Choose a ready-to-bake croissant if you can use an oven or air fryer just before serving and check the label to make sure it really contains sourdough. A fresh croissant from a bakery is a good choice for a barbecue if you want to serve it without baking it first, but be sure to ask whether that particular croissant contains sourdough. In either case, check the current allergen information: sourdough does not determine whether a product is suitable for someone with an allergy.
If you want to bake them just before eating, check the preparation time on the packaging and make sure an oven or air fryer will be available. PLUS provides instructions for both appliances for its part-baked butter croissants.
Check whether sourdough or sourdough starter is listed among the croissant’s ingredients. If you want to know whether the dough was leavened exclusively with sourdough, also check whether yeast has been added, or ask the baker. PLUS lists both sourdough and yeast in its version.
For packaged croissants, read the current label. For unwrapped bakery products, ask about allergens before you buy. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains how allergen information must be made available for packaged and unwrapped foods.
First decide whether your main priority is confirmed sourdough, baking the croissants until warm, checking allergens or serving them. Then compare croissants that suit your needs.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| Confirmed sourdough | Look for sourdough or sourdough starter and the type of grain used in the ingredients list. If the croissant is unwrapped, ask whether the dough also contains yeast. | I want a croissant for the barbecue that clearly contains sourdough in the dough, not just a product with an artisan-sounding name. This is the top priority for around 44% of consumers. |
| Baking until warm | Compare the preparation time, temperature and appliance required with your serving plans. | If the croissants need to be served warm, I want to be able to bake them while the rest of the food is being prepared. This is the top priority for around 33% of consumers. |
| Allergens and serving | Check the current allergen information. If you’re serving perishable fillings, plan how to keep them chilled until serving. | If guests need to consider allergens or I’m using chilled fillings, I want to know what to look out for before buying and while serving. This is the priority for around 23% of consumers. |
Butter and sourdough refer to different ingredients. PLUS lists both wheat and spelt sourdough and yeast in its butter croissants’ ingredients; you can’t tell this from the word ‘butter’ alone.
Check the ingredients of the specific croissant and ask the baker what the dough contains.
The sourdough in the PLUS croissants described here contains wheat and spelt; the product also lists milk. Using sourdough in the recipe doesn’t remove these ingredients.
If you have an allergy or follow a gluten-free diet, base your choice on the current product information, not the word ‘sourdough’. For unwrapped croissants, ask for the allergen information.
Preparation times vary from product to product. PLUS says its part-baked croissants take 4 to 6 minutes in the oven; Albert Heijn says AH Verse Original Croissants take 12 to 15 minutes.
Read the instructions in advance and make sure you have enough oven or air fryer space. Add perishable chilled fillings shortly before serving.
A bakery selling sourdough bread doesn’t confirm that every croissant in its range is made with sourdough.
Ask about the specific croissant you’ve chosen: does the dough contain sourdough, has yeast also been used, and which allergens are present?
Compare the ingredients and preparation instructions for each croissant. A shop’s name alone doesn’t tell you whether a product contains sourdough.
PLUS describes its butter croissants as part-baked and lists wheat and spelt sourdough in the ingredients.
AH Verse Original Croissants are a useful comparison if you want to bake chilled croissant dough at home and don’t require sourdough.
Lidl says that bakery products are baked in store and that its bread range varies from one branch to another.
ALDI features a fresh butter croissant and lists croissants among the products you can bake at home.
Dirk features several types of croissants, including butter and branded varieties.
Look for sourdough or sourdough starter in the ingredients list, or ask the baker about the dough used for the croissant you’ve chosen. PLUS lists wheat and spelt sourdough in its butter croissants, as well as yeast. So the presence of sourdough doesn’t mean it was the only leavening agent used.
Follow the appliance and preparation method specified for the croissant you’ve chosen. Don’t assume that oven instructions also apply to a barbecue grill. PLUS says its part-baked butter croissants take 4 to 6 minutes at 200 °C in the oven, or 4 minutes at 180 °C in the air fryer. Plan to bake them just before serving if one of these appliances is available.
No. The presence of sourdough doesn’t mean a croissant is gluten-free. The PLUS croissants described here contain wheat and spelt sourdough. If you follow a gluten-free diet, check the current product information and don’t rely on the word ‘sourdough’.
Keep perishable fillings chilled until just before serving, and put out small amounts at a time. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises throwing away perishable food that has been out of the fridge for more than two hours.
Check the ingredients list for the specific croissant to see whether iodised salt is listed. PLUS lists it for its butter sourdough croissants. Don’t use this to draw conclusions about the amount of iodine in a portion or about other croissants.
