Slicing Your Loaf Now That Everyone is Baking

[weinoo]

I find it somewhat impossible to slice a loaf of freshly baked bread; yes, after it has cooled.

 

Like the boule I made  today, I can slice it in half and get a couple of nice slices, and I can get a couple of nice, small slices off either "end," but what about the rest of the loaf?

 

 

This is the 2 halves of the loaf, with one slice cut off one of the halves. At this point, cutting nice slices becomes somewhat impossible; the bread is so fresh it just kinda mushes up when the knife gets through the crust. I'm using a nice Mac bread knife, and I tried a non-serrated blade as well - no luck.

 

Has anyone every tried their old school electric knife on bread?

[heidih]

Sometimes I end up doing the middle part the other direction. Sometimes I get Euro and just tear. I usually re-toast a bit in toaster oven, I use a course serrated knife.  Not a neat freak so rustic works for me. 

[Margaret Pilgrim]

We use a serrated off-set bread knife.    I have to beat husband off with a club to keep him from slicing a loaf before it has cooled sufficiently, but even when he wins we get good slices from beginning to end.   

[chromedome]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

Has anyone every tried their old school electric knife on bread?

 

Sadly mine lives in a box somewhere my storage locker, or I'd try it for you. I've been carrying it around unused for years, simply because it's such a "vintage" artifact...the knife handle itself and its base/wall mounting bracket are an impartial blend of avocado green and harvest gold, in order to fit with *any* kitchen decor.
 

For my own bread I use a plain-jane serrated Victorinox. For a boule (not that I've made one recently) I generally slice it down the middle, then lay a half on its cut side and slice vertically to make individual slices at a right angle to the original cut.
 

[lindag]

1 hour ago, weinoo said:

I find it somewhat impossible to slice a loaf of freshly baked bread; yes, after it has cooled.

 

Like the boule I made  today, I can slice it in half and get a couple of nice slices, and I can get a couple of nice, small slices off either "end," but what about the rest of the loaf?

 

 

This is the 2 halves of the loaf, with one slice cut off one of the halves. At this point, cutting nice slices becomes somewhat impossible; the bread is so fresh it just kinda mushes up when the knife gets through the crust. I'm using a nice Mac bread knife, and I tried a non-serrated blade as well - no luck.

 

Has anyone every tried their old school electric knife on bread?

I use my Cuisinart Electric Knife all the time for my smallish loaves,  For the big loaves I use a 12” serrated bread knife.

Both work perfectly.

 

[ElsieD]

I bought a Cuisinart electric knife specifically for slicing bread.   It didn't do a very good job so I returned it.  Now I just use my Wüstoff serated bread knife.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[lindag]

I find if you don’t push on the loaf and just let the knives do the work it’s easy.

l’ve been using mine for years.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

59 minutes ago, lindag said:

I find if you don’t push on the loaf and just let the knives do the work it’s easy.

l’ve been using mine for years.

Excellent point.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Modernist Bread recommends electric knives for bread.  I bought the Cuisinart electric bread knife on their recommendation.  The Cuisinart is useless for my bread.*  Useless.  I have half a dozen bread knives, including a Wusthof  but the only bread knife that works for me is my Henckels.

 

 

 

*the Cuisinart might work quite well for slicing sandwich bread or similar.

 

[weinoo]

14 hours ago, chromedome said:

 

Sadly mine lives in a box somewhere my storage locker, or I'd try it for you. I've been carrying it around unused for years, simply because it's such a "vintage" artifact...the knife handle itself and its base/wall mounting bracket are an impartial blend of avocado green and harvest gold, in order to fit with *any* kitchen decor.
 

For my own bread I use a plain-jane serrated Victorinox. For a boule (not that I've made one recently) I generally slice it down the middle, then lay a half on its cut side and slice vertically to make individual slices at a right angle to the original cut.
 

 

I have one (a vintage Hamilton Beach) in the closet, and it's gonna get a tryout soon; just wanted to see what everyone thought about it.

 

10 hours ago, lindag said:

I find if you don’t push on the loaf and just let the knives do the work it’s easy.

l’ve been using mine for years.

 

9 hours ago, Margaret Pilgrim said:

Excellent point.

 

C'mon ladies - you don't think I do that?

 

I also do the 90° thing, but sometimes I want a BIG slice of bread!

 

In addition to the Mac Bread knife I generally use, I have pretty much the same Henckels as yours, @JoNorvelleWalker.

[chromedome]

Just to follow up on my original post...there's a logic to the "slice in half, then cut crosswise" technique - for crusty artisan breads - that I hadn't explained adequately.

 

When you leave the loaf flat, and slice through it vertically, you're compressing the bread in the direction that it's most "squishable." When you halve it first, then stand the half-loaf on its cut side, the crust makes a structural arch. As you slice, from start to finish, the pressure of your blade (however great or little) is transferred to your work surface by the relatively rigid crust. The only compression that's applied to the crumb of the bread itself comes from the blade's lateral motion, and is relatively minor.

 

With soft loaves that doesn't apply, but of course with soft loaves any decent slicer works just fine and you don't need to play around with it.

[weinoo]

10 minutes ago, chromedome said:

Just to follow up on my original post...there's a logic to the "slice in half, then cut crosswise" technique - for crusty artisan breads - that I hadn't explained adequately.

 

When you leave the loaf flat, and slice through it vertically, you're compressing the bread in the direction that it's most "squishable." When you halve it first, then stand the half-loaf on its cut side, the crust makes a structural arch. As you slice, from start to finish, the pressure of your blade (however great or little) is transferred to your work surface by the relatively rigid crust. The only compression that's applied to the crumb of the bread itself comes from the blade's lateral motion, and is relatively minor.

 

With soft loaves that doesn't apply, but of course with soft loaves any decent slicer works just fine and you don't need to play around with it.

 

This is quite a Filippo Brunelleschi-ish explanation! Thanks!!

[chromedome]

LOL If you put the halves of the loaf back-to-back they form a hyperbola, so I guess hyperbole is entirely appropriate in the context...