Ever struggled to slice through the bottom crust of a particularly sturdy sourdough? Been there. But the best bread knife can handle this task with ease and precision, leading to clean, even slices ready for a pat of butter. Good bread knives can carve long, skinny baguettes into perfect pieces, easily slide through chewy bagels and slip through the ripest of tomatoes without crushing them. Below, you'll find the best of this kitchen essential: our top-tested bread knives.
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, we've tested dozens of bread knives in the Lab and in our home kitchens. After years of testing, these are the best serrated bread knives that have stood up to everyday use.
Our top picks:
To determine the best serrated knives you can buy, we tested them on crusty loaves of bread, dense bagels, ripe tomatoes, delicate strawberries and boxed cake. We evaluated how easily they cut through hard and flaky outer layers and whether they tore or squished soft insides. How the knife felt in our hand was important, and we paid special attention to the length of the blade, too. Was it versatile enough to use on small and large items or was it better suited for a specific task?
Find more about how we evaluate bread knives in our Lab — plus everything you need to know to care for your new knife — at the end of this guide. Looking to round out your kitchen knife collection? We also have guides on the best electric knives and paring knives.
Victorinox Fibrox 10.25-inch Bread Knife
Pros
- Soft handle is comfortable to hold
- Design offers excellent control when cutting
Cons
- Stock may be limited
| Blade length | 10.25 in. |
|---|---|
| Materials | Stainless steel blade, thermoplastic rubber handle |
| Dishwasher safe? | Yes, according to manufacturer, but hand washing is recommended |
We love this Victorinox classic for its versatility: In testing, it sawed through hearty bread crusts and bagels just as well as it turned out paper-thin tomato and strawberry slices. And if looks matter to you, rest assured that with a skillful cut, the edges of the foods you slice up will be clean and pristine. This knife is well-balanced, which gave us excellent control over the task at hand in testing. Its stainless steel blade is thin, sharp and curved, and the 10.25-inch length is ideal for a number of jobs, from slicing tomatoes to cutting through sturdy loaves of bread. The Fibrox handle is soft to the touch and testers found it didn't slip around in their hands, which made for a noticeably comfortable experience. Victorinox no longer sells the Fibrox on its website so the brand may be phasing out the product, but we have not had trouble finding it online elsewhere.
Mercer Culinary Millenia 10-inch Bread Knife
Pros
- Great value
- Textured handle provides good grip
Cons
- Tricky to get perfect-looking or thin slices
| Blade length | 10 in. |
|---|---|
| Materials | High carbon steel blade, santoprene handle |
| Dishwasher safe? | No |
A best-seller on Amazon, this bread knife is a basic serrated knife with a super sharp Japanese steel blade. Thanks to the textured handle, gripping without slipping is easy, which makes it a safer slicing option. In our testing, the Mercer Culinary Millennia glided through bread and soft fruits without much force at all, but note that the wider, deeper serrations on this knife gave us slightly less control and thicker slices that did not have perfect edges. That being said, you can't beat it for value, and if you aren't fanatical about precision when cutting up crusty bread, this knife is a great pick.
Wüsthof Classic 9-inch Double Serrated Bread Knife
Pros
- Full tang offers the best stability and balance
- Riveted handles fit the curvature of your hand
Cons
- Pricey
| Blade length | 9 in. |
|---|---|
| Materials | High carbon steel blade, alloy steel handle |
| Dishwasher safe? | Yes, according to manufacturer, but hand washing is recommended |
In all the knife testing we've done over the years, Wüsthof consistently stands out for being well-balanced and ergonomic. These German-made knives are top-tested classics, especially when it comes to design. The Classic line has a full tang, meaning the metal runs all the way from the tip of the blade to the base of the handle. We find that this style creates a sturdier and more balanced knife because the weight is distributed more evenly. The riveted handles are made to fit the curvature of your hand, which translates to more controlled cutting. Double serrations on this knife help saw through crusty and flaky loaves without tearing apart the insides. They also make for smooth and thin tomato slices. And we can't fail to mention that Wüsthof cutlery is drop-dead gorgeous.
