dfk41 I wondered what folks who bake bread use in the way of knives?
Are you after a good knife that cuts bread, or a fancy luxury item that you can brag about on internet forums?
If a luxury item, you already have a suggestion above for a +£400 item, or you can buy one of the lesser versions from the same brand for +£200 or for £65.
If you just want a good bread knife (for good bread, i.e. a crusty sourdough), for me one of the important things is that the blade is long, at least 25cm, the handle is nice to hold and the weight and balance is good (for a chef and boning knife I have Wusthof and I also have Zwilling and Victorinox knives, so I know what a quality knife is like).
When I wanted a bread knife with a longer blade, I initially got this Victorinox. I was thoroughly disappointed by the light weight, very thin handle and poor balance, so I returned it.
As I wanted something quick while I was mulling what to get next, I bought this Mercer Culinary 10-Inch bread knife (at the time it probably had a little fewer than the 46,051 raving reviews it has now, and it was also a little cheaper than the £14.60 it costs today). It’s nothing fancy - the handle is plastic and not much to look at. But it is comfortable to hold, the balance is good. The blade is sharp and cuts very easily through the crust. The fact that I’m still mulling what bread knife to get when I grow up and am using this every day for three years now tells you I think it’s excellent value for what I paid. If you decide to spend x28 of the cost and go for the £415 knife suggested above, I’m quite sure you won’t be disappointed with the quality (and the bragging rights are a bonus).
