Multigrain bread made with both wholemeal flour and wheat flour may be worth considering if a fully wholemeal loaf isn’t popular at home. Don’t rely on the name alone: compare the ingredients and fibre content of the specific bread, check the allergens and freeze a larger purchase in portions as soon as you get it home.
If a strongly wholemeal loaf isn’t popular at home, you could consider bread made with both wholemeal flour and white flour. Be sure to read the ingredients: according to the Voedingscentrum, ‘multigrain’ doesn’t automatically mean ‘wholemeal’.
If you buy several loaves at once, the Voedingscentrum recommends freezing them in portions as soon as you get home. That way, you don’t have to defrost a whole loaf when you only need a few slices.
If you have an allergy or another strict dietary requirement, the label on the bread you choose is what matters. Multigrain breads can contain different grains, seeds and other ingredients, so check the current packaging even when buying the same product again.
First, check that the ingredients and allergen information are suitable for your household. Then compare the loaves that fit the bill and decide how much you can freeze straight away.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients and taste | Check whether the bread is labelled wholemeal and which types of flour appear first in the ingredients list. Compare fibre per 100 g. | If fully wholemeal bread isn’t popular at home, I want to be able to choose a blend without mistaking it for fully wholemeal bread. Around 40% of consumers prioritise making this transition. |
| Storing a supply | Check the storage instructions and make sure you can freeze your purchase in convenient portions as soon as you get it home. | When I stock up on several loaves, I want to be able to take out a small amount at a time rather than defrost everything at once. For around 40% of consumers, convenience when stocking up is the main concern. |
| Allergens and labelling | Read the current ingredients and allergen information for each loaf, and check the packaging again when you buy it another time. | If an ingredient matters to my household, I need to know exactly what’s in this particular loaf, even if the recipe has changed. For around 20% of consumers, this is the main priority. |
According to the Voedingscentrum, multigrain bread contains at least three types of grain. The name doesn’t tell you how much wholemeal flour the bread contains.
Look for the ‘wholemeal’ label on the specific product and compare the types of flour and fibre per 100 g.
Defrosting a whole loaf is inconvenient if you only need a few slices. Bread can also become drier if it’s kept in the freezer for a long time, according to the Voedingscentrum.
Divide the bread into portions as soon as you get it home, freeze them and use the oldest portions first.
A product name or an old product page is no substitute for the label: ingredients and allergen information can change.
Check the current packaging of the specific bread every time you buy it, especially if you need to avoid an ingredient.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority sets out conditions for using iodine compounds in bread through baker’s salt. This doesn’t mean that every individual loaf contains iodised salt.
If you have a question about a particular loaf, look for baker’s salt or iodised salt in the ingredients list and ask for product information if needed.
Albert Heijn offers multigrain breads with a range of ingredients. For example, the product information for AH Vloerbrood meergranen heel lists 31% wholemeal wheat flour and 30% wheat flour.
Jumbo lists several types of multigrain bread in its online category, including products labelled wholemeal.
These Joybuy products are multigrain breads and baguettes that can be stored frozen and baked at home later. Check each pack to see whether the ingredients also suit your preference for a blend of wholemeal and white flour. The shape of the bread and pack size vary.
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Two loaves for anyone who wants to keep bread to bake at home in the freezer. The product description says it can be stored unbaked at −18 °C for up to four months and lists ingredients including wheat flour, sunflower seeds, linseed and sesame. Check the packaging for wholemeal flour, applicable allergens and baking instructions.
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One loaf for anyone who wants to keep a smaller amount of bread to bake at home in stock. The product description says it can be stored unbaked at −18 °C for up to four months and lists wheat flour, sunflower seeds, linseed and sesame. Check the packaging for wholemeal flour, current allergen information and baking instructions.
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Multigrain baguettes for anyone who wants to store and bake individual portions rather than a whole loaf. The product description says they can be stored at −18 °C for up to four months and lists ingredients including wheat flour, sunflower seeds, sesame and linseed. Check the label for wholemeal flour, allergens, and storage and baking instructions.
No. According to the Voedingscentrum, multigrain bread contains at least three different types of grain, but the name alone doesn’t tell you how much wholemeal flour it contains. Check the wholemeal label and ingredients list of the bread you want to buy.
The Voedingscentrum recommends keeping wholemeal bread in the freezer for one to three months and freezing it in portions as soon as you get it home. Bread can become drier if stored for longer, so follow any shorter, product-specific instructions on the packaging.
For bread you want to keep for longer, the Voedingscentrum’s storage advice recommends freezing it. Divide the bread into portions as soon as you get it home. If the pack is unopened, also check the date and storage instructions.
It varies by product. The information for a Jumbo wholemeal multigrain bread lists wheat, barley, oats, rye, sesame and lupin, among other ingredients, and says that traces of other ingredients may be present. Don’t use that list for another loaf: always read the label on the current packaging.
You can’t tell from the name ‘multigrain bread’. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority sets out conditions for using iodine compounds in bread through baker’s salt, but that doesn’t confirm what’s in a particular loaf. Check the ingredients list or ask for product-specific information.
