Do Bread Knives *Have* to be Serrated?

D

daily_grind

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I have a kitchen knife of ... well ... mediocre quality that has weird shaped scallops in it that don't look like they can be sharpened by a ceramic rod type sharpener. I'd like to get one that I can sharpen, so I'd probably look for one that has scallops that fit my ceramic rods.

But I was wondering, why is it that bread knives always get scallops? I often just use my big chef's knife (which *is* sharp) to cut a few slices of bread.
 
I've found that I almost always squash a loaf of really fresh bread if I don't use a serrated knife. Depends on the type of bread, too.

I've had good luck sharpening my bread knife with a small chainsaw file, used lightly and gently.
 
You can cut bread without the serrations but it will be a pain to do it without smashing a soft loaf. I don´t think it is worth the effort.
I´d look for a knife with a type of serrations that are easier to sharpen but difinitelly would not give up the serrations.
 
Aardvark said:
Kind of obviates the 'fresh' part, dunnit?
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Well ... 🤭

We don't eat enough bread to keep it fresh - so for us - freezing it keeps it from molding. Take out a couple frozen slices, pop in the toaster on low and it's good as new in a few seconds. But ... if you are a bread connoisseur/snob - that may not be a good option. 😉
 
DennisM said:
Well ... 🤭

We don't eat enough bread to keep it fresh - so for us - freezing it keeps it from molding. Take out a couple frozen slices, pop in the toaster on low and it's good as new in a few seconds. But ... if you are a bread connoisseur/snob - that may not be a good option. 😉
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Snob, suh? I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask you to step outside...
 
Rounded scallops over serrations for me, Tojiro ITK is a good option. Rounded points don't tear up the cutting board. There might be a better bread knife out there but probably not at the price. I don't have a problem sharpening it, rods should work fine in conjunction wit a flat stone or strop for the back.

 
A serrated knife is the best tool for cutting crusty bread that's right-out-of-the-oven hot. A regular edge will skate right over that even if it's very sharp. If the bread isn't piping hot then no, you don't really need a serrated knife to cut it. But I will say the crumb doesn't look or feel quite right to most people when you cut with a sharp chef's knife vs a serrated, especially if you're using it for toast. The texture when you toast it is a bit different when you have slightly ragged surface left by a serrated knife.
 
A sharp, thin blade cuts bread almost as well as a serrated, thin blade. If you're not baking the bread and slicing it immediately, serrations don't offer much of a boost in performance.

I think one big advantage of the 10" serrated bread knife is the length! That big ten inch accomodates the sawing motion that gets through bread without crushing it. I'm working on getting that sawing motion ingrained.

Sharpened to 600 grit and used with a smooth back-and-forth motion, a plain edge can get close to the performance of a good serrated edge. Close but not quite there.
 
Great insight folks, thanks. I'm probably going to start looking for an easier-to-sharpen scalloped breadknife then. :)
 
Bread, fresh or dry and hard, is not going to wear any serrated knife edge quickly if you taper off downward pressure just off the cutting board. This is a vintage Kaicut Edges Ahead. Not likely to need sharpening for a very very long time.
 

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I've sharpened a lot of different serrated edges with my well-used Spyderco Sharpmaker. That "system" works exactly as it is supposed to work, with a little practice to get the serrations to pass smoothly over the edge of the stone. It is wearing down any points, and generally smoothing out the serrations, but we are cutting bread here. I think a few passes over the edges of a Sharpmaker every four to six months should do for most home cooks.

But I get a feeling of accomplishment when I slice bread smoothly and accurately with a chef's knife or a santoku. Makes me feel like a man. I don't need no serrations, just three knives.
 
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