1. Victorinox Swiss Army Curved Bread Knife
Why do you need the Best Bread Knife?
If you want to seamlessly slice bread or foods with waxy surfaces, chances are you are looking for the best bread knife. Bread knives are also known as serrated knives and are distinguished by their serrated toothed blade.
This type of saw-like blade is only good for slicing things, rather than chopping. Unlike chef’s knives and other straight-blade knives, the best bread knives cannot be re-sharpened, so their lifespans are limited and so you probably need to replace it every few years or so depending on the amount of usage.
They say you really only need three knives in your kitchen: a chef’s knife, a paring knife, and a serrated bread knife. So why is a bread knife so important, and more importantly, why do you need a bread knife? Although you probably don’t use it as much as a chef’s knife, the serrated toothed blade is great to tear up both rugged and delicate foods.
The best bread knife is able to neatly slice through the tough crust of bread without compressing the softer dough on the inside. Finely sharpened blades are not the best for slicing bread because they can be either damaged by the hard crust of bread or may require you to put too much downward pressure on the blade, which could result in crushing the bread.
Serrated bread knives are able to grind down the hard crust of bread and other tough surfaces without the need to apply tremendous downward pressure. Another food item that is great with a serrated blade is slicing through ripe tomatoes since they have thick skin and a delicate interior. You can also use bread knives to cut through melons and tough fruits and vegetables with little effort and no risk of getting stuck. In terms of actual variation between different bread knives, they can vary by length, shape, and tooth design. Please refer to our buying guide below to learn more about the different variations.
Best Bread Knife Reviews
- Victorinox Swiss Army Curved Bread Knife (Top Pick)
- Dalstrong Bread Knife – Gladiator Series – German HC Steel – 10″
- Update International 9″ German Steel Offset Bread Knife
1. Victorinox Swiss Army Curved Bread Knife
If you want the best bread knife for the money, we think the Victorinox Swiss Army Bread Knife is one of the better options. This 10.25-inch curved blade knife with pointed serrated edges has the perfect length and thickness to accurately slice through hard bread crust and thick vegetable and fruit skin. This knife offers plenty of knuckle clearance and the curved blade design allows you to use a rocking motion to comfortably slice through bread.
This knife is recommended by many top chefs and restaurants as it offers a great blade length and gives you enough flexibility for a precise cut while maintaining ample control. Furthermore, it is made in Switzerland, and we all know that the Swiss take their knives very seriously. It has a lifetime warranty and is made of the best materials with master craftsmanship.
You will never need the lifetime warranty as this thing is indestructible and stays sharpened longer than most competitors on the market. When you hold the Victorinox Swiss Army Bread Knife in your hands, you will feel how well-made it really is. It is very well-balanced and lightweight so it feels effortless when you slice bread. It reduces fatigue on your wrist and hands with the non-slip Fibrox Pro handle, which gives you a very comfortable grip.
2. Dalstrong Bread Knife – Gladiator Series – German HC Steel – 10″
If you want the best bread knife and are willing to pay a premium, you should seriously look into the Dalstrong Gladiator Series Bread Knife. This is an award-winning bread knife made of the best materials, which basically justifies its premium price. And in case you are curious it is engineered to 55 Rockwell hardness and hand polished to a satin finish and machine balanced and tapered to improve both hardness and flexibility.
When you pick up the Dalstrong, you will feel the high-carbon bladed German steel. It is light, perfectly balanced, smooth cutting, and incredibly precise. There is plenty of knuckle clearance and the blade is slightly angled at precisely 18 degrees to allow for razor-sharp cutting and better wrist flexibility. The angled and perfectly spaced pointe serrations allow you to effortlessly cut into hard bread crust and tough skin on fruits and vegetables.
The Dalstrong Bread Knife has a black pakkawood handle, which both has a premium feel and gives you a great grip. This handle is polished in a way that doesn’t attract germs and bacteria and never breaks down. This 10-inch knife is the best bread knife if you want one of the sharpest knives for cutting bread and all sorts of tough-to-penetrate fruits and veggies.
3. Update International 9″ German Steel Offset Bread Knife
If you want the best bread knife with an offset blade, you may be interested in the Update International Bread Knife. This knife is made of German high-carbon steel with molybdenum vanadium, which is just fancy jargon for it works very well and is very durable. Although the overall length of the bread knife is only 14 inches, the blade itself is only 9 inches.
