A small multigrain sourdough loaf is a good choice if you only eat bread now and then and prefer to slice it yourself. A bake-at-home baguette is an option if you want warm bread with one meal. If you eat bread more often, you can freeze a whole sliced loaf in portions as soon as you buy it. Whatever the size, check the ingredients, nutritional information, allergens and preparation instructions: ‘multigrain’ alone doesn’t mean the bread is wholemeal.
Do you only have bread with lunch or a hot meal now and then? Look for a small loaf, a bake-at-home portion or slices you can freeze. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises freezing bread in portions as soon as you buy it.
To find out which grains are in your bread, look beyond the name ‘multigrain’. Check the ingredients and compare the fibre per 100 g. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, wholemeal bread is particularly rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals.
A bake-at-home baguette can be a good match for soup or salad if you have the time and equipment to prepare it. Check the instructions and ingredients for the product you choose, especially if you’re specifically looking for sourdough.
Choose a size based on how often you eat bread: a small loaf for a few occasions, a bake-at-home option for warm bread with a meal, or a whole sliced loaf if you want to freeze portions. Then compare the ingredients and preparation instructions.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Most relevant if you... |
|---|---|---|
| Portion size and leftovers | Check the weight, the number of items and whether you can store the bread by the slice or as individual pieces. | Only eat bread now and then and don’t want a lot left over after one meal. Around 40% of consumers prioritise finding a suitable portion size and limiting leftovers. |
| Wholemeal ingredients and fibre | Read the ingredients and compare the fibre per 100 g across products. | Want to see which wholemeal ingredients the bread contains rather than relying on the word ‘multigrain’. For around 30% of consumers, checking the label is the top priority. |
| Flavour and preparation | Check whether the bread needs baking, what instructions apply and which seeds are listed. | Want bread that suits your taste and the time you have to prepare it for a hot meal. Around 30% of consumers prioritise this combination. |
These words alone don’t tell you how much wholemeal flour or fibre a loaf contains. For example, PLUS’s small multigrain sourdough loaf lists both wholemeal wheat flour and wheat flour.
If wholemeal is a priority, look for the wholemeal description and compare the ingredients and fibre per 100 g.
If you only eat bread occasionally and live alone, some may be left over before you get round to eating it.
Choose a size that suits your eating habits, or freeze a sliced loaf in portions as soon as you buy it, as the Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises.
The multigrain sourdough products mentioned contain cereals that include gluten. Other allergens and warnings may also vary by product.
Check the latest allergen information for the specific loaf before choosing.
Whether baker’s salt or iodised salt is listed varies by product. General information about bread won’t tell you what’s in the loaf you’re buying.
Check the ingredients list for the bread you want to buy.
The sliced dark multigrain OerDesem loaf is an option if you want to keep slices for several meals.
The 250 g multigrain sourdough baguette is a bake-at-home option to serve with a hot meal.
PLUS offers both a small multigrain sourdough loaf and multigrain sourdough demi-baguettes.
The 250 g multigrain bake-at-home baguette is worth considering if you want warm bread with a meal.
The sliced half-loaf of farmhouse wholemeal multigrain bread could suit you if you want to portion out the slices yourself.
These multigrain baguettes are a good fit if you want to serve bread by the piece with a meal. If sourdough matters to you, check the ingredients, and read the packaging instructions before baking.
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Each 135 g baguette is a handy size to serve with an individual meal.
Before baking, check the instructions on the packaging. Also check the ingredients, nutritional information and allergens if they’re important to your choice.
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This variety is designed for serving individual baguettes with a meal.
Check the total number of baguettes on the packaging: the quantity in the product title and description differ. Also read the baking instructions, ingredients and allergen information.
No. ‘Multigrain’ alone doesn’t confirm that a loaf is wholemeal. Check the product name and ingredients: PLUS’s small multigrain sourdough loaf lists both wholemeal wheat flour and wheat flour. Compare fibre on a like-for-like basis, such as per 100 g.
The Dutch Commodities Act Decree on Flour and Bread defines sourdough as a product made by fermenting a mixture based on grain and water with naturally occurring micro-organisms. The term doesn’t tell you whether the bread is wholemeal or which allergens it contains, so check the label for that information.
Freeze the bread in portions as soon as you buy it, then take out what you need, as the Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises. Also follow the storage instructions and use-by date for the specific product.
Yes, check the allergen information for the bread you’re buying. The multigrain sourdough products mentioned contain cereals that include gluten; any other allergens and warnings vary by product.
Don’t assume so. Check the ingredients list for the specific loaf to see whether it lists baker’s salt or iodised salt; the ingredients of another loaf won’t tell you what’s in this one.
