Can a Japanese bread knife be used to cut hard crust bread?

Question

I have heard that Japanese knifes should not be used to cut hard things like bones, etc. I recently bought a Japanese bread knife (Mcusta Zanmai - Damascus), and now I am scared of using my Japanese bread knife to cut bread (I know...).

To give an idea of how hard the crust of my bread tends to be, I struggle to cut the whole loaf in one go (my hands get tired by the end) when using a normal (non-Japanese) bread knife. It is usually whole meal bread and I wait for it to cool (one day) before cutting.

Please let me know if I can provide more details that would help me deciding, or if I am being uncareful and should safe the knife for soft stuff like croissants, etc. Or, if I am just being paranoid (it is my first set of Japanese knifes).

PD: It is my first question here so pls let me know if I am missing anything.

Answer 1

You are not being paranoid. Bread knives are quite difficult to sharpen, and Japanese bread, in general, is quite soft. It's a reasonable concern, even if hard-crust bread is still much softer than bone.

Not having owned any of the Mcusta brand, my suggestion would be for you to contact the retailer where you bought the knife, or contact Mcusta directly.

Answer 2

Yes, a Japanese bread knife can be used to cut hard crust bread, although it depends on the specific type of knife and the level of "hard crust" we're talking about.