If you make generously topped snacks
If the thickness of your bread matters for your toppings, a whole loaf lets you slice it yourself. With pre-sliced bread, it’s worth checking the slices: ‘coarse’ doesn’t tell you how thick they are.
Who is this choice relevant to?
If you buy bread for several days
You don’t want to use up your whole week’s supply at once. Freezing it in portions makes it easier to defrost only what you need. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says wholemeal bread keeps for 2–4 days in a kitchen cupboard and 1–3 months in the freezer.
If you check for wholemeal content and read the label
Bread can look hearty without being wholemeal. Check the product description and, if they matter to your choice, compare fibre and salt per 100 g. If you have an allergy, always check the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging.
What should you look for when choosing?
First decide whether you want ready-sliced bread or would rather choose the thickness yourself. Then consider how much bread you’ll use during the week and which label information matters to you.
Pre-sliced bread
Choose this if: you want to grab bread for snacks without having to slice it yourself.
Bear in mind: even when bread is described as ‘coarse’ or ‘hearty’, you’ll need to check the actual slice thickness.
Whole loaf
Choose this if: you want to cut thicker or thinner slices yourself to suit different toppings.
Bear in mind: slicing it yourself takes time. Check whether the particular loaf needs baking before you can eat it.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Slice thickness | Check the slices if you’re buying pre-sliced bread. Choose a whole loaf if you want to decide the thickness yourself. | When I’m adding plenty of toppings or heavier fillings, I want to choose how thick my slice is. Around 42% of consumers put control over slicing first. |
| Storage | Choose an amount that suits how much you use and check the storage instructions; freeze bread in portions for later. | If my bread needs to last several days, I don’t want to have to defrost it all at once. For around 33% of consumers, storing bread in portions matters most. |
| Label | Check whether it’s labelled wholemeal, compare fibre and salt per 100 g if you wish, and read the allergen information. | I want to know what’s in the bread before I buy it for the week. This label information comes first for around 25% of consumers. |
Common mistakes
-
Assuming ‘coarse’ means ‘thick-cut’
‘Coarse’ and ‘artisan’ aren’t standard measures of slice thickness. So pre-sliced bread described this way may not have the slices you want for your toppings.
Look at the bread or ask the shop how it’s sliced. If you want to choose the thickness yourself, buy a whole loaf.
-
Keeping your whole week’s supply out of the freezer
Bread you won’t use until later in the week may lose quality. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says wholemeal bread keeps for 2–4 days in a kitchen cupboard, compared with 1–3 months in the freezer.
Divide the bread into portions you can use after buying it, and follow the storage instructions on the packaging too.
-
Going by the bread’s name instead of the label
‘Multigrain’, ‘coarse’ and ‘wholemeal’ aren’t interchangeable. Ingredients and allergens also vary from one product to another.
Check the current packaging if wholemeal content, fibre, salt, allergens or iodised salt matter to your choice.
Brands to compare
These brands give you options for comparing bread formats, slicing methods and label information. Always assess the specific loaf you’re thinking of buying.
Albert Heijn
Albert Heijn offers various types of wholemeal and hearth bread.
- The product information for AH Boeren grof volkorenbrood heel lists wholemeal flour and iodised salt.
- This particular bread is listed as discontinued. If you choose another loaf, check the slicing method and current label again.
Jumbo
Jumbo offers wholemeal varieties described as ‘coarse’ and ‘hearty’, among other things.
- These varieties give you several bread formats to compare in terms of how they’re sliced.
- The Jumbo Grof Volkoren product page mentioned is for a loaf that’s no longer available online. What’s more, ‘coarse’ doesn’t tell you how thick the slices are.
Lidl
Lidl lists Knip volkoren as sliced bread weighing 800 g.
- The word ‘sliced’ is useful if you don’t want to cut the bread yourself.
- Check the slices if their thickness is what matters most to you.
ALDI
ALDI offers, among other things, sliced farmhouse wholemeal multigrain bread and a whole extra-high-fibre wholemeal loaf.
- You can compare a sliced loaf with a whole one if control over slicing is what determines your choice.
- A claim about fibre or the bread format won’t tell you how thick the slices are; check the label of the variety you choose.
PLUS
PLUS Grof volkoren heel is an option if you want to slice your own bread.
- For this product, PLUS lists 6,8 g of fibre and 1,01 g of salt per 100 g, along with ingredients and allergen information.
- A whole loaf doesn’t come with a set slice thickness. Check the current label, especially if you have allergies.
Dirk
Dirk offers, among other things, Bakker van der Akker Batard volkoren and volkoren vloerbrood.
- A whole loaf could be a good choice if you’d rather slice it yourself.
- Check how the loaf you choose is sliced and how it’s packaged before assuming you can decide the slice thickness yourself.
Whole loaves to slice yourself
These Joybuy products suit you if you want to slice your own bread. Both need to be defrosted, baked and cooled before use, so they aren’t ready-to-eat, pre-sliced loaves. Only the Whole Wheat variety is described here as wholemeal.
Image unavailable
Lekhaven Bakkerij Whole Wheat Country Round Bread 550 g
A round wholemeal loaf for anyone who wants to slice it themselves after baking. Defrosting, baking and cooling take some preparation, so check the baking time on the packaging. Check the current label if ingredients, allergens or iodised salt matter to your choice.
Image unavailable
Lekhaven Bakkerij Multigrain Country Bread Round 550 g × 2
Two 550 g round multigrain loaves for anyone who wants to choose their own slice thickness. These loaves also need to be defrosted, baked and cooled before use. Multigrain isn’t the same as wholemeal: check the label if wholemeal bread is a requirement for you, and read the allergen information there too.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose bread if I really want thick slices?
With a whole loaf, you decide the thickness yourself. If you want pre-sliced bread, check the slices or ask how it’s cut; ‘coarse’, ‘hearty’ and ‘artisan’ don’t guarantee a particular slice thickness.
How should I store bread I’ve bought for the whole week?
Freeze the portion you’ll use later in the week, and follow the instructions on the packaging. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says wholemeal bread keeps for 2–4 days in a kitchen cupboard and 1–3 months in the freezer. Its quality may deteriorate if you store it for longer.
Can I tell from a bread’s name whether it contains iodised salt?
No. Check the ingredients for the specific loaf. A name such as ‘wholemeal’ or ‘coarse’ won’t tell you which type of salt has been used. Read the current packaging if this matters to your choice.