Choose a whole multigrain loaf if you want to cut your own thick slices for generous toppings. If you’re buying pre-sliced bread, check that the slices are sturdy enough for your toppings. For small, easy-to-share bites, a multigrain baguette or bake-at-home baguette is a better fit, although bake-at-home bread needs preparation. The word ‘multigrain’ tells you nothing about slice thickness or whether the bread is wholemeal.
If you want to serve spreads, cheese or grilled vegetables on substantial pieces of bread, a whole loaf lets you choose the portion size. If you’re buying pre-sliced bread, check the slices themselves: the product format doesn’t guarantee a particular thickness.
For bites that are easy to share, you can cut a multigrain baguette into smaller pieces. Choose a bake-at-home option only if you have time and oven space to prepare it.
If ingredients or allergens are important to your choice, read the label on the exact loaf. For bread sold loose, ask for allergen information before buying, as required by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority for non-prepacked foods.
First decide whether you want wide slices to cut yourself or smaller bites to serve. Then check the ingredients, preparation instructions and quantity you need for each loaf.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is this important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Slices and toppings | Check whether the loaf is whole or sliced. If it’s sliced, assess whether the slices will work with your toppings. | For generous or moist toppings, I want to choose the width and thickness of the bread myself; around 33% of consumers prioritise a sturdy slice. |
| Serving and preparation | Check whether the bread is already sliced and whether it needs baking. | If the bites need to be ready quickly, I’d rather choose portions that require little slicing; for around 25% of consumers, ease of serving matters most. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the legal product description, ingredients and allergen information for the exact product. For bread sold loose, ask for allergen information. | If guests need to keep an eye on ingredients, I want to know exactly what’s in this particular loaf. Around 25% of consumers give this their highest priority. |
| Storing leftovers | Choose an appropriate quantity and follow the storage advice and date on the packaging. | If there’s bread left after the drinks party, I want to be able to store it in useful portions; around 17% of consumers prioritise this. |
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, multigrain bread contains at least three types of grain. The name alone doesn’t tell you how much wholemeal flour it contains.
If wholemeal bread is important to you, check the legal product description and ingredients list rather than judging by the colour or visible seeds alone.
‘Sliced’ describes how the bread is sold, not whether the slices will work with generous or moist toppings.
Look at the slices or ask the bakery counter. With a whole loaf, you can choose the thickness yourself, as long as you slice it yourself.
Breads with similar names can contain different grains, seeds and allergens.
Check the label on the loaf you’ve chosen. For bread sold loose, ask for allergen information before buying.
Leftovers that aren’t stored in time can dry out or go mouldy.
Buy an amount that suits your drinks party, and freeze any bread you want to use later in portions. Throw away mouldy bread.
Albert Heijn lists, among other options, a sliced multigrain loaf made with wheat, rye and millet.
Jumbo lists several multigrain breads, including varieties with ‘Hearty’ and ‘Wholemeal’ in the name.
Lidl describes a multigrain bread made with wheat, barley and buckwheat, among other grains.
ALDI lists both a pre-sliced multigrain farmhouse loaf and multigrain baguettes to bake at home.
PLUS lists multigrain breads under the Korenlanders name, including a dark, round loaf.
Dirk lists multigrain bread in several formats, including half loaves, farmhouse loaves and bake-at-home baguettes.
These products include a round loaf to slice yourself and baguettes for smaller bites to serve with drinks. Compare the format with your toppings, and check the slices, allergen information and any preparation instructions before buying.
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This round loaf is a good choice for a drinks party where you want to slice the bread yourself. Check that the slices suit your toppings and follow the packaging instructions if any preparation is needed.
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Four baguettes let you cut smaller pieces to serve with drinks. Check the preparation instructions on the packaging and make sure the pieces will suit your toppings.
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This pack of two multigrain baguettes is ideal for making small pieces of bread to serve with drinks. Check the packaging to see whether they need preparing and which allergens apply to this product.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, multigrain bread contains at least three different types of grain, but the name doesn’t confirm that the bread is wholemeal. Check the legal product description and ingredients list to find out.
Cut the bread into pieces that suit your toppings. Lightly toasting it and letting it cool is one option for cold toppings. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre uses this method in a toast recipe, but the right slice thickness depends on the bread and toppings.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends keeping opened multigrain bread for 2–4 days in a kitchen cupboard or 1–3 months in the freezer. Freeze leftovers in useful portions, and also follow the storage instructions on the packaging for the specific loaf.
Ask at the bakery counter or speak to the seller before you buy. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergen information must also be available for non-prepacked foods. Don’t rely on the bread’s name alone.
You can’t tell from the name ‘multigrain bread’. Check the ingredients for the individual loaf if you want to know which salt has been used; product descriptions such as ‘iodised salt’ and ‘baker’s salt’ are not interchangeable.
