This German Man Is on a Quest to Cut the Perfect Slice of Bread

Jan is amazed at the support he’s found for his niche hobby. “I am completely overwhelmed by the community,” he tells WIRED. “Maybe the viewers feel the exact same way I did back when my friend cut that slice,” he reflects. “And I hope that many of my viewers are now inspired to get intensely into the bread-cutting sport themselves.”

To that end, Jan offers links to buy the same specialty tools he relies on; he makes sure to select pieces that were available worldwide. And while he doesn’t currently have promotional deals with those brands, it hardly feels out of the question. He’s a superstar, after all.

Jan’s day job has nothing to do with the food business, he says, nor has he ever baked his own bread. “We have so many incredibly good bakeries here in Germany, I don’t think I’ll run out of different kinds of bread to try anytime soon,” he says, though he adds he’s “always looking for unique loaves.” Jan slices his way through an entire loaf before moving on to a new one, with fans regarding each subsequent loaf as another “season” of his show.

So far, Jan’s favorite bread has been the Frankenlaib, the traditional round German sourdough loaf that yielded his recent Golden Slice. His least favorite, he says, “despite a good performance,” was a square, block-shaped loaf of whole grain bread. That’s because, perfectionist that he is, he doesn’t believe in shortcuts: “Even though we performed really well toward the end, I personally don't find the result on a square loaf as impressive as cutting a ‘real,’ traditionally shaped loaf of bread,” Jan explains.

Like any professional athlete, Jan has his off days. In these moments, his viewers are quick to encourage him not to lose faith. Commenting on a less-than-stellar slice in May, one fan wrote: “Reflect on the mistake for 5 minutes and then move on. Tomorrow will be better!” Another quipped that while the slice made for a “tough” watch, he could “probably still eat it.” Jan has noted on one of his videos that the end of a loaf presents special difficulties in gripping and stabilization. “My personal Achilles’ heel,” he wrote. (The last time he struggled with one of these sections, a fan wrote: “You attempt the cuts others would consider end-pieces. You remain an inspiration of skill, art, and accountability.”)