It’s hard to think of anything I love more than a freshly baked loaf of bread, but a dull knife will ruin the bread and my excitement!  I have heard from many of you who have been baking bread for the first time due to the limitations created by COVID-19 such as empty store shelves and fewer trips to the grocery store.  But the good news is we have more time on our hands to cook and baking bread has become much simpler thanks to the “no-knead” recipes you can find in the “Mama how do you make…” cookbook.

I call it a bread knife, but a good serrated knife is actually capable of doing much more than just slicing bread. I use mine to cut everything from biscotti to tender cakes and squishy tomatoes to crusty bread and soft brioche.   

Serrated knives can be reasonably priced (around $20) or quite expensive (around $200).  The Mercer Culinary Millennia Wavy Edge 10-Inch Wide Bread Knife is proof that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a good product.   It certainly won’t be a showpiece, but if you’re looking for a knife that can perform without breaking the bank, this is the one for you.

In testing by America’s Test Kitchen, the Mercer Culinary bread knife was the all-around winner and best buy.  As I write this, it is available (on sale) from Amazon for $14.95. I have given these knives to both of my children who also give the knife excellent reviews.  If you are only going to have one serrated knife, this would be my recommendation.

Another very good bread knife is the Tojiro F-737 Bread Slicer, which I use only for splitting layer cakes in half.  It has a thinner blade which makes it easier to slice through a layer cake or very soft breads.  It is a little more expensive, also available from Amazon for around $25.  If you only have one serrated knife, this is not a good choice, in my opinion.  The blade is somewhat flexible and tends to bend if cutting through crusty breads.  It is, however, a very pretty knife and has its purpose in my kitchen.