How to Evenly Slice Homemade Bread

Pan baked loaves are easiest to slice.

Upon perfecting your homemade bread recipe, or introducing a new recipe to your home, you need to cut the loaf before serving. A common problem when serving homemade bread is cutting uneven or messy slices, which are then difficult to use for sandwiches or toast. Several factors play into unevenly sliced bread, ranging from the temperature of the loaf to your cutting utensil. You can learn to cut your bread evenly by altering your methods and using the proper tools.

Things You'll Need

• Cutting board
• Sharp, serrated knife
• Airtight container

Instructions

1. Allow the bread to cool to room temperature after removing it from the oven.

2. Set the bread on its side on a clean cutting board. Cutting the bread while it is on its side will provide a level surface to work with for clean, evenly sliced bread.

3. Grasp a sharp, serrated knife in your dominant hand and steady the loaf with your other. If the blade is not sharp, it will not be able to slice your loaf of bread properly.

4. Place the blade of the knife approximately 1/4 inch inward from one end of the bread.

5. Begin quickly sawing back and forth with the knife, keeping the blade parallel with the cutting board. Do not press down on the blade; a sharp knife will cut through the bread using its own weight.

6. Repeat the process, moving approximately 1/4 inch inward from the edge of the loaf each time until you have sliced all of the bread.

7. Store any uneaten sliced bread in an airtight container to prevent it from drying out.

Tips & Warnings

• Slicing homemade bread takes practice. You will refine your cutting technique with each new loaf.

References

• "The Bread Bible: 300 Favorite Recipes"; Beth Hensperger; 2004
• "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking"; Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois; 2007
• "The Bread Lover's Bread Machine Cookbook"; Beth Hensperger; 2000