Slicing bread...

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
Awhile back I was asked how I slice my homemade bread. I said I use my electric fillet knife because I prefer the blade over the traditional blades on electric knives. this blade does a good job of breaking through a chewy crust, yet not doing any damage to the crumb. Here's the blade...

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It is also very important that your bread be cooled to room temperature before slicing with any type of knife, or the loaf will collapse under the weight of the knife.
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
Get a Mac SB-105 bread knife. Warm or cold, hard or soft, no crumbs, perfect slices. It works.

Buzz
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
Wierd looking knife, Buzz. I liked the Henckel, Joe has. Mine is similar to Joe's. I also have a slicing guide. One can place the bread in the guide and I can cut uniform slices that way.
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buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
Wierd looking knife, Buzz. I liked the Henckel, Joe has. Mine is similar to Joe's. I also have a slicing guide. One can place the bread in the guide and I can cut uniform slices that way.
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I'm not a oneoff recommender of the Mac. All of the knife guys who have one agree that it is the best until you pay three times the price for a Gude. For three times the price you get 10% more knife. No contest. Mac! :wub:
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
I don't know about the knife stuff, but I did get a bread knife for home made bread. It works pretty good for me, but good tips about when to cut it, thanks!
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
My Henkle was a Father's Day gift from DW who, like me, knows very little about knives other than they cut and it costs a lot for a good one, and we had no guidance from anyone on the purchase. I'll not be replacing the Henkle anytime soon because she cared enough to spend a lot so I could have a good knife.

Before it gets heated here about knives, please remember that most of us don't know anything worth repeating about knives, and we do the best we can with what we have and what we can afford. It's different if money is not an object or if you make your living with a knife, but I believe the average foodie appreciates a good knife, but does not obsess over it like a knife aficionado would do. That's why there are knife forums. I don't want to see happen here what happened on another board when someone mentioned that they used Parmesan cheese from the green can instead of fresh grated. That was ugly and friendships were lost over that one. Please, I don't want to see that happen over a bread knife.

Thanks.
 

chowhound

New member
Joe, try as I could to find in your OP where you asked what would make a good bread knife..... I couldn't. :huh: ...... :rolleyes:

I'll take your post for what it was, a good recommendation, or trick someone may not have thought of, to cut bread. Nifty idea.
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
Thanks, JoeV. I agree.

I can appreciate the knife fans who are always chasing after the ultimate edge, perfect balance and gorgeous to look at too boot. But, I just want a knife that is sharp enough to keep me safe, weighted properly for my hand and that is comfortable to use.
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
Thanks, JoeV. I agree.

I can appreciate the knife fans who are always chasing after the ultimate edge, perfect balance and gorgeous to look at too boot. But, I just want a knife that is sharp enough to keep me safe, weighted properly for my hand and that is comfortable to use.

Mmmmmm. Then you might like one or both of my Challahs.

Challah01.jpg
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
Buzz, I do not know what you know about Judaism so forgive me if you already know this but others on the board may not.

Those are religious knives made especially to help enter in the Bride known as Shabbat. Shabbat is one of the most important Jewish holidays and special articles are used to celebrate the holiday--one doesn't want to use one's everyday workaday world knife but something special.

There are beautiful special wine goblets, challah covers, spice boxes, candlelabras--people have special dishes, tableclothes etc.

Even the bread--challah is special. It is suppose to be different from daily bread which is why is it like brioche except that it is pareve. That is why there are special knives to cut challah and they are only used for that purpose.

btw, those two are truly beautiful. Enjoy!
 

joec

New member
Gold Site Supporter
I actually posted a review of the Gude vs the Shun Classic awhile back at both KF and FF. My conclusion was both are excellent knives and cut equally well. I later sold the Gude to Chad Ward and kept the smaller Shun as I had little need for a 32cm long blade. I will say though the test I cut 4 different types of bread as well as an angle food cake. I paid close attention to the amount of crumbs left as well as the ease at which they cut each item.

As for the electric knife they are also a favorite for many fisherman in Louisiana when it comes time to cut up a catch. I personally have never owned an electric knife. I did recently get a chance to try out the MAC and found it acceptable also. I did have a bit of a problem with it sliding on a hard baguette.
 

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buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
Buzz, I do not know what you know about Judaism so forgive me if you already know this but others on the board may not.

btw, those two are truly beautiful. Enjoy!

I know enough to appreciate both the traditions and the knives. I don't use these knives. I'm a collector. I buy and sell all the time and these two Challah bread knives happen to be with me now. Sometime later this year they will reside in other people's homes where I hope they can be used as intended. They really are pretty, aren't they? Both were made in Sheffield, England, one of the four knife making capitols of the world. :wink:
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
Beautiful knives and traditions. Thanks for the lesson. I was hoping you could have made it to my bread class to explain the tradition of challah bread to the class. Perhaps next time. BTW, they loved the challah. I made a 4-strand braid and a 6-strand braided loaf...both were totaly consumed by the class with butter and some used olive oil. I used Peter Reinhart's recipe from The Bread Baker's Apprentice.
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
I think the best challah that I have ever made and eaten is George Greenstein's recipe. He is a retired bakery owner who had a huge following in NY. He is the real deal and an online friend knows him well. He was going to publish a dessert book but when his publishing company got bought out, his dessert book fell through the cracks and he lost heart and chose not to work on it anymore. His bread book, "Secrets of a Jewish Baker" won the Best Baking and Dessert Cookbook for 1994 as is bestowed by the James Beard Foundation.

Funny thing is that was the name of my paternal grandfather at one time. He changed our last name for professional reasons due to antisemitism long before I was even dreamt of.
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
I made George's recipe (sent by you), but prefer Reinhart's. George uses 1/4 Cup of veg oil and 1/4 Cup +1-1/2 t of sugar, vs 2 T of olive oil and 2 T of sugar in Reinhart's recipe. Other than that, they're pretty much the same with about the same hydration %. I'm not a big fan of sweets, so that might be what turns me off.
 

PieSusan

Tortes Are Us
Super Site Supporter
Joe--challah is a religious bread. It is suppose to be sweeter because Shabbat is such a sweet holiday and such an important holiday. Challah is meant to be different from one's daily bread. The richness is what sets is apart.

However, if you prefer to eat the other recipe, that is fine with me. I just wanted to explain why challah is suppose to be so sweet and rich.
 
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