Slice Homemade Bread the Easiest Way

Slicing homemade bread is easy with these tips

Slice homemade bread!? If that phrase is stopping you from making your own bread then fear no longer. In my quest for self-sufficiency (or at least doing what I can to be as self-sufficient as possible right now) I started only eating homemade bread. It is super simple to make homemade bread, plus it is tastier and healthier. No chemicals or preservatives in our bread!

But, I had to learn how to slice homemade bread.

Is it Hard to Slice Homemade Bread?

Despite my husband loving homemade bread (and eating it whenever I made him a sandwich for lunch) he had yet to make his own. One day I asked him why and this is what he said:

“You know that saying “the greatest thing since sliced bread”. Well, now I know what they mean – I just can't seem to slice homemade bread right!”

Really. The only reason he wasn't getting the bread himself (and hence I had to do it) was because he didn't know how to slice homemade bread. When I thought about this I decided it really wasn't that crazy. Whenever I buy deli bread I have them slice it at the counter – it just seemed easier. So, in my quest to make things easier for him (and for me) I decided to start slicing the bread as soon as it came out of the oven (or machine). As my four year old says… easy peasy.

How to Slice Homemade Bread (perfectly)

• First, and most important, use a bread knife! Not a butter knife, not a steak knife, not that knife in your cabinet that you are not quite sure what it is for. Get a real bread knife. It is worth every penny. You can get a decent bread knife for $10-$20.

• If you want to make learning how to slice homemade bread even easier then go one step further than a normal bread knife and use an electric carving knife. It is usually costs a bit less than $20 and it will make slicing homemade bread a breeze (especially if you slice when it is hot, regular bread knives slice homemade bread better after the loaf has cooled down).

• If you still are having trouble then get a bread slicing guide. To slice homemade bread using a bread slicing guide, you put the bread in and slice (using your bread knife) at the spaces. It will keep your cuts straight and even. They are pretty self explanatory, but if you want to watch somebody using one then head over to this youtube video and you will see somebody slice homemade bread using the bread slicing guide.

• Slice the whole loaf at once. You are there with the knife (and the slicing guide if you want to use that as well). Just get it done all at once! Then your bread is ready to go when you need it. NOTE: if you slice homemade bread at once then make sure you use a bread keeper (see the tip below about homemade bread drying out faster than store-bought). I have no problem slicing and putting it in the bread keeper, but if you slice it and then try to wrap it or leave it out then you will have hard bread very quickly.

Sliced homemade bread and jam

Bread tips Beyond Just Learning to Slice Homemade Bread:

• When you need bread, you need it now! A little planning goes a long way. I make up jars of my dry ingredients and write the wet ingredients on the lid (you can see an example of this set-up at my post on bread making tips). It takes me about 20 minutes to measure out the ingredients for 6 jars, but then it takes only a couple of minutes to start a new loaf of bread. This stops me from procrastinating and running out!

• Homemade bread dries out faster than store-bought…. a lot faster. That was easy to fix though! I bought a bread keeper that holds the moisture in. I haven't had a loaf dry out on me since I bought it. It has a dial on it so I can keep the humidity level correct (it works like a bread box). Before that I tried bags, saran wrap, and tupperware containers, but nothing worked as well. This is especially important when you slice homemade bread by the loaf instead of by the slice.

• Homemade bread can be “expensive”… unless you buy in bulk! I buy both my flour and yeast in bulk (from Costco). My basic loaf costs $0.49 to make. If I do not buy the sugar, flour, yeast, and olive oil in bulk then the same loaf costs me $1.73. It also makes things easier because supplies are always on hand (and I can make my bread jars up with the amount of supplies I have). Keep in mind that even though I said expensive, homemade bread is still (usually) cheaper than store bought. The loaves you buy at the store are generally one pound loaves, while the homemade bread you bake is usually two pound loaves.

• I love my bread machine. I know it can be done in your oven, but this is my “lazy” tip. Even the loaves I cook in my oven are kneaded in my bread machine. It is just so much faster and easier for me.

• The loaves are larger than store bought so if you want to make a sandwich for a kid then just use one slice and cut it down the center. I know this sounds simple, but it was a mental block for me.  I just always made a sandwich with two slices of bread. Kids need only one!

• Learning how to slice homemade bread is not tough!

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