People choosing carefully because of coeliac disease
You’re looking for an afternoon snack whose gluten-free labelling, ingredients and allergen information you can check on the current packaging. A shape like an ordinary currant bun isn’t enough.
Who are these alternatives suitable for?
Currant bun fans who don’t want to bake
You want a ready-to-eat raisin bun. If one doesn’t suit your needs or isn’t available, you could consider sliced raisin bread or a sweet bread roll instead, bearing in mind that the size or flavour will be different.
People who store snacks in individual portions
You don’t eat the whole pack at once and want to know whether you can store or freeze individual portions. The advice varies from product to product.
What should you look for when choosing?
If you have coeliac disease, start by choosing a product with gluten-free labelling you can check. Then decide how important the bun shape, raisins, ready-to-eat convenience and portion size are to you.
Raisin buns
A good fit if: you’re looking for a ready-to-eat snack in a bun shape. Albert Heijn lists AH Glutenvrij Rozijnen bollen in a pack of two.
Bear in mind: check the ingredients, allergens and storage instructions on the specific pack you’re buying.
Raisin bread
A good fit if: raisins and bread matter more to you than having an individual bun. YAM and Albert Heijn describe gluten-free bread with raisins that you can enjoy as a portion.
The difference: sliced bread isn’t a currant bun; follow the specific product’s advice on storage or freezing.
Sweet bread roll without raisins
A good fit if: you mainly want a ready-to-eat gluten-free roll for a snack. Schär describes Bon Matin as a sweet bread roll.
The difference: Schär’s listed ingredients don’t include raisins, so it won’t give you the raisin flavour of a currant bun.
Bake your own
A good fit if: you want to make individual buns and choose the ingredients yourself. Schär has a gluten-free currant bun recipe.
The difference: Schär’s recipe takes around 1 hour and 19 minutes to 1 hour and 35 minutes. Check all the ingredients and avoid cross-contamination during preparation.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is it important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free labelling | Look for the gluten-free label and read the current ingredients and allergen information on the pack. | If I’m taking a snack for someone with coeliac disease, I want to be able to check that this specific product is labelled gluten-free. This is the most important consideration for around 36% of consumers. |
| Ready to eat | Check whether you’re buying individual buns, sliced bread or a bread roll, and how many portions the pack contains. | If I’m taking a break with no time to bake, I want something I can take with me and eat straight away. Convenience comes first for around 29% of consumers. |
| Resemblance to a currant bun | Check the type of product and whether raisins are listed in the ingredients. | If I’m specifically craving a currant bun, raisins and the shape matter more to me than a sweet bread roll alone. This resemblance is the main consideration for around 21% of consumers. |
| Storing individual portions | Compare the portion size with the storage and freezing advice on the specific pack. | If I only have this kind of afternoon snack now and then, I want to be able to store the rest according to the product instructions. This is the deciding factor for around 14% of consumers. |
Common mistakes
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Assuming wheat-free means gluten-free
A product name or the absence of visible wheat doesn’t, by itself, tell you whether a bread roll is labelled gluten-free. This distinction matters when you’re choosing a snack for someone with coeliac disease.
Check the gluten-free label and the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging.
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Buying a sweet bread roll when you’re expecting raisins
Schär Bon Matin is a sweet bread roll, but Schär’s listed ingredients don’t include raisins. It could therefore work as a snack, even though it doesn’t resemble a currant bun.
Check the ingredients if raisins are essential for you, or consider gluten-free raisin bread or homemade buns.
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Applying the freezing advice for one bread to another
Storage instructions can vary even between gluten-free raisin breads. Albert Heijn says one bread can be frozen at home, while another raisin bread isn’t suitable for home freezing.
Follow the storage and freezing instructions on the pack you actually buy.
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Assuming you know the iodine content from the term ‘baker’s salt’
The mention of baker’s salt doesn’t tell you how much iodine a particular afternoon snack contains. The salt information also doesn’t determine whether a product is gluten-free.
Check the individual product’s ingredients list to find out what type of salt it contains, and check the gluten-free labelling separately.
Brands and ranges to consider
Albert Heijn / AH Glutenvrij
Albert Heijn lists both gluten-free raisin buns and gluten-free bread with raisins in its bakery range.
- The category page lists AH Glutenvrij Rozijnen bollen in a pack of two.
- For the buns, check the current packaging for ingredients, allergens and storage instructions; information about another AH raisin bread doesn’t automatically apply to these buns.
YAM
YAM offers gluten-free raisin bread as an alternative when raisins matter more than the bun shape.
- YAM describes its raisin bread as sliced bread that can be frozen slice by slice.
- It’s still sliced bread, not an individual currant bun. Check the packaging for the current ingredients and storage instructions.
Schär
Schär offers a ready-to-eat sweet gluten-free bread roll and also publishes a recipe for gluten-free currant buns.
- Schär’s recipe lets you make individual buns yourself if the shape is important to you.
- According to the listed ingredients, Bon Matin doesn’t contain raisins; you’ll need to set aside time to bake the recipe version.
Jumbo Lekker Vrij van Gluten / Jumbo assortiment
Jumbo lists raisin bread in its gluten-free bread range as an alternative to an ordinary currant bun.
- The category description helps you look for a raisin product rather than a general sweet bread roll.
- Check which specific product is available and read its current packaging; a listing in the category doesn’t tell you what you can buy in every shop.
Related products on Joybuy
Related products coming soon.
Frequently asked questions
Is ordinary raisin bread suitable if I’m looking for a gluten-free afternoon snack?
Not necessarily. Choose bread that is explicitly labelled gluten-free and check the current packaging. The name ‘raisin bread’ doesn’t, by itself, tell you whether it’s suitable for a gluten-free diet.
Are AH Glutenvrij Rozijnen bollen like ordinary currant buns?
Their bun shape and suitability as an individual snack make them a closer match than sliced raisin bread. Albert Heijn lists them in a pack of two; for other details, including ingredients and allergens, check the pack you’re planning to buy.
What can I choose if I don’t buy gluten-free raisin buns?
Choose gluten-free raisin bread if raisins are what you’re after, or consider Schär Bon Matin if a sweet bread roll without raisins will do. If you want to make individual buns yourself, Schär’s gluten-free currant bun recipe is an option, but you’ll need to set aside time to prepare it.
Can I freeze gluten-free raisin bread in individual portions?
It depends on the specific bread. YAM recommends freezing it slice by slice; Albert Heijn says its gluten-free bread with raisins should be frozen on the day of purchase, while it advises that another gluten-free raisin bread isn’t suitable for home freezing. So follow the instructions on your own pack.
Does baker’s salt mean every gluten-free bread roll contains the same amount of iodine?
No. You can’t infer a fixed iodine content for every bread roll from the mention of baker’s salt. Check the specific product’s ingredients list to find out what type of salt it uses, and separately check whether the bread roll is labelled gluten-free.