Steel Bread Knife

A bread knife is a staple tool in just about any kitchen and for good reason. It’s specifically designed to be able to effortlessly cut through bread and slice through the crust without ripping it to shreds or completely flattening the loaf. A lot of this comes down to the knife’s serration, but the blade material is also essential.

These days, having bread knives is pretty common. But, even so, there isn’t just one type of steel. So, how do you choose the right bread knife for your kitchen?

Before you browse our selection of steel knives, we’re going to tell you exactly what a bread knife is (that is, its most essential properties), what it’s used for, and the different types of blade materials you can choose from.

What Exactly Are Bread Knives?

A bread knife is, obviously, a knife that is designed to cut bread. Here are some of the most essential properties of a bread knife.

• Serrated Blade: The serration (normally large scalloped or pointed teeth) allow the knife to grip slice through the crust without crushing the loaf.
• Long Blade: Normally between eight and 10 inches long, the length of a bread knife allows you to use proper cutting technique – a sawing motion.
• Maintenance: They tend to stay sharp for long, but some still need period sharpening.
• Versatility: They’re made primarily for bread, but they can be used for slicing fruit, vegetables, sandwiches, or cakes, among other things.

Bread Knife Blade Materials

Just like any knives, a bread knife can be made from a variety of different materials, but the most common are a stainless steel or carbon steel bread knives.

Remember, a bread knife is a tool that tends to be used often, thus requiring frequent washing, and its job also requires a fair bit of strength.

Stainless Steel Bread Knifes

Stainless steel is known, mostly, for being durable and resistant to corrosion. This is essential for a bread knife because, as we said, it’ll be used often and washed frequently, making it more susceptible to rust and other damage.

Carbon Steel Bread Knives

While most knife blades contain carbon, a carbon steel bread knives – or a high-carbon steel bread knife – contains even more. This makes the blade ultra strong, which is ideal for a knife that does a lot of serious cutting on a regular basis.

How to Sharpen Bread Knives

Sharpening a bread knife can be tough because of its serrations, but not impossible – you just need to know what to do.

Essentially, you need to sharpen each serration separately, making it time consuming. Get an angle of about 20 to 25 degrees and, starting at the heel of the knife, insert the rod into each serration. Move it from the heel to the tip, back and forth – repeat this on each serration.

Browse Our Steel Bread Knives Collection Today

Check out our selection of steel bread knives and find one that suits your needs.