Slicing bread

Tree

I've got a decent bread knife, it's super, and a nice breadboard, good wooden yoke, but slicing bread isn't so simple. Whether it's a homemade loaf or some shop bought turnover, unless I cut doorsteps, the bread just doesn't want to cut evenly. You end up with torn slices, wedged slices, curved slices.

It could be that I don't buy/bake robust loaves, and these tender creatures are only for admiring or picking to pieces with your fingers, but surely I can have slices of these breads if I just wish hard enough.

I've adapted my tinned loaf making at home to be more like the commercial breads (you cut the loaf of dough into three/four and rotate before putting into the tin so the grain of the bread is now parallel with the slicing(and buttering) action), but that's only helped so much, and isn't going to help the big lumps of bought batch and turnover.

So cakers and bakers, tell me how to get a nice even slice of bread that I can build a sandwich that doesnt require me to dislocate my jaw.

Dizzyblonde

I'm rubbish at slicing bread and only have success when I use an electric carving knife.

Zaph

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I'm rubbish at slicing bread and only have success when I use an electric carving knife.

Yep, my parents have one and it's brilliant for perfectly slicing even the freshest bread.

Tree

I might see can I borrow the in-law's electric knife so. Another structuraly unsound loaf came out of the oven today, to be destroyed in the morning (onion and cheese bread, lumps of tasty interrupting my nice gluten network).

Dizzyblonde

An electric knife will make a huge difference because you don't have to apply any pressure on the bread

Tree

ooooh, does that mean.... can you... slice the bread while it's still hot?

syklops

Dont use an electric one.

As DizzyBlonde says you dont need to put pressure on the knife and thus squash the bread with an electric. Just do the same with a bread knife. Very little pressure and work your way down. Let the knife do the work, all you need to do is back and forth. Its not a race, just saw the bread slowly, putting very little downward pressure.

twignme

Sometimes when the crust is a little harder than the rest of the loaf I turn it on it's side and cut from there or the bottom.

I used to have difficulty getting even slices until I was told to not look at the knife but instead to look where it was going to finish. Sounds crazy but since then, I cut perfect slices every time.

Tree

The loaves I get to hack at are usually very tender inside and very crusty outside. The crust has a tendency to tear. I've been slicing loaves upright, on their sides, upside down, face down on the chopping board using the knife parallel to the board. Unless it's supported by a heel, the bread is too fragile to cut evenly

alcea

I use a Lidl slicer. We got it to slice left over meat for sandwiches, so it has paid for itself over the years. I get very even slices on the freshest of bread. Nothing nicer than a nice crusty bread with a soft fluffy center.

rubadub

There are plenty of bread slicing devices/guides out there. I imagine there is some easy way to make one yourself.

Some are aimed at making a full sliced pan, but some are just single slice.

https://www.google.ie/search?q=bread+slicer&safe=off&client=ubuntu&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=690&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjy4d2hzr7LAhUFJJoKHe0JBc8Q_AUIBigB#imgrc=_

Jimy1971

Keep your knife straight as you start to cut.if it's at an angle it will cut wrong. Also, try to get along bread knife. It's much easier

Keane2baMused

Totally agree with the electric carving knife.

It cuts perfect slices.

CarPark2

syklops wrote: »

Dont use an electric one.

As DizzyBlonde says you dont need to put pressure on the knife and thus squash the bread with an electric. Just do the same with a bread knife. Very little pressure and work your way down. Let the knife do the work, all you need to do is back and forth. Its not a race, just saw the bread slowly, putting very little downward pressure.

This is the key. It is easy to cut a nice slice of bread with a good (non-electric) bread knife, but the key is to saw (like with wood) and not to slice (like a person might slice an apple). Have patience, go back and forth, with almost no downward pressure. Most people put a lot of downward pressure which makes a mess of the bread.

The YOPPA

If you really want to cut nice even slices rather than doorstops, you have to try this...when you're starting to cut the bread, don't look at the slice you're cutting, look at the rest of the bread, ie the left hand side of the blade (if cutting right handed)

I know, it sounds daft...but it does work...try it!!

Alun

I'm pretty useful at cutting bread but my wife, who is left handed and swears she has problems because the knife is right-handed (?), cuts the loaf at such crazy angles, I need to cut one or two wedge shaped slices to get it back to normal again.

On the link rubadub posted one particularly caught my eye .. a DIY bread slicing gadget http://www.runnerduck.com/bread_slicer.htm. I think I may have a bash at making one of those myself as I have the tools required!

EDIT: Actually, this looks like a less bulky and also easier to make option http://www.eezi-slice.com/index.html