of the bread knife pierces and slices through the bread's crusty exterior without smushing its soft interior.

What is the best bread knife?

The knife became an instant favorite.
  • Wusthof Classic Double Serrated 9-Inch Bread Knife. ...
  • Dexter Russell 8-Inch Scalloped Bread Knife. ...
  • Shun Cutlery Premier 9-Inch Bread Knife. ...
  • Victorinox Swiss Army 10.25-Inch Bread Knife. ...
  • Mercer Culinary Millennia Colors 9-Inch Offset Wavy Edge Bread Knife.

Are serrated knives better for bread?

Serrated knives excel at cutting through foods with tough exteriors and soft interiors, making them ideal for bread, tomatoes, and other challenging ingredients. The unique saw-like edge of serrated knives allows for efficient cutting with minimal pressure, reducing the risk of crushing delicate foods.

Should a bread knife be sharp?

Instead of a straight edge, its edge is covered with so-called teeth, which are pointy and very sharp. The spaces between the teeth are very sharp as well. The teeth do a great job breaking a hard bread crust, while the spaces between them follow through and slice the bread.

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