Pros
- Thick blade can slice through crusty bread
- Attractive blade
Cons
- Pricey
| Blade length | 9 in. |
|---|---|
| Materials | Stainless steel blade, walnut handle |
| Dishwasher safe? | No |
A great Japanese knife brand, Shun makes standout knives with super-sharp blades that we reach for over and over again. This knife has the same handle as the brand's premiere chef's knife. Testers found that it rested comfortably in the palm of their hands for optimal grip and control. Plus, it has a slightly thicker blade than the brand's Classic line, so it's sturdier than others and can handle slicing through the crustiest loaves. In our testing, we were able to use the bread knife to cut through stale sourdough that had been left out for days (an impressive feat!). We were also able to produce thin slices of ripe tomatoes. And bonus points for the Damascus blade which is beautiful to look at.
Pros
- Good value
- Flexible blade gets around odd-shaped objects well
Cons
- Less sturdy than other serrated knives that are good at cutting through crusty loaves
| Blade length | 9 in. |
|---|---|
| Materials | Stainless steel blade, wood handle |
| Dishwasher safe? | No |
Tojiro knives are Japanese which tend to be sharper and better suited for delicate foods than Western knives. In testing, the wooden handle was very comfortable to hold, and the blade was flexible which was helpful when getting through tricky-to-slice foods, like pineapple, though we found it less sturdy than other serrated knives. It's also good for soft, fluffy desserts and cutting through skin on tender meats without tearing. It has an almost five-star rating on Amazon with reviewers commenting that they've had theirs for years and it's still as sharp as when they bought it. It's made of high-carbon steel, which tends to keep its sharp edge longer than stainless steel knives.
What we look for in a bread knife
- Length: We think the ideal is somewhere around 10 inches — this is just long enough to make its way through a round loaf of crusty sourdough or a full melon in one smooth slice. In our kitchens, we also opt for a second shorter serrated knife for cutting small items like tomatoes.
- Serrations: We’ve found that the most effective bread knife blades have fewer, deeper serrations with extra-pointy tips. Double serrations (usually some big and some small) help slice through crusty loaves with soft interiors, while rounded serrations are best suited for soft, delicate loaves of bread like challah.
- Shape: Most serrated knives are straight, but some have a curved blade and others are offset so the blade sits below the handle. We recommend sticking with straight or curved blades. A curve may facilitate slicing with rocking motion and may offer extra knuckle clearance. Offset blades have the most knuckle clearance, but tend to offer far less control over slicing.
- Handle: As with all knives, bread knives can have wooden or plastic handles. Depending on the finish, wooden handles can sometimes feel rough in the hand. Plastic handles often offer more non-slip support, which is helpful for messy jobs.
What else can I do with a bread knife?
It may be called a "bread knife," but its length and serrated blade make it the perfect tool for tackling other tricky-to-slice foods. Try it on pineapple, use it to level off cakes or slice through tomatoes if your chef's knife is dull. They’re also great for flaky and soft pastries or breads like brioche and filled croissants.
How do I care for my bread knife?
Our recommendations for bread knife upkeep are largely the same as a chef knife's. Putting it in the dishwasher can knick the blade and make it dull more quickly, so it's best to hand wash and dry it right away (to avoid rusting). Slicing on softer cutting boards made of wood or plastic can also prevent premature damage. We don’t recommend sharpening them at home due to the complex nature of the blade, so take them to a pro sharpener or replace them when they're dull. The good news: Serrated knives don't get dull nearly as quickly as chef’s knives and can be used for 5 to 10 years without sharpening or replacing.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Nicole Papantoniou, the director of the Good Housekeeping Kitchen Appliances & Innovation Lab, has been testing kitchen appliances professionally since 2013. She has tested many of these bread knives and oversaw the Lab's most recent round of testing.
Samantha MacAvoy is the Assistant Food Editor in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, where she has tested bread knives on the team's favorite loaves and tested for and written several other reviews on kitchen gear, including knife sharpeners, instant pots, dinnerware sets and more.
Nicole (she/her) is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal.
Samantha (she/her) is the Senior Editor at Delish, where she edits the most-talked-about food news and features on the internet. In her previous role as Assistant Editor in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, she taste-tested hundreds of products and recipes (tough job!). A graduate of Fordham University, she considers the kitchen to be her happiest place.