The offset blade definitely makes it stand out as it doesn’t have to ever worry about getting your knuckles or fingers on the cutting surface. The blade is a good inch below the handle, so rest assured that your finger will never come in contact with the surface of whatever you are cutting. However, there is a bit of a trade-off in performance, as it is a bit more awkward to weld and use. We are not going to lie, it takes a while to get used to controlled, precision cutting.
But once you are used to the balance and weight of this offset bread knife, you will never want to use a non-offset bread knife ever again. All else being equal, because the blade is not really aligned with the handle, it is just not as sharp or precise as a straight or curved bread knife. You may have to use some more pressure and force to get things done, but at least your knuckles won’t get in the way.
Best Bread Knife – A Buying Guide
There are so many types of bread knives on the market that it is a daunted task to hone in on one. Ideally, the best bread knife will be around 10 inches long, have a sturdy and comfortable handle, a curved edge, and with serrations of the perfect size.
We think the most important part of having a bread knife is to be able to evenly and cleanly slice bread and other foods. Please see below for a more detailed breakdown of the different types of bread knives out there on the market.
Blade Style
In terms of bread knife styles, you mainly have three kinds: flat, curved, and offset. Flatbread knives are the most common and have blades that are straight and run parallel to the handle. The blade on a flat knife also does not protrude out from the handle and remains in line with the handle. Next, you have curved bread knives, which have blades that curve up at an angle. In other words, the blade takes on more of an elongated triangle shape rather than a rectangle.
Curved bread knives allow for better knuckle clearance, and versatility, and are easier to rock the blade back and forth. Finally, you have offset blades, which hang 1 or 2 inches below the handle. This gives you lots of knuckle clearance, but you sacrifice some control. For slicing bread, we prefer a curved blade which gives you some leverage and leeway to wiggle the knife back and forth to really dig into the bread. Or you can always just use an electric knife.
Serration Types and Sizes
Serration refers to the type of teeth involved in the blades of a bread knife. Pointed serrations or teeth are probably the most common type. Pointed teeth are sharp and good for pierced tough surfaces such as hard bread crust or thin-skinned fruits. You also have scalloped-shaped serrations, which look like half-moons. Scalloped-shaped serrations are smoother than pointed serrations and are more suited for slicing seamlessly through meats, soft fruits, and softer bread.
Scalloped serrations are not great for puncturing tough surfaces, so if you just want a blade to slice bread, you should stick with pointed serrations. In terms of serration size, there is also an optimal range.  Ideally, you want the serrations to be medium size, so they can’t be too big, too small, and they are too widely spaced or too grouped together. Moderate sizing and moderate spacing provide the best balance between control, precision, and effortless slicing.
Blade Size
The standard average blade length of a bread knife is 6 inches, although the range can be anywhere from 4 inches to 15 inches. In terms of blade length, we recommend 9 or 10 inches as the sweet spot, as it is long enough to stably slice through bread and not too long to be awkward. Blade width can also vary as well and range from thin blades to thicker blades. After experimenting with different blade thicknesses, keeping everything else constant, we found that thinner blades slice things more precisely than thicker blades. However, thicker blades tend to be more durable, so there is always a trade-off.
Forged vs Stamped
Bread knives are made by one of two methods: forging or stamping. Forged knives are created when bar steel is heated and shaped under a drop hammer, which compressed the steel. These knives are thicker, heavier, stronger, and better balanced. Stamped knives and made from a hydraulic press that cuts out the blade shape from a flat piece of steel like a cookie cutter. They are thinner, lighter, less balanced, less durable, and less expensive than forged blades.
Types of Steel and Handle
The best bread knife blade is usually made of stainless steel. Stainless steel blades run in different grades with VG-10, 420HC, and 440C being the most common. VG-10 is made of high carbon count and has great superior edge retention. It is found in many Asian knives and has great durability and sharpness. 420HC and 440C stainless steel are also well-known blades that are corrosion-free and resist stains. Many Western break knives are made with this blade type.
In terms of handles, you have wooden handles, stainless steel handles, Santoprene, and plastic handles. Wood handles are not so durable and can get dirty and infested with bacteria. Stainless steel handles are nice and easy to deal with and quite durable. However, they can’t really handle the heat. Plastic handles are cheap, popular, and can handle lots of heat, although they are not durable. Finally, there are santoprene handles that are a mix of synthetic rubber and polypropylene, which makes for a good grip.
References
https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/03/an-illustrated-guide-to-types-of-knives/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bread_knife
