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5 Best Bread Knives for Crust or Hard Bread

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One of the best smells in a home is the smell of freshly baked bread. The aroma fills your kitchen and other areas of your house and it just makes it so homey. Not to mention it’s delicious. I think it’s safe to say we all love bread. 

When it comes to enjoying your bread, there are so many various types of bread out there, whether you make your own bread, buy it from the local bakery, or purchase it from a nearby grocery store chain. The key to truly enjoying your bread is being able to cut the bread well. 

What bread knives can you use to work through hard bread and crust? Which knives work best without ripping, tearing, and leaving a mess of crumbs after cutting?

It’s essential to find a great bread knife to make your cutting simple and smooth so your bread looks great and tastes great at the same time. 

We have good news for you. We’ve done the research and the reviewing, and we’ve narrowed it down to the 5 best bread knives for you. We hope you will keep reading to help you make a decision on your best bread knife. 

It’s never easy to sift through the hundreds of options out there for a product and try to narrow down your choices to the best. You can spend hours researching and reading and then find yourself still unable to decide how to choose. 

5 Perfect Bread Knives for Crusts & Hard Bread

Here are our top recommendations for bread knives:

bread knives
RankProductKey Features
1.Tojiro Bread Slicer 235 F-73710" stainless steel blade, natural wood handle
2.Shun DM0705 Classic 9-Inch Bread Knife9" blade, wide serrations, comfort-grip handle
3.Victorinox Swiss Army 8-Inch Serrated Bread Knife8" blade, ergonomic handle, easy to sharpen
4.J.A. Henckels International Forged Premio 8-Inch Bread Knife8" stainless steel blade, comfortable handle
5.Wusthof Classic 10-Inch Bread Knife10" stainless steel blade, ergonomically designed handle

Let’s check them out in more detail, shall we?

1. Tojiro Bread Slicer 235 F-737

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If you’re looking for a worthy option that is also affordable, we’ve found your best option in this Tojiro Bread Slicer.

Not only is this option affordable, but it is one of the best bread knives for slicing very thin slices as well. 

Key Features:

  • 14.75” total length with a blade of approximately 10”
  • High-Carbon Stainless steel blade
  • Natural wood handle

This knife is meant for the experienced chef or bread cutter who can capably handle the sharp blade and is ready to step up their bread-cutting game to cut seamless thin slices in their bread. For the price point on this knife, this bread knife is far superior to other bread knives in the same price range. 

This price range is considered a semi-disposable model because typically the inexpensive knives are not built to last, but this knife outranks many of those and is built to be durable and to hold its sharpness. 

As with all blades, you can sharpen as it dulls, so you can enjoy your bread knife for years to come. Slice your bread in thick or thin slices smoothly, even through thick crusts and hard bread. This knife also works well on meat and vegetables. 

Pros:

  • Best budget-friendly bread knife option
  • 10” blade that comes extremely sharp
  • Slices through vegetables, thick crusts, and hard bread smoothly

Cons:

  • The handle is not designed for framing fingers, leaving limited finger space
  • The sharp blade does not come with a protective sheath of any kind

2. Shun DM0705 Classic 9-Inch Bread Knife

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For your best show-stopper bread knife, look no further. Each Shun knife is handcrafted in Japan and designed to be of ultimate quality. The Shun DM0705 cuts every type of bread from soft to hard shells with no tearing or ripping from the knife. 

Key Features:

  • 9-inch blade with wide serrations
  • Blade made with cobalt, carbon, chromium, and tungsten
  • Comfort-grip handle

You will be in bread-slicing heaven with this superior bread knife. Don’t worry about bread ripping or tearing and certainly don’t worry about a challenge working through those hard-exterior crust layers. This knife will slice right through all of them with ease. 

The Shun knives are hand-crafted by Japanese chefs that understand what a great bread knife takes to work properly. Their blades contain high-quality steel and are heat-treated and tempered through specific processes to ensure the blade is the best. 

These knives are known for being harder, lighter, and sharper than your general bread knives. You will notice a significant difference in your bread slicing when you try out a Japanese-style bread knife. 

Pros:

  • The blade is built with high-quality materials for ultimate sharpness, durability, and strength
  • The handle is made with ebony wood and designed with a “D-shape” to make the grip comfortable and safe
  • Consistently slices all types of bread well, from delicate bread like challah to tough bread like rye. 

