Choose freshly baked sourdough or a hearth loaf if you want to serve it without baking it at home. Choose bake-at-home bread if you want to time the preparation for just before your meal and have oven space available. If you also want wholemeal bread, check the product description and ingredients: a rustic name, spelt or seeds don’t, on their own, tell you whether a loaf is wholemeal. If you have dietary requirements, check the allergen information before choosing.
You want to serve bread with drinks, brunch or dinner, and care most about its shape, crust and flavour. Freshly baked rustic bread works well if you can plan your purchase in advance. Bake-at-home bread gives you more control over when it’s served, but needs time and oven space.
You want bread for your meal without overlooking its nutritional information. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that wholegrain products contain more fibre than white products made with flour. Look for the ‘wholemeal’ description rather than relying on seeds or a dark colour.
You need clear information about ingredients, allergens and possible cross-contamination before buying. For unpackaged bread, check the allergen information in store; for packaged bread, read the label on the specific product.
First, decide whether you want to buy the bread freshly baked or bake it at home. Then compare the product description, preparation instructions and allergen information for the bread you have in mind.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Crust and presentation | Consider the shape of the loaf, whether it’s sliced and how you want to serve it. | For drinks or dinner, I want bread that looks good on the table too; around 33% of consumers prioritise flavour and presentation. |
| Wholemeal and fibre | Look for the ‘wholemeal’ description and read the ingredients; seeds and the term ‘multigrain’ aren’t enough to confirm it. | If this is also my everyday bread, I want to know whether it’s genuinely wholemeal. Around 27% of consumers put this question first. |
| When you plan to serve it | For bake-at-home bread, check the defrosting and baking instructions; for freshly baked bread, check how you can buy it. | I want the bread ready in time for the meal, without its preparation disrupting my plans; this is the main consideration for around 20% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the allergen information and, if it matters to your choice, check whether iodised baker’s salt has been used. | When ingredients or allergens determine my choice, I want clear information before buying. Around 20% of consumers make this a priority. |
A dark colour, spelt or visible seeds don’t confirm that a loaf is wholemeal. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, wholegrain products contain more fibre than white products made with flour.
Check that ‘wholemeal’ appears on the product and read the ingredients list if the types of grain matter to your choice.
A sourdough process doesn’t remove gluten-containing grains from bread, and spelt doesn’t mean that bread is gluten-free either.
If you need to avoid gluten strictly, check the gluten-free description and allergen information for the specific product. When serving it, take care to avoid contact with regular bread.
Baker’s salt contains added iodine, but it isn’t used in every loaf. An artisan look doesn’t tell you whether it has been used.
For packaged bread, read the ingredients list. For unpackaged bread, ask which salt has been used if it matters to your choice.
Freshly baked bread and bake-at-home bread need different levels of planning. Bake-at-home bread may need to defrost first, then requires oven space and sometimes time to cool.
Choose a preparation method that fits your meal plans and follow the instructions on the packaging.
These ranges show different ways to choose bread for a special meal. Always check the features and how to buy each product individually.
Liefde & Passie and OerDesem include rustic and wholemeal options.
Rustic sourdough loaves in a range of grain and flavour varieties.
A bread range that also includes packaged loaves with nutritional information you can compare.
Bakkersgoud Rustiek includes a spelt hearth loaf with oat flakes, seeds and kernels.
Bake-at-home bread for those who want to time preparation for when it’s served.
Includes rustic white bake-at-home baguettes to serve with a meal.
These loaves are suited to a meal where you want to serve a round loaf or baguettes and can plan to bake them at home. Compare the type of bread and the packaging, and check the preparation and allergen information for each product.
Image unavailable
A round loaf to consider if you specifically want wholemeal bread with your meal. Allow time for defrosting and baking, and follow the packaging for the baking time. Check the allergens and the salt used if this information matters to your choice.
Image unavailable
The round shape makes this loaf ideal for slicing and sharing with a meal. Allow time for defrosting, baking and cooling before slicing. Check the product description if you’re looking for wholemeal bread, and read the allergen information if you have dietary requirements.
Image unavailable
Four baguettes for a meal where you’d rather serve smaller loaves than one round loaf. Allow time to defrost and bake them at home, and check the baking time on the packaging. ‘Multigrain’ doesn’t, on its own, confirm that they’re wholemeal; also read the allergen information if it matters to your choice.
No. Sourdough describes how the bread is made, while spelt is a type of grain; neither confirms that the bread is wholemeal. Look for the ‘wholemeal’ description on the specific product and read the ingredients list.
No. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that baker’s salt contains iodine, but bakers aren’t required to use it. For packaged bread, check the ingredients list; for unpackaged bread, ask which salt has been used.
No: the descriptions ‘sourdough’ and ‘spelt’ don’t mean that bread is gluten-free. If you need to avoid gluten strictly, check the product’s gluten-free description and allergen information, and take care to avoid contact with other bread when serving it.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that information about allergens present must be available wherever unpackaged food is sold. Ask before buying if the information isn’t immediately visible.
Start with the storage, defrosting and oven instructions for the specific bread, and allow time for it to cool after baking too. For example, PLUS says to bake its multigrain sourdough roll for 8 to 10 minutes at 220 °C; don’t apply those instructions to a different product.
