Bread loaf cutting formats for bread snacks and croutons on the MNH-01-Notis machine

May 14, 2026

Cubes, straws, bars, plates

The cutting format defines what the finished product looks like on the shelf — a small cube, a long straw, or a flat crouton. You don't need a separate machine for each format: one bread cutter reconfigures to any geometry. We break down the available formats and what makes them different.

Bread cubes

Bread sticks

Bread bars

How bread is cut for snacks at small production volumes

A toast slicer and a knife

At small production volumes, cutting typically happens in two stages. First, the loaf is sliced on a standard bread slicer — the same kind found in bakeries for cutting toast bread. Then the slices are cut by hand: into cubes, strips, or pieces — whatever the recipe calls for.

This works fine as long as volumes allow. Beyond that, problems start: manual cutting is slow, piece sizes vary from batch to batch, and uneven croutons behave unpredictably during drying and packaging. When sales grow and retail chains demand a consistent product, the manual stage becomes the bottleneck.

The first step toward automation

For 10–12 mm cubes only

To eliminate manual cube cutting without investing in a full line right away, there is an intermediate solution — the cube cutter KR-01-Notis. It is compact and works alongside a standard toast slicer. The operator feeds pre-cut slices into the magazine and receives neat 10 or 12 mm cubes.

So slices are still made on a standard slicer, but the manual finishing step is handled by the machine. This is the right option for producers who need uniform cubes without manual labour but don't yet require high throughput. The next step is to eliminate slices altogether and cut whole loaves.

What changes at industrial volumes

This is where the industrial bread cutter MNH-01-Notis comes in. Its key difference from a bakery slicer is that it cuts a whole loaf at once — not a slice. Loaves are loaded into the magazine in a stack, and the machine feeds them into the cutting unit automatically. The first blade set passes through the loaf in one direction, the second passes crosswise. The result is a finished product of the required geometry, with no manual steps in between.

This changes the economics. Output no longer depends on how many hands are on the line, piece sizes are consistent from the first loaf to the last, and throughput is measured in loaves per minute rather than operator pace.

Cutting formats: what drives the choice

New video, May 14 2026

Cubes. The classic format for bread snacks. A small cube of around 10×10 mm gives the familiar compact crouton that dries evenly and packages cleanly. A larger cube — around 20 mm — is a different product: a chunky crouton for soups or salads. The cube size is set by the customer to match their recipe and packaging.

Straws (also called sticks). A long, thin bar — the format for snack sticks. The elongated shape looks good in clear packaging and reads as a standalone snack rather than crumbs. The cross-section is narrow, and the length follows the loaf.

Bars (croutons). A middle-ground format: thicker than straws but not a cube. This covers flat bars and large croutons — products for spreads, soups, or beer snacks. The geometry is matched to how the product will be eaten.

Plates. Thin, flat slices. The most demanding format in terms of bread quality: the slice is thin, so the loaf needs a dense, well-baked crumb — a soft or airy one will crumble. On the shelf, however, a thin crouton plate looks clean and premium.

Any of these formats can be cut from the same loaf — the difference is in the blade set.

How one machine covers all formats

Blade cassettes

Bread cutter: 2 cube formats. Cassettes at 1:56

Inside the machine, cutting is performed by blade blocks assembled into interchangeable cassettes. To switch from cubes to straws or from straws to plates, the cassettes are swapped — the cut geometry changes with them. There is no need to buy a separate machine for each format: one bread cutter covers the full range, and a new tooling set is all that's needed for a new product.

For a producer, this means flexibility: a new line can be launched without investing in another piece of equipment.

Why industrial bread cutting is an engineering challenge

The high cutting speed creates the main technical problem — vibration. Consider the pace: a loaf is cut in one direction, and almost immediately a second blade set passes through it crosswise at speed. This repeats around ten times every minute, hour after hour, shift after shift.

Strong vibration is the enemy of any machine: it breaks down mechanics and damages electronics. If the design isn't built for it, the machine starts to fail. That is why in MNH-01-Notis every unit is engineered from the start for continuous vibration load and round-the-clock operation. The best evidence is the pattern of service requests: most orders are for replacement blades — the machines themselves run for many years.

Notis solution for your business

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MNH-01-Notis is a machine for cutting bread into cubes, straws, bars and plates. In production since 2014, with over 100 machines built for more than 50 bread snack producers across Russia and neighbouring countries. Output is around 10 loaves per minute. Every format has its own blade set.

If you are planning to automate your cutting line or expand your range of bread snacks and croutons — tell us about your product and we will find the right solution for your task.