If you’re looking specifically for croissants made with sourdough for your Italian-themed evening, ask a baker how the croissants themselves are made. If you want to bake them just before serving, look for a bake-at-home or frozen option and plan the preparation accordingly. Whichever you choose, check the ingredients and allergen information: sourdough in the ingredients list doesn’t mean the croissants are yeast-free or that the dough has been fermented for a long time.
You want to know whether the croissant dough itself is made with sourdough for your Italian-themed evening. At a local bakery, you can ask about the starter used and how the dough is fermented; seeing sourdough bread alongside the croissants in the display cabinet doesn’t tell you how the croissants are made.
You’re welcoming guests at a set time and want to prepare the croissants shortly before serving. In that case, you’ll need to consider the preparation instructions, available oven space and any defrosting time.
You want to check the ingredients and allergens of your chosen variety before buying, or find out what type of salt it contains. You’ll need the current packaging or full product information to do this.
First, decide whether the sourdough method, serving time or information on the label matters most to you. Then compare fresh, packaged and bake-at-home croissants based on that priority.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important to? |
|---|---|---|
| Sourdough in the croissant dough | Check whether sourdough is listed in the ingredients and whether yeast is listed too. Ask a baker how the croissant dough itself is made. | I’m looking for a recognisable sourdough method for dinner and don’t want to infer it from the product name alone; for around 42% of consumers, how the dough is made is the main consideration. |
| Serving time | Compare fresh, bake-at-home and frozen options; check the preparation instructions, defrosting requirements and number of croissants. | When guests are nearly ready to sit down, I want to know whether the croissants still need preparing and whether that fits my oven schedule; around 33% of consumers prioritise timing. |
| Ingredients and nutritional information | Read the current allergen information and, if needed, check the salt content per 100 g or per portion, as well as whether iodised salt is listed. | I want to be able to check what’s in my chosen variety before serving it; for around 25% of consumers, this information is the first thing they look for. |
A croissant can contain both sourdough and yeast: Jumbo lists both in the ingredients for its packaged butter croissants. The word ‘sourdough’ on its own also doesn’t tell you how long the dough has been fermented.
Read the ingredients list and ask a baker specifically how the croissant dough is raised.
According to the Voedingscentrum, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. So you can’t assume that a croissant contains iodised salt just because it’s Dutch or has an artisanal look.
Check the salt information on the label or ask the baker what type of salt they used for the croissant.
A frozen croissant needs different planning from one you buy ready to eat. Jumbo’s luxury frozen butter croissants also shouldn’t be refrozen after defrosting and must be prepared and eaten within 24 hours.
Check the instructions on your pack before dinner and plan the preparation around when you’ll be serving them.
With this Jumbo variety, defrosting too early could lead to waste if the croissants aren’t used within the stated time.
Lidl says its oven-fresh range can vary by branch. So a croissant you see online as part of the range might not be available at the shop on the day you plan to visit.
Check what’s available at the shop where you plan to buy, or contact a baker in good time if a particular croissant is important for dinner.
Albert Heijn’s croissant range includes fresh, bake-at-home and frozen products.
Jumbo provides product information for both packaged butter croissants and luxury frozen butter croissants.
Lidl offers an oven-fresh range, which can vary from branch to branch.
ALDI lists both a fresh butter croissant and croissants in its bake-at-home range.
PLUS has a bread and bakery range and includes sourdough bread in its bread selection.
These croissants are an option if you’re looking for a pack to share with several guests and want to check the ingredients of the product you choose. Check the preparation method separately before planning to serve them warm.
No image available
If you’re looking for sourdough as an ingredient, check the current ingredients list for these croissants. The pack contains 4 croissants, weighing 180 g in total. Also check the allergens and preparation instructions; sourdough alongside yeast doesn’t confirm that the dough is raised with sourdough alone.
No, a croissant can contain both sourdough and yeast. Jumbo lists both in the ingredients for its packaged butter croissants; read the full ingredients list and, if you’re looking for dough raised with sourdough alone, ask a baker how the croissant dough is leavened.
No, according to the Voedingscentrum, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority outlines rules on adding iodine to bakery products through baker’s salt, but this doesn’t make iodised salt compulsory in every croissant. Check the label or ask the baker if you want to know what type of salt a specific product contains.
Check the allergen information for the variety you’re actually buying. For the croissants discussed here, Jumbo lists milk and cereals containing gluten, among other things; the packaged variety also lists spelt, while the frozen variety lists egg. Ingredients and information about possible cross-contamination can vary by product.
Plan the defrosting according to the instructions on your croissant packaging. Jumbo’s luxury frozen butter croissants shouldn’t be refrozen after defrosting and must be prepared and eaten within 24 hours.
