Choose a rustic loaf if flavour, crust and sharing bread at the table are your priorities. Choose bake-at-home bread if you want to serve it warm just before dinner and have the time and oven space. If wholemeal is important to you, check the label on the loaf. For specific dietary requirements, check the ingredients and allergen information too: a bread’s name alone doesn’t tell you enough.
If you’re serving bread with soup, salad, cheese or dips, a whole rustic loaf could be a good fit for the meal. Consider whether your guests enjoy a hearty crust, and check that the loaf you want is available at your local shop.
If someone at the table has a relevant allergy or other specific dietary requirement, check the information for the exact bread variety before choosing. Read the label on packaged bread; for unwrapped bread, ask about allergen information before you buy.
A rustic appearance doesn’t tell you whether a loaf is wholemeal. Look for the ‘wholemeal’ label if that’s a priority, then choose a shape and flavour to suit your dinner. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, wholemeal bread is made from 100% wholemeal flour.
First decide whether you mainly want bread to share, want to choose wholemeal, need to check ingredients or want to serve it warm. Then compare the features of the specific variety.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Flavour and sharing | Look at the shape of the loaf and consider whether its crust and texture will suit your guests. | If I’m serving bread with dips or soup, I want to be able to share it and choose a crust my guests will enjoy. For around 36% of consumers, flavour and presentation are the most important factors. |
| Wholemeal | Look for the ‘wholemeal’ label; colour, seeds or ‘multigrain’ aren’t enough. | I want the bread to be genuinely wholemeal, even if another loaf looks more rustic. Around 21% of consumers give wholemeal their top priority. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the label or ask about the exact variety if the bread is unwrapped. Check whether it contains baker’s salt if that’s relevant to your choice. | If someone at the table needs to avoid certain ingredients, I want to know what’s in the bread before I buy it; baker’s salt may also affect our choice. For around 29% of consumers, checking this information comes first. |
| When you’ll serve it | Check availability at your local shop and follow the pack instructions for bake-at-home bread. | I want to serve the bread warm without oven timings getting in the way of dinner. For around 14% of consumers, serving time and availability are the main concerns. |
A dark colour, seeds or a rustic name don’t confirm that a loaf is made with wholemeal flour. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, wholemeal bread is made from 100% wholemeal flour.
If wholemeal is a must for you, check that the loaf is labelled ‘wholemeal’.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, using baker’s salt in bread is not compulsory. The type of bread or an artisan appearance won’t tell you whether it has been used.
Read the ingredients list or ask the baker if baker’s salt is relevant to your choice.
A name or visible seeds won’t give you a complete picture of the ingredients and allergens. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains the mandatory allergen labelling requirements for prepacked foods.
Read the label on packaged bread. For unwrapped bread, ask about allergen information for the exact variety before you buy it.
Jumbo says its rustic sourdough loaves are only available in store. Lidl says its fresh bread selection can vary by branch, while ALDI’s oven-fresh range is available in stores with a bakery section.
Check what’s available at your local branch in good time. If you choose bake-at-home bread, allow for the preparation instructions and make sure you have enough oven space.
Includes OerDesem, an option if you’re looking for sourdough to serve at the table.
Rustic sourdough loaves for anyone who wants to choose their bread from the in-store bakery.
An in-store bakery option if you want to choose your bread in person.
Oven-fresh bread if you visit a store with a bakery section.
Korenlanders sourdough bread is a rustic option for dinner.
Bread varieties include wholemeal, white, multigrain and sourdough.
These products include baguettes and a round loaf to share at dinner. The bake-at-home varieties need preparation time and oven space; if you have dietary requirements, always check the packaging for the variety you choose.
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A baguette option to share with a meal. Allow time and oven space for the stated defrosting and baking instructions; if you have specific dietary requirements, check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging.
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Four baguettes for serving with a meal. This variety needs to be defrosted before baking; check the packaging for preparation instructions and any allergen information.
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A multigrain baguette to share at dinner, which needs to be defrosted and baked before serving. ‘Multigrain’ doesn’t confirm that the bread is wholemeal, so check the packaging.
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The 550 g round country loaf is an option if you want to put one loaf on the table to share. Allow for the stated defrosting and baking instructions; check the packaging if wholemeal status or allergens are important to you.
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A 250 g white rustic baguette to share with a meal. Don’t choose it on the assumption that it’s wholemeal; check the packaging for allergen information and whether it contains baker’s salt.
Not necessarily: sourdough refers to how the bread is made, while wholemeal describes the flour used. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, wholemeal bread is made from 100% wholemeal flour. So, if it matters to your choice, check for the ‘wholemeal’ label.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bread doesn’t have to be baked with baker’s salt. Check the label on packaged bread or ask about it when buying unwrapped bread if it’s relevant to your choice.
Before you buy, ask for the allergen information for the exact loaf you want to take home. For prepacked bread, read the ingredients list and allergen information on the label; don’t try to work out what’s in it from the name of the bread.
Choose an amount that suits what you plan to serve, and freeze any bread you’ll use later in portions. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends freezing bread in portions as soon as you buy it, then taking out only what you need.