Cons:

  • An expensive bread knife, but with quality to make it worth the cost
  • Cannot be sharpened, but the blade is designed to stay sharp and last for years

3. Victorinox Swiss Army 8-Inch Serrated Bread Knife

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If you’re a mid-range type of person that prefers to purchase middle-of-the-line rather than low or high-end, we recommend giving the Victorinox Bread Knife with a Fibrox handle a whirl. This bread knife is your average quality bread knife with an average price tag as well. 

Key Features:

  • 8-Inch Serrated Blade, available in other lengths as well
  • Non-slip ergonomic handle
  • Optimal weight distribution

The Victorinox is labeled as a Swiss Army bread knife because it is a very versatile knife. The serrated edges allow you to seamlessly cut all types of bread with ease while also allowing you to cut soft fruits and veggies without squashing them. 

The serrated edges of the blade provide control and a soft cut so that you can work with your delicate cutting surfaces but also have the strength to work through those harder cutting surfaces and tough crusts of bread. 

This knife has a shorter blade than the typical bread-cutting knife, but the handle placement and design accommodated for the difference, making it work as smoothly and effortlessly as bread knives with longer blades and it is a bit less intimidating. 

Pros:

  • Easy to sharpen blade
  • Performs with average effectiveness, but works quite well on hard bread and crusts
  • An inexpensive bread knife option at a mid-range price
  • Versatile knife that works well on fruits and veggies as well as bread

Cons:

  • Must be sharpened every 2-3 uses
  • Not overly appealing in look with a basic style 

4. J.A. Henckels International Forged Premio 8-Inch Bread Knife

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Are you a beginner working with various types of cooking and cutting tools and just want something that won’t intimidate you but that will work like it’s supposed to slicing your bread? This knife is the choice for you. This knife perfectly fits entry-level slicing needs. 

Key Features:

  • 8-inch German stainless steel blade with a satin finish
  • Curved, comfort-designed handle
  • Forged bolster construction for the blade to handle the integration

Henckels International is well-known for its ability to provide affordable yet valuable kitchen utensils. This forged Premio bread knife suits their quality standards in a comfortable, durable design that effortlessly slices through crusts and hard bread. 

The serrated blade slices with ease and the handle is thick and contoured to provide you a comfortable and firm grip while you slice. This knife works best on hard bread but can be used on soft as well. It is not as gentle on the soft bread. 

This knife will not disappoint as a bread knife, especially if your intentions are for cutting crusts and hard bread. This blade can be sharpened with sharpening steel but does not require sharpening after every 2-3 uses. This is an overall great quality bread knife for everyday use. 

Pros:

  • Perfect for beginners with a shorter blade that is not so intimidating
  • High-quality stainless-steel design from a respected brand
  • Versatile for use on fruits and vegetables
  • Affordable price for a quality bread knife

Cons:

  • Under intense side pressure, the blade bends
  • While this knife boasts of being a German product, it is made in China

5. Wusthof Classic 10-Inch Bread Knife

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If you’re an experienced chef or kitchen utensil user of any kind, you recognize the benefits of investing in tools that will last for years to come.

Some of the best kitchen tools at your disposal have most likely been around for decades. If you want a reliable knife for years to come, this one is for you. 

Key Features:

  • 10-inch stainless-steel serrated blade
  • Triple rivet handle
  • 58 Rockwell hardness

This knife has a higher price point, but the knife is designed to slice your bread effortlessly for decades to come. Once this knife is in your service, you most likely will not need to replace it in your lifetime. This knife is made to be durable, with high-quality materials used.  

The knife is easy to sharpen and works well on crusty bread as well as hard bread but will also slice your softer bread as well. This knife is meant to be a long-term investment for your kitchen. 

Pros:

  • Meant to last for years to come
  • Jagged, pointed teeth designed for the crusts and hard bread 
  • A perfect combination of blade and ergonomically designed handle length

Cons:

  • Expensive knife (truly an investment)
  • Can be rough on softer bread

Related Questions

We hope that you have found this guide to be helpful for you as you seek the best bread knife for cutting crusts and hard bread. Please take a moment to review our frequent questions below.

How Should I Sharpen My Knife?

There are many sharpening options for knives. Be sure to follow the special care and handling instructions of the knife you purchase. Some knives cannot be sharpened, and you should follow the recommendations. There are knife-sharpening tools available on the market. 

Can I Use My Bread Knife on Fruits and Vegetables?

You will find that many bread knives are versatile and can be used on other types of foods as well. Keep in mind that using your knife on various surfaces may cause it to wear out faster or need sharpening more often. 

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