If fibre matters to you, compare the wholemeal flour content and fibre per 100 g: a multigrain roll isn’t necessarily wholemeal. If you want a single roll that’s ready to eat, you could consider a fresh roll sold individually. If you have difficulty chewing, it’s more important to check the crust and, if needed, cut the roll in half than to rely on the ‘medium sliced’ label.
If you’d like a roll with your afternoon coffee and fibre matters to you, compare the ingredients and nutritional information per 100 g. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises replacing white bread with wholemeal or brown bread as often as possible.
If you only need one roll for a coffee break, buying one individually may be more convenient than opening a pack of four. If you’d like to keep rolls for other days too, compare the packaging and storage instructions for bake-at-home or frozen rolls.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that chewing difficulties and reduced appetite can make eating more challenging in later life. Check whether the crust is comfortable to eat, and if you like, ask whether a fresh roll can be cut in half.
First decide which feature matters most to you for your afternoon coffee: the ingredients, how easy the roll is to chew, portion size or availability in your shop. Then compare the information for the specific product.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre and wholemeal flour | Check the ingredients and compare the fibre per 100 g; ‘multigrain’ doesn’t automatically mean ‘wholemeal’. | If fibre is the deciding factor for me, I want to know how much wholemeal flour the roll contains, regardless of its colour or the seeds on the crust. Around 40% of consumers put this first. |
| Ease of chewing | Check the crust after preparation and, if you’re buying a fresh roll, ask whether it can be cut in half. | If a crusty roll is difficult to chew, I want to be able to assess it and cut it in half if needed. For around 30% of consumers, ease of chewing is the main consideration. |
| Portion size and storage | Compare the number of rolls and the storage instructions; for bake-at-home rolls, check the preparation instructions too. | If I only need one roll, I don’t want to open a pack without a plan for the rest. For several afternoons, though, having a supply can be handy. Portion size matters most to around 20% of consumers. |
| Availability | Check that the variety you want is available at your shop and whether it’s fresh or needs baking. | If I want to pick up a roll at my usual shop, the type I’m looking for needs to be available there. For around 10% of consumers, this is the top priority. |
The terms don’t mean the same thing. PLUS lists 56% wholemeal wheat flour and 7 g of fibre per 100 g for its multigrain rolls. For its white rolls, PLUS lists 2,7 g of fibre per 100 g. These figures apply to these specific products, not to every roll with the same description.
Read the ingredients list and compare the fibre per 100 g, rather than choosing based only on the name or the seeds.
For a roll, this label alone doesn’t tell you whether it’s been pre-sliced or is easy to chew. Even a sliced roll can have a firm crust.
If you’re buying a fresh roll, ask whether it can be cut in half, or do it at home. Assess how easy it is to chew separately.
A bake-at-home roll needs to be prepared at a different time from a fresh roll sold individually. Jumbo also says that its brown frozen rolls must not be refrozen after defrosting.
Choose a pack that suits the number of rolls you’ll use, and follow the preparation and storage instructions for that product.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. So whether a product contains iodised salt varies.
For packaged rolls, check the ingredients list. For unpackaged bread, ask which salt has been used.
These brands offer different types of rolls. The features listed apply to the products described; always check the packaging of the variety you’re buying before making your choice.
Albert Heijn lists white, brown, multigrain and wholemeal sourdough rolls, among other varieties.
Jumbo lists white and multiseed rolls, as well as brown frozen rolls.
Lidl lists white rolls in a 700 g bake-at-home pack.
ALDI lists a fresh white roll sold individually.
PLUS lists white and multigrain rolls, among other varieties, in 300 g packs.
Dirk lists individual 80 g white and brown rolls, as well as packaged multigrain rolls.
No. ‘Multigrain’ doesn’t automatically mean ‘wholemeal’. Check the ingredients and the wholemeal flour content of the specific roll. If fibre is important to your choice, compare the fibre per 100 g.
No, you can’t assume this is the case for every roll. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. PLUS lists iodised salt in the white and multigrain rolls described here. For other products, check the ingredients list or ask.
Follow the time and temperature instructions on the packaging of the rolls you’ve bought. Bake-at-home rolls need to be prepared before your coffee break, whereas a fresh roll sold individually doesn’t need this step.
Check the crust and, if you like, cut the roll in half horizontally. Cutting it won’t change the crust itself. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that chewing difficulties can make eating more challenging in later life. Speak to a healthcare professional if you have ongoing problems chewing or swallowing.
Yes. If you have an allergy, use the information on the packaging of the product you’re actually buying. Albert Heijn notes that ingredients and allergen information can change, so don’t rely solely on a product description you looked at earlier.
