Choose a whole white loaf if you want slices for toppings and a centrepiece bread basket, or individual white rolls if you’d like guests to help themselves. Brioche makes for a softer, sweeter brunch, while bake-at-home baguettes need oven space just before serving. You can combine different bread shapes to go with a variety of toppings, but if anyone has dietary restrictions, check the ingredients and allergens for every product you choose.
If you want to slice bread to serve with a range of toppings, look for a whole crusty loaf or a round white loaf. Albert Heijn and PLUS stock these types of white bread; keep a bread knife and chopping board to hand, too.
Brioche offers a different flavour from more neutral white bread, making it a good match for fruit, jam and sweet spreads. Jumbo describes its brioche as soft and sweet; check the ingredients of each product to make sure it suits your guests.
If you have oven space during brunch, bake-at-home baguettes are an option alongside bread that’s ready to serve. Check the cooking instructions on the pack and plan the baking around your other hot dishes.
First, decide how you want to serve the bread: sliced for toppings, as individual portions or ready to bake. Then choose a flavour and ingredients that work with the rest of your Easter brunch.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Slices and presentation | Check whether the loaf is whole or sliced, and whether its shape suits your toppings and serving space. | If I’m putting one loaf at the centre of the table, I want to be able to slice it to go with the toppings. This presentation is the top priority for around 31% of consumers. |
| Sweet or neutral | Read the product description and ingredients; Jumbo describes brioche as a sweet bread made with ingredients including egg, butter and milk. | For a table with mostly sweet toppings, I look for a different flavour from what I’d choose for a mix of savoury and sweet toppings. Around 31% of consumers give flavour the highest priority. |
| Preparation time | Check whether the bread needs to be baked, and follow the time and temperature on the packaging. | If I want to bake bread just before brunch, I need to make sure the oven is free alongside the other dishes. This is the most important consideration for around 23% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredients list and allergen information for the exact product, including brioche and seeded bread. | If a guest needs to avoid certain ingredients, I don’t want to rely on the name of the bread. For around 15% of consumers, clear ingredients and allergen information is the most important consideration. |
A whole loaf gives you slices for the bread basket, brioche has a sweeter flavour, and bake-at-home baguettes need to be prepared at a different time. The shape of the bread affects how guests can help themselves and add toppings.
First choose between slices, individual portions and bread you’ll bake yourself. Then decide which flavour works best with your toppings.
As well as gluten, some types of bread may contain other allergens. For example, the product information for a Jumbo brioche roll also lists milk, egg, sesame and lupin.
Check the ingredients and highlighted allergens for each exact product, and ask guests with dietary restrictions what information they need.
The term white bread doesn’t tell you which type of salt a particular product contains. A mention of baker’s salt on another loaf doesn’t confirm anything about it either.
If you want to know whether your bread contains iodised salt, check the ingredients list on the pack you’ve chosen.
A loaf listed in an Easter range or bread category may not be available from the same shop or through the same ordering method when you want to buy it.
Check the product and retailer shortly before buying. It’s also worth having an alternative type of bread in mind.
These supermarket ranges showcase different types of bread for an Easter brunch. Compare the specific product, its ingredients and the available ways to buy it before making your choice.
For Easter brunch, Albert Heijn features white rolls and croissants, as well as whole white loaves in its bakery bread category.
Jumbo stocks several types of white bread and describes brioche as a soft, sweet bread.
Lidl lists an 800 g white loaf, as well as freshly baked and pre-packed bread.
ALDI’s bread range includes whole white loaves, white rolls and small white bread rolls.
PLUS’s white bread category includes round white loaves, square white loaves and white sourdough bread.
Dirk stocks white rolls, brioche rolls and white bake-at-home baguettes, among other options.
These products include individual white rolls, a brunch mix, brioche rolls and white baguettes. They’re not ranked against one another, so choose based on the shape of the bread, pack size and the cooking and allergen information for the exact product.
No image available
A brunch mix to consider if you’d like to serve a variety of bread shapes rather than one whole loaf.
Before serving, check what’s in the pack and read the allergen information, especially if any guests need to avoid certain ingredients.
No image available
Four individual rolls are ideal for a brunch where guests can help themselves to a portion.
If anyone has an allergy, check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging.
No image available
A white baguette is a good option if you want to cut your own pieces for the bread basket or serve alongside toppings.
If you’d like to serve it warm, check the cooking instructions on the pack first. If anyone has an allergy, read the label too.
No image available
These individual brioche rolls are a good choice if you’re looking for an alternative to more neutral white bread for your brunch.
Check the defrosting and storage instructions before planning when to serve them. Given the ingredients and topping, also check the allergen information on each pack.
No image available
Two white baguettes are a good option if you want to serve bread in pieces as part of a shared brunch.
Don’t assume they need baking: if you want to serve them warm, check the cooking instructions on the pack. If anyone has an allergy, check the label as well.
Brioche is a good choice if you’d like to serve a soft, sweeter bread alongside other options. Jumbo describes its brioche as containing ingredients such as egg, butter and milk; check the ingredients and allergen information for your chosen product before serving.
Choose a product specifically sold as bake-at-home bread, such as the white bake-at-home baguette listed by Dirk. Follow the cooking instructions on the pack and leave oven space for it alongside your other hot dishes; a baguette isn’t automatically a bake-at-home product.
Don’t assume ordinary white bread is suitable for a guest who needs to avoid gluten or wheat. Voedingscentrum points out that many types of bread contain gluten. Ask your guest what product and allergen information they need, and check for details about possible cross-contamination too.
Read the ingredients list for the exact bread. The white bread category or the shop’s name won’t tell you which type of salt is used in that pack.
Match the types of bread to your toppings and how your guests will serve themselves. One whole loaf can provide the slices, with individual rolls as an extra. Check the packaging for storage advice in case you have any bread left over.
