Thread: Who bakes bread?

Do you know how to sharpen a blade with a smile?

We just got a bamboo bread miter box. It is probably a bit small for anything that is not a pretty standard loaf pan type shape, though.

I haven't tried it yet, but on the maiden voyage my girlfriend cut into one of the guides. I'm guessing there was a split that she caught.

Here is the loaf I made last night in the slicer. It is a sandwich loaf, so something like 4 inch by 4 inch by two plates of French toast.

Originally Posted by planeden

Do you know how to sharpen a blade with a smile?

That'll be a new challenge. Do you have experience?

Originally Posted by Kees

Any of you homebakers ever used a bread slicer? I am thinking of buying one. I make a lot of pumpernickel and it is very hard to cut into nice slices. Any thoughts about this one?

I was thinking of making a slicer out of wood. Kind of like what's been shown, but with measured slots the width of your knife. Similar to a wooden miter box--



But with taller sides and a wider base.

I'd leave the wood unfinished or with a food grade mineral oil on top.

Originally Posted by Kees

That'll be a new challenge. Do you have experience?

Gss6gun (close enough?) has a video for a smiling wedge I'm going to try soon. Joking aside though, make sure you can remove the blade for sharpening.

If I had the skills, I'd make what cudarunner suggested. You really only need one slot.

They have a variety of manual slicers on Amazon. Basically bamboo blocks with grooves and a bread knife. If you want high end look for a bakery going out of business. They usually auction off everything for a song.

The one you show looks like you have to manually feed the bread meaning uneven slices unless you have a lot of experience using it. It's basically a specialized paper cutter or that's how it looks to me.

Originally Posted by planeden

If I had the skills, I'd make what cudarunner suggested. You really only need one slot.

I would digress--Actually if you want even slices you'd need at least TWO Slots. Make your first slice in the rear slot, then put the knife in the front slot, slide the loaf forward and then make the next slice in the rear slot.

If you wanted different widths you'd need more slots.

Originally Posted by cudarunner

I would digress--Actually if you want even slices you'd need at least TWO Slots. Make your first slice in the rear slot, then put the knife in the front slot, slide the loaf forward and then make the next slice in the rear slot.

If you wanted different widths you'd need more slots.

I think it was Jamie Oliver making pizza crust that said "don't try to make them too round, you want people to know they're homemade".

At first I thought you were making a joke about one on each side of the box. But multiple slots would be an easy way to make two even thicknesses.

Originally Posted by planeden

Here is the loaf I made last night in the slicer. It is a sandwich loaf, so something like 4 inch by 4 inch by two plates of French toast.

Don't get this one.

Not sure exactly which one it is, but I imagine all bamboo ones have the same issue. It is way too soft for the knife. It cuts into the guides and you have to pull out and reposition the bread because the cut of the bread wants to take it right back in. Granted, the loaf was a little stale so the crust was hard, but JFC it was so frustrating I dropped the guides out of the way. Then it cut into the bottom so bad that the knife got stuck and I had to wiggle and pull it out. And no, I was not chopping my bread with an axe.

Monday morning. Offset the suckiness of the day with fresh bread.


Both hard white and atta blend.