For a small household, a sliced half wholemeal loaf is a practical option to keep in stock if you freeze it in portions on the day you buy it. Ideally, choose a loaf with clear freezing instructions and check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging. Don’t assume that every loaf is made with bakers’ salt.
If a whole loaf is more than you get through each day, you can divide a half loaf into smaller portions and freeze them on the day you buy it. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises taking only what you need out of the freezer.
Choosing a smaller portion doesn’t mean you have to change your preference for wholemeal bread. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, wholemeal bread is made from 100% wholemeal flour. Check the product name if that’s your main selection criterion.
If you’re checking for allergens or bakers’ salt, you’ll need the information for the specific loaf. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use bakers’ salt.
Start by thinking about how much bread you use at a time and how much freezer space you have. Then check the storage instructions and product information for the loaf you want to buy.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Portion size | Check whether the loaf is sliced and whether you can divide it into portions for a meal or a day. | If a whole loaf goes stale, I only want to defrost what I’ll eat soon. For around 36% of consumers, reducing leftover bread is the top priority. |
| Freezing instructions | Check when to freeze the bread and how long the packaging says you can keep it for. | When stocking up, I want to know how to store the loaf I’ve chosen. Around 29% of consumers say ease of freezing is their top priority. |
| Wholemeal and ingredients | Look for ‘wholemeal’ in the product name and check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging. | I want to be able to choose based on ingredients, even when buying a smaller amount of bread. For around 21% of consumers, this is the main consideration. |
| Shop availability | Check whether the type of bread you want is available at the shop where you do your food shopping. | If I’m stocking up, the half loaf I choose needs to be available to me. Around 14% of consumers put shop availability first. |
A smaller loaf won’t stop bread going to waste if you defrost more than you’ll use.
Divide the loaf into portions on the day you buy it and take out only what you need each time, as the Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, brown bread is made from a mix of wholemeal flour and white flour, while wholemeal bread is made from 100% wholemeal flour.
Look for ‘wholemeal’ in the product name if you specifically want to buy wholemeal bread; don’t go by the colour alone.
Bakers aren’t required to use bakers’ salt, according to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. So you can’t tell what’s in a loaf just from its type or the shop’s name.
Check the label for bakers’ salt, or ask about the ingredients if the bread is sold loose.
According to the product information for Jumbo Goudeerlijk Boeren Pompoenbrood Half Vriesvers, it must not be refrozen after defrosting.
Before buying bake-off bread, check the specific storage and defrosting instructions and defrost only the amount you’ll use.
Albert Heijn sells a range of products, including half wholemeal loaves.
Jumbo’s Goudeerlijk Boeren Pompoenbrood Half Vriesvers is a half loaf supplied as a frozen product.
Lidl lists a Halfje extra volkorenbrood weighing 400 g.
ALDI lists Extra vezelrijk volkorenbrood half, a loaf with seeds and grains.
PLUS lists Boeren volkoren half, weighing 400 g.
Dirk lists Bakker van der Akker Boeren volkoren half as a half-loaf option.
Divide the loaf into portions as soon as you buy it and take only what you need out of the freezer, as the Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises. Follow the storage period and any additional instructions on the packaging of the loaf you’ve chosen.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, brown bread is made from a mix of wholemeal flour and white flour, while wholemeal bread is made from 100% wholemeal flour. Check the product name if you’re looking for wholemeal bread.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, bakers aren’t required to use bakers’ salt. Check the label on packaged bread, or ask about the ingredients if the bread is sold loose.
It depends on the instructions for the specific loaf. For Goudeerlijk Boeren Pompoenbrood Half Vriesvers, Jumbo says to store it at -18 °C and not to refreeze it after defrosting.
