Jan is amazed at the support he\u2019s found for his niche hobby. \u201cI am completely overwhelmed by the community,\u201d he tells WIRED. \u201cMaybe the viewers feel the exact same way I did back when my friend cut that slice,\u201d he reflects. \u201cAnd I hope that many of my viewers are now inspired to get intensely into the bread-cutting sport themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
To that end, Jan offers links<\/a> to buy the same specialty tools he relies on; he makes sure to select pieces that were available worldwide. And while he doesn\u2019t currently have promotional deals with those brands, it hardly feels out of the question. He\u2019s a superstar, after all.<\/p>\n Jan\u2019s day job has nothing to do with the food business, he says, nor has he ever baked his own bread. \u201cWe have so many incredibly good bakeries here in Germany, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll run out of different kinds of bread to try anytime soon,\u201d he says, though he adds he\u2019s \u201calways looking for unique loaves.\u201d Jan slices his way through an entire loaf before moving on to a new one, with fans regarding each subsequent loaf as another \u201cseason\u201d of his show.<\/p>\n So far, Jan\u2019s favorite bread has been the Frankenlaib, the traditional round German sourdough loaf that yielded his recent Golden Slice. His least favorite, he says, \u201cdespite a good performance,\u201d was a square, block-shaped loaf of whole grain bread. That\u2019s because, perfectionist that he is, he doesn\u2019t believe in shortcuts: \u201cEven though we performed really well toward the end, I personally don’t find the result on a square loaf as impressive as cutting a \u2018real,\u2019 traditionally shaped loaf of bread,\u201d Jan explains.<\/p>\n Jan prefers to use round loaves of bread.<\/p>\n <\/span>Courtesy of Germanbreadcutter<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n 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: \u201cReflect on the mistake for 5 minutes and then move on. Tomorrow will be better!\u201d Another quipped that while the slice made for a \u201ctough\u201d watch, he could \u201cprobably still eat it.\u201d Jan has noted on one of his videos<\/a> that the end of a loaf presents special difficulties in gripping and stabilization. \u201cMy personal Achilles\u2019 heel,\u201d he wrote. (The last time he struggled with one of these sections<\/a>, a fan wrote: \u201cYou attempt the cuts others would consider end-pieces. You remain an inspiration of skill, art, and accountability.\u201d)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/media.wired.com\/photos\/6a511606a81eaca0544bba4f\/3:4\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/Inside-Mans-Quest-To-Cut-Objectively-Perfect-Slice-of-Bread-Culture-Bread-cutting-Picture.jpg\"\/)
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