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56 Comments
Connie S.
July 14, 2023
Honestly, I’m amazed that this article talks about this method like it’s new or unique. I’ve seen it in bread cookbooks for 40+ years.
Melissa
July 14, 2023
Am I the only one who wants to know about the restaurant with the 2ft long loaves of gluten free bread?! Neeed. Pleease.
aabbruzz
October 24, 2021
My Italian grandfather insisted we cut bread.......Italian crusty bread, of course......on its side. He had a chant to teach us to do it that way......it sounded like Zenna Zenna.......but the italian word for cut is talgia (il pane). I do it that way to this day with the chant in my head. And wonder if any other old Italians can figure out what he was saying to a little girl.
hemali12
December 9, 2020
Thanks for sharing such a great article. I didn't know how to use it but the bread slicer tips you gave are really nice and helpful. Thanks again for your amazing tips.
https://justbaking.co.uk/best-bread-slicers/ read it out
https://justbaking.co.uk/best-bread-slicers/ read it out
LynnFisher
July 1, 2018
Wow y'all are making the bread slicing process way harder than it needs to be! Leave the science and "techniques" to the baking process lol. No matter what kind of bread or knife you have, all you need is a bread slicer to keep the loaf steady and make perfectly even slices of all sizes. Every loaf of homemade bread I bake gets cooled while I unfold my Bread Pal, place it on the counter, and then slice away for sandwiches, thick toasts, everything even every time - and no squishing at all! I think you can get one directly from their site at https://www.BreadPal.net
JS
October 15, 2017
Have been doing this lately: Start with Side 1 facing up. Make one clean, thin slice into the bread about 2 inches deep. Rotate loaf so bottom is facing up. Start with the knife in the corner notch of the previous cut. Make one clean, thin slice across to the opposite corner about 2 inches deep. Rotate so the uncut side faces up. Repeat. Rotate so the top faces up. Put knife in corner notch from previous slice. Make one clean, thin slice across and connect with the first slice you made. Now your loaf has a thin, even slice started all the way around the loaf. I drape my left hand over the top of the loaf and hang it over the first slice that will be released so it doesn't flop over and break off as it is cut from the loaf. (Right hand does the slicing.) One clean swipe down cuts through the center of the loaf and releases the slice. I am able to make much thinner and more uniform slices than I could before. I also use a very sharp sushi knife to cut these thin slices on some loaves of bread rather than sawing on them with a bread knife.
JS
October 15, 2017
Have been doing this lately: Start with Side 1 facing up. Make one clean, thin slice into the bread about 2 inches deep. Rotate loaf so bottom is facing up. Start with the knife in the corner notch of the previous cut. Make one clean, thin slice across to the opposite corner about 2 inches deep. Rotate so the uncut side faces up. Repeat. Rotate so the top faces up. Put knife in corner notch from previous slice. Make one clean, thin slice across and connect with the first slice you made. Now your loaf has a thin, even slice started all the way around the loaf. I drape my left hand over the top of the loaf and hang it over the first slice that will be released so it doesn't flop over and break off as it is cut from the loaf. (Right hand does the slicing.) One clean swipe down cuts through the center of the loaf and releases the slice. I am able to make much thinner and more uniform slices than I could before. I also use a very sharp sushi knife to cut these thin slices on some loaves of bread rather than sawing on them with a bread knife.
Francisca A.
September 5, 2017
Hi! I've been doing this for a while now. I thought it was a matter of doing it the easier way with some kinds of bread. Anyway, I think it is great that Sarah shared it for someone who didn't know about it! Thanks!
Margaret
September 4, 2017
Maybe it's time to close this thread. So many smug, condescending comments are ruining the bread!
Robert A.
September 4, 2017
Millennials must be the most disconnected generation. They have no idea what came before them, so they think they invented everything.
david
September 2, 2017
I have been cutting my bread like that for over 60 years. I learned this from my grandparents. If you go to a bakery that still has bread cutting machine, they insert bread from the side.
Jackie S.
September 2, 2017
More intuitive than counter-intuitive I'd say. Been cutting bread loaves this way for a long time now because it just seemed the easiest way, except for baguettes which are easier to cut "right side" up.
Dolores R.
September 1, 2017
This is a practice I have been doing for years I'm glad you are getting the tip out.....
Margaret
September 1, 2017
WHOA,,,,.I'm a boomer and just began baking bread so I would know exactly what was in it. You don't have to sit around all day to bake bread, just in the evening when you're at home anyway. You make the time to do what you really want to do.
Sarah
September 1, 2017
I've never heard of this! Thanks for the tip. For us millennials this is new and not old news like the boomers who apparently had time to sit around and bake homemade bread all day. Cheers!
Dannielle
September 1, 2017
Hilarious! I'm going to be 49 this week-what am I again?? I realised if I have time to read a comment thread on a food website, I have time to bake a loaf of f'n bread. People will fight about anything!
petalpusher
September 1, 2017
Some days are better than others, but this site is about sharing information, not condoning divisive comments. Young or old, we're all in this together.
Judith P.
