Guides
What makes a good bread knife?
The short answer: a good bread knife has a long blade, deep pointed serrations and hard steel that holds its edge. Length matters most. A blade longer than the loaf is wide lets you cut in long, even strokes instead of sawing, which is what tears the crumb. For many cooks it also needs to be full tang, for added strength.
What to look for
Length: 20cm for most loaves, 23cm for big ones
A sandwich loaf or baguette is easy work for a 20 to 21cm blade. A large sourdough boule or a bloomer can be 20cm across, and a 23cm blade clears it in two or three strokes rather than sawing back and forth inside the loaf.
Serrations: deep and pointed
The teeth bite into a hard crust and then slide through the soft inside. Pointed serrations grip a crackling crust better than shallow wavy ones, and they are kinder to tomatoes, soft brioche and layered cakes too.
Steel: hard enough to stay sharp
You cannot easily sharpen a serrated knife at home, so the steel has to hold its edge on its own. Look for hard steel. Softer blades go dull within a year.
Full tang, if strength matters to you
A full tang means the steel runs right through the handle. It makes the knife stronger and puts the weight in your hand, so the blade does the cutting rather than your wrist. Some cooks happily trade it for a lighter knife with a traditional Japanese handle.
Handle clearance
On a board, your knuckles need room under the handle when the blade reaches the bottom of the loaf. A slightly raised handle, or a deep blade, stops you scraping your fingers on the last slice.
How to cut a crusty loaf
Lay the loaf on its side if the top crust is very hard. The softer base is easier to start on.
Use the full length of the blade in long, light strokes. Let the teeth do it; do not push down.
Cut on wood. A teak end grain board is kind to the teeth and catches crumbs.
Wait until the bread has cooled for at least an hour. Hot bread squashes under any knife. Baking your own? How to bake bread in a cast iron casserole.
Our bread knives
Four, because people want different things from a bread knife. All carry a lifetime guarantee.
- Season S4 Bread Knife, £100. For the biggest loaves and the sturdiest build. 23cm blade, 67-layer Damascus steel around a 10CR core, 61 Rockwell, full tang, triple-riveted rosewood handle.
- Season S3 Bread Knife, £90. For a neutral, modern look. 20cm blade, 67-layer Damascus with a 10CR core and a hammered finish, full tang, black pakkawood handle.
- Season S1 Bread Knife, £90. For the traditional Japanese design. 23cm blade in Japanese VG-10 steel, 67 layers in a raindrop pattern, rosewood and ebony handle.
- Season S2 Bread Knife, £50. For a tighter budget. 21cm blade in German steel, full tang, redwood handle.
Questions people ask
How long should a bread knife be? 20 to 21cm handles most loaves; 23cm if you bake or buy large sourdough rounds.
Can you sharpen a bread knife? Yes, with a thin ceramic rod run through each serration, or by a professional. Hard steel means you rarely need to. Bring it to one of our shops and we will look at it.
Should a bread knife be serrated on one side or both? Most are ground on one side. It cuts straighter for right-handed users; left-handed cooks may prefer a knife ground for them or on both sides.
What else is a bread knife good for? Tomatoes, because the teeth break the skin without squashing the flesh. Cakes and pastry. And pineapple: it takes the tough skin off in long, clean strokes. We show it in our rum-spiced pineapple with coconut rice pudding.
Cook like it matters.
From the cooks at Season, a London cookshop since 2005.