Which type of bread is right for you?

If you want a quick slice late at night

Sliced bread is ready to eat, with no oven or air fryer needed. If you only eat bread now and then, you can freeze individual slices so you don’t have to use the whole loaf at once.

If you prefer a warm roll

A bake-at-home roll or small baguette is a good fit when you’re happy to spend a little time preparing your snack. Before you buy, check whether it needs to be defrosted and follow the cooking instructions on the packaging.

If you’re specifically looking for wholemeal bread

‘Multigrain’ alone isn’t enough. Look for the word ‘wholemeal’, compare the nutritional information per 100 g, and check the ingredients and allergen information for the bread you choose.

What should you look for when choosing?

First, decide between bread that’s ready to eat and a warm snack that needs preparing. Then assess the type of bread and its label separately: the word ‘sourdough’ doesn’t tell you whether it’s wholemeal or how much salt it contains.

What to consider What to check before buying Who it matters to
Ready to eat or bake at home Check whether the bread is sliced and ready to eat, or needs to be defrosted and baked. If I want a slice late at night, I don’t want to have to switch on the oven first; being able to eat it straight away is the deciding factor for around 38% of consumers.
Wholemeal and nutritional information Look for ‘wholemeal’ and compare fibre and salt per 100 g. Check the ingredients and allergen information too. If I’m having a late-night snack regularly, I want to know which bread is entirely wholemeal and what else it contains; around 31% of consumers put these label checks first.
Sourdough, crust and portion size Check whether sourdough is listed in the ingredients, and whether the size and cooking instructions suit your snack. I’m happy to take the time to prepare warm bread, as long as the size suits what I want to eat or share; around 31% of consumers say this combination matters most.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming ‘multigrain’ means ‘wholemeal’

    Multigrain means the bread contains several types of grain; it doesn’t automatically mean it’s made entirely from wholemeal flour. According to the Voedingscentrum, wholemeal bread is made from 100% wholemeal flour.

    If you specifically want wholemeal bread, look for the word ‘wholemeal’ and read the ingredients list.

  • Using ‘sourdough’ as a guide to nutritional content

    You can’t tell how much fibre or salt a bread contains from words such as ‘sourdough’ or ‘artisan’. The Voedingscentrum also points out that ‘artisan’ isn’t a legally defined product description.

    Compare the nutritional information per 100 g and check the ingredients, even if the bread’s name focuses on how it’s made.

  • Buying a whole loaf without a storage plan

    If you only have a slice late at night now and then, the rest may dry out or go off before you get round to eating it.

    Freeze slices in portions soon after buying, or choose a smaller loaf if you’d rather not freeze it.

  • Overlooking allergens and salt

    Ingredients and salt levels vary from product to product. A similar-sounding bread name is no substitute for checking the label on the pack you’re buying.

    Read the allergen information and compare salt per 100 g when choosing between different types of bread.

Brands and bread types to consider

Albert Heijn

An example of sliced multigrain sourdough bread that’s ready to eat.

  • According to Albert Heijn, AH OerDesem dark multigrain is a whole, sliced wholemeal loaf weighing 800 g. The nutritional information shown lists 6,6 g of fibre and 0,85 g of salt per 100 g.
  • If you buy a whole loaf, freezing it in portions is practical when you only have a late-night snack now and then. The proving time quoted by Albert Heijn is a product claim, not a comparison of bread quality.

Jumbo

For anyone looking to bake multigrain sourdough rolls or a baguette at home.

  • Jumbo lists a pack of four Multigrain Sourdough Rolls weighing 300 g in total, as well as a 250 g multigrain sourdough baguette.
  • The rolls list 1,10 g of salt per 100 g. Compare this figure with the nutritional information for the specific alternative you’re considering, not with the weight of the pack.

PLUS

For a warm snack, with a bake-at-home multigrain sourdough demi-baguette or a frozen bread roll.

  • PLUS provides oven and air fryer cooking instructions for its Korenlanders multigrain sourdough demi-baguettes.
  • According to PLUS, the demi-baguettes take 8–10 minutes in an oven at 220 °C or 5–6 minutes in an air fryer at 200 °C. If you choose a frozen bread roll, check the storage instructions too.

ALDI

Multigrain alternatives in the form of a half loaf or bake-at-home baguettes.

  • ALDI lists a half loaf of Farmer’s wholemeal multigrain bread and De Afbakker multigrain baguettes; the baguettes have a stated baking time of 8–10 minutes.
  • If you’re specifically looking for a sourdough product, check whether sourdough is mentioned on the packaging or in the ingredients list of these multigrain alternatives.

Dirk

A multigrain bake-at-home baguette for anyone wanting to prepare or share a larger loaf.

  • Dirk lists a 440 g rustic multigrain baguette that can be baked fresh at home.
  • If you’re choosing specifically for sourdough, wholemeal content or nutritional information, check the details on the particular pack.

Multigrain sourdough baguette at Joybuy

These baguettes are suited to a planned, warm late-night snack, prepared as individual portions. If you want a slice of bread without any preparation, you’ll need a different type.

Lekhaven Bakkerij multigrain rustic baguettes, 4 × 135 g

Lekhaven Bakkerij multigrain rustic baguettes, 4 × 135 g

A good choice if you want to prepare a warm multigrain sourdough baguette one at a time, as long as you can plan ahead for defrosting.

The pack contains four baguettes weighing 135 g each. According to the product description, they need to defrost for around four hours and then bake for 5–7 minutes.

Look for the word ‘wholemeal’ on the packaging if you want bread that’s entirely wholemeal. Compare fibre and salt with other breads only when the nutritional information is clearly given per 100 g.

View at Joybuy

Frequently asked questions

Is multigrain bread automatically wholemeal?

No. ‘Multigrain’ doesn’t automatically mean the bread is entirely wholemeal. According to the Voedingscentrum, wholemeal bread is made from 100% wholemeal flour, so look for the word ‘wholemeal’ on the packaging if that’s important to you.

For a late-night snack, should I choose sourdough or a particular type of bread?

Start with the type of bread: sliced bread is ready to eat, while bake-at-home bread takes time to prepare. Then check whether sourdough is listed in the ingredients, and look separately at the wholemeal content, nutritional information and allergens.

How should I store a whole loaf if I only have a slice now and then?

Freeze the bread in portions so you only need to take out the slices you need. The Voedingscentrum recommends keeping wholemeal bread in a kitchen cupboard for 2–4 days or in the freezer for 1–3 months; freezing it for longer may make it drier.

How can I tell whether multigrain sourdough bread contains iodised salt?

Check the ingredients list on the specific loaf for the words ‘iodised salt’. Don’t rely on the bread’s name or the fact that it’s made with sourdough: neither tells you what type of salt the product contains.