Q: I've just perfected a homemade bread recipe and I'm very pleased with the results. Sadly, I cannot say the same for my slicing abilites. Is there an easy, do-it-yourself way to make a bread slicing guide or something that would help make my slices nice and even? I've tried using a sharp, large bread knife and an electric knife and I still end up with oddly shaped slices, and our local second-hand store didn't have any old guides in stock. Thanks!
Sent by Daniel
Editor: Daniel, this is an excellent question. We often have trouble cutting bread in even slices too. Although we have to say that a wave-style knife (like this model from Wüsthof) really, really helps. It gives you a lot more control and precision than the long, serrated blades.
You can also order a cutting board with a built-in slicer:
Pictured above:
• Norpro Acrylic Bread Slicer, $19.99 at Target
Readers, any DIY kitchen tips or hacks for getting thin, evenly-sliced bread?
Related: The Perfect One Slice Sandwich Bread
(Image: Target)
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I would love to know an answer to this too. I bought a similar cutting board with bread slicing guide built in but it still doesn't make it that much easier in my opinion. The plastic is really flimsy. Maybe if they used metal instead so that it wouldn't bend while you saw back and forth with the bread knife it would work better.
I love fiddle bow bread knives for perfectly sliced bread. I originally discovered these at the local bakery when I was down in TN. I've been using one ever since.
I've worked in artisan bakeries where the breads are crusty on the outside and this is what we told our customers.
1) Don't try to cut warm bread. Let it cool completely or it will mash,
2) Cut the bread with an offset serrated knife in a sawing motion. Never with a chef knife.
3)Turn the bread on its side when cutting. That crusty bottom is so much easier to cut through.
4) Perfect is in the eye of the beholder. I'd rather have a slice of bread that doesn't look like a machine sliced it. I also like to be able to slice bread according to its use. Sometimes thinner, sometimes fatter, depends.
I hope this helps!
When my grandmother began to lose her vision, someone from the local blind association came and gave her a metal guide that attached to her bread knife. I think you could even adjust the width of the slices. I'm not sure where you can find such a thing, but I know it exists.
I tried the fiddlebow as well, with limited success. I discovered that what my mother told me about slicing evenly was right -- with practice, you get much better at it. Now I can slice evenly with a regular bread knife. so just keep at it.
Why is everyone so concerned with perfectly sliced bread? Isn't the slightly uneven, a little too thick in some places kind of bread, what differentiates it as homemade? If I serve freshly baked bread, the last thing my guests, are concerned with is having a perfectly square slice. Enjoy your hard work!
I agree with Carla Snyder. There's absolutely no point in trying to cut warm or even room temperature bread. I started making my own bread each week about a year ago. One thing I discovered is that it must be left to cool completely on the counter (to prevent steaming when it's in a bag). Then I stick it in the fridge overnight (in a bag to prevent it from drying out). When I take it out the next morning (or whenever I get to it), it's super cold and a lot easier to cut. I can get really perfect slices using only a bread knife (and I use a really crappy bread knife from IKEA).
Am I the only one wondering about this perfect bread recipe he speaks of? I'm more interested in that!
If you're a lefty, you should consider a left-handed serrated knife. That will help in cutting an even slice from top to bottom, since the serrations are only on one edge of the blade to keep cuts even. With a right handed knife used in the wrong hand, I always wind up with too thick at the top, too thin at the bottom slices.
You shouldn't be slicing warm bread anyways. It ruins the bread(it let's all the moisture out).
And I say that practice is your friend. I used to sick at slicing bread too, when I started work as a pastry chef, having to slice 12 loaves of bread a night really helped me improve.
You want warm bread that is sliced perfectly? You don't have to let it cool. You don't have to wait to melt your butter on a heavenly slice any longer!! My unitasking electric turkey knife works MIRACLES for cutting perfect slices. Try it. I promise you will never go back. Now don't press down hard if it's especially crusty, but if you score it a bit to help it get started you'll be on your way to a lovely piece of perfectly sliced bread.
Someone once told me to concentrate on the piece I'm cutting from, rather than the piece I'm cutting off. Not sure why, but I think it does help.
dxdt is right. Concentrate on the loaf, not on the slice, and it is MUCH easier to cut an even slice.
When the bread is half-baked (firm enough to move), place it on a cooling rack and continue to bake it until it's finished. When it's done and cooled a bit, it will have lines from the cooling rack that you can use as a "guide" for slicing.