September 1, 2017
As in sitting around all day before working an eight-hour day that is followed by coming home to make dinner for the family, or sitting around all day with time on my hands after making dinner after work? I would love to fill the house with the aroma of fresh-baked bread, bread that I had the upper body strength to knead myself! There's yeast in the fridge. Perhaps once the heat-wave passes. A nice honey-curry challah.
icharmeat
August 31, 2017
HA! I have been trying to get the family to do this years now. I've demonstrated a number of times, truing up the curvy loaf face that our bread always ends up with. No luck. You can lead a horse to water...
Beverly W.
August 31, 2017
I discovered this method many years ago when I first started baking bread. I didn't have a bread knife....after I finally purchased one, I found slicing from the side was still the best method.
Winness
August 31, 2017
Nothing new in my world. I watched my parents do it, especially when the loaf is still warm from the oven. Key is a super sharp serrated knife. And remember to slice only what you will use. The remainder will stay soft and fresh longer.
nelly
August 31, 2017
You are a true certified genius. I would never have thought of this otherwise.
Pamela_in_Tokyo
August 31, 2017
This is a great idea! I know from the comments below that a lot of people think it is common sense and are laughing at us know-nothings!! I guess I don't buy whole loaves all that often. I'm going to try it. ..... if I get a whole loaf. I can get them cut at the bread shop, which I usually do.....
Mickey
August 31, 2017
I also slice the wide homemade breads on its side and have done so for many years. When slicing on its side I can see the top and bottom of the loaf for an even slice. It seems the natural way to slice wide breads without a slicing guide.
I bought the latest issue of "Sift" magazine two days ago at Costco.
Are we looking at page 45. An excellent magazine.
I bought the latest issue of "Sift" magazine two days ago at Costco.
Are we looking at page 45. An excellent magazine.
Chuck
August 31, 2017
As most people have already commented, I have sliced bread this way for as long as I can remember. What is so weird about it ? What's next, cooking pasta al dente???
AnneB
August 31, 2017
This isn't new to me--I've been turning my loaves sideways for a long time. I never gave it second thought!
LJD
August 31, 2017
I have always sliced my homemade loaves this way ... and baguettes from the market etc. Makes sense!
Marion C.
August 31, 2017
Doesn't everyone cut bread this way?
SandraH
August 31, 2017
I agree. You sort of figure out when you have the bread in front of you which is the best way to slice it, especially if too soft. I sometimes even turn the loaf about face (or should I say aboot face, being a Canuck) and am, in effect, cutting it backwards!!
Linda L.
August 31, 2017
I've always, all my life, sliced homemade bread this way. I'm amazed that it's not common practice.
Deborah
August 31, 2017
I have always done it this way... grew up in Europe, maybe that has something to do with it?
John J.
August 31, 2017
Next article up - how to use a fork ... mezmorizing.
SandraH
September 1, 2017
Sarah, you have a very witty (and also kind) sense of humour. Just want to say that I enjoy all of your articles and your writing voice, please continue! Thanks for making me chuckle with this one!
Scott H.
August 31, 2017
Another method useful for airy loaves is to stand them face (cut side) down on the board or counter and cut horizontally with the knife parallel to the cutting board. Rustic loaves (boules) in particular are not very stable on their sides.
carol S.
August 31, 2017
I've been doing this for decades. My mother in law was a bread baker so she was in on the secret ions ago. It really is easier!
cici
August 26, 2017
After 55 years of bread baking, I figured this out on my own 5 years ago and haven't looked back.
Margaret
August 25, 2017
I've sliced bread this way often. It usually turns out well, although I DO have a problem making straight, even slices-- no matter which way the bread is placed! Have also seen it sliced this way in bakeries.
Nancy
August 24, 2017
World wide fame?!...Daily Mail (UK) now has you (Sarah Jampel) and this technique featured on its home page...have a look:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-4818754/You-ve-doing-wrong-best-way-slice-bread.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-4818754/You-ve-doing-wrong-best-way-slice-bread.html
Pat E.
August 24, 2017
For me, the best way to get even slices is to watch the knife not the bread. I typically cut my bread on its bread anyway but it works either way. I watch the knife as it comes out of the bread to make sure it's perfectly perpendicular to the board. I find it if I watch the slicing of the bread instead of the knife I tend to go crooked. Hope someone finds that helpful. :-)
Donna H.
August 24, 2017
"Most loaves are shorter than they are wide" explaining that less distance to cover with the sawing motion...I get it for regular loaves, but to turn a wide, flat loaf up on its side makes absolutely no sense at all. I'll keep slicing the "boring" way for my decorative loaves, thanks.
Liam F.
August 23, 2017
Funny timing! Only a week or two ago I was having breakfast in a place with an open kitchen and had an "Ah hah!" moment ... the chef on toast duty would start from the top as normal, then as he got to the final third flipped the loaf on its side to avoid squashing the loaf.
HalfPint
August 23, 2017
I've sliced bread this way too and I still get uneven slices. Is it because I'm left handed?
Greenstuff
August 24, 2017
I'm left handed, and not only do I no have a problem, I am absolutely stunned to learn that anyone ever thought this method was strange, counterintuitive, or just plain wrong. It depends on the loaf, of course, but sometimes, it's just the most natural method. For me, anyway.
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