If the thickness of the slice is key to your filled or toasted snacks, choose a whole loaf that you can slice yourself. Pre-sliced bread saves on preparation, but gives you less control over the thickness. Then decide whether wholemeal bread, a crisp crust or easy-to-portion slices matter most, and check the information for the bread you choose.
For a toasted sandwich or filled snack with cheese, sauce or a warm filling, you’ll want to choose the thickness of the slice yourself. You can do that with a whole loaf, but check that the slices will fit in your grill or toaster.
If the type of bread matters more to you than a light, white base, look specifically for wholemeal bread. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre describes wholemeal bread as a type of bread containing dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. The name of the crust tells you nothing about the thickness of the slice.
Pre-sliced bread saves you the effort of slicing and makes it easy to serve even portions. If you’d still rather cut thick slices yourself, work out how many you’ll need in advance and freeze any leftover bread in portions, as recommended by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre.
Before your snack night, decide whether you want to choose the thickness yourself. Then weigh up the type of bread, crust and preparation involved.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Slice thickness and firmness | Choose a whole loaf if you want to slice it yourself. Check that the slice thickness you want will work with your filling and any grill you plan to use. | With a generous or moist filling, I want to decide how thick the bread base should be. For around 33% of consumers, having control over slicing would be their top priority. |
| Wholemeal and nutritional value | Check the type of bread and compare the fibre and salt content of specific products per 100 g; brown or multigrain bread isn’t automatically wholemeal. | If I want to use wholemeal bread, I look beyond its colour or crust. This choice of bread would come first for around 27% of consumers. |
| Crust and texture | Consider which type of crust will suit your snack. A tiger crust or hearth loaf doesn’t in itself tell you how thick the slices are. | For a snack where I want the crust to stand out, I’d choose based on texture rather than a set slice size. Around 20% of consumers would consider this first. |
| Preparation and leftovers | Compare whole and pre-sliced bread in terms of slicing effort and portion size. Decide in advance what you’ll do with any leftover bread. | If I’m serving several snacks at once, I want to keep preparation to a minimum and be able to store any leftovers. For around 20% of consumers, this would be their main consideration. |
These names don’t describe a set slicing thickness. ‘Whole’ simply means you can slice the loaf yourself; it doesn’t tell you how thick the slices will be.
If you need thick slices, choose a whole loaf and cut it to size. If you want the shop to slice it for you, ask what options are available beforehand.
A dark colour or visible grains don’t make bread wholemeal. The ingredients and nutrition table on the packaging are more relevant when assessing the nutritional value of the bread you choose.
Look for the word ‘wholemeal’ if that type of bread is your priority, and compare fibre and salt per 100 g.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, there’s no requirement to bake bread with baker’s salt. So the type of bread or the name of the shop won’t tell you whether the loaf you choose is made with it.
Check the ingredients for baker’s salt or iodised salt, or ask about it when buying unpackaged bread.
Slicing the loaf yourself gives you control over the slices, but you may have some bread left after snack night.
Estimate how many slices you’ll need in advance and freeze any bread you won’t use in portions on the day you buy it, as recommended by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre.
These shops offer different types of bread to compare. Check the slicing, ingredients and nutritional information for the specific loaf you’re considering.
A useful reference if you want to check the details of a wholemeal tiger loaf.
A good place to start if you want to browse different types of bread, including fine wholemeal and tiger bread.
An example of a shop offering a wholemeal tiger hearth loaf.
Worth considering if you want to compare different types of whole loaf.
A useful reference for wholemeal bread with nutritional and allergen information.
An example to consider if you want to assess a whole brown tiger loaf by its crust and texture.
These round wholemeal and multigrain loaves are suitable for snack night if you want to slice them yourself. Allow time to defrost, bake and cool the bread before slicing, and decide whether the loaf shape and slice thickness will work for your snack.
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For anyone who wants to choose their own slice thickness and is looking for wholemeal bread. Two round loaves in a pack, each weighing 550 g; allow time to defrost, bake and cool the bread before slicing. Check the preparation instructions and allergen information on the packaging.
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A wholemeal loaf to slice yourself when one round loaf better suits the portions you have planned. The bread weighs 550 g and needs preparing before slicing. Check the baking time on the packaging: the available preparation instructions give different times. Check the allergen information there too.
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For anyone who wants to slice their own bread and is looking for a multigrain loaf with seeds. The pack contains two round loaves weighing 550 g each; leave the bread to cool after defrosting and baking before slicing. Don’t assume multigrain means wholemeal, and check the allergen information on the packaging.
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For anyone who wants to use one round multigrain loaf and cut the slices to size. The bread weighs 550 g and needs to be defrosted, baked and cooled before slicing. Check the baking time on the packaging, as the available instructions give different times; check the allergen information too.
Don’t assume it means a set thickness, whether you see this term or names such as tiger bread and hearth loaf. If your snack needs a slice of a particular thickness, a whole loaf lets you cut it yourself. If you want the shop to slice it for you, ask about the options beforehand.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, there’s no requirement to bake bread with baker’s salt. Check the ingredients of the bread you choose, or ask about it when buying unpackaged bread if this matters to you.
For packaged bread, read the ingredients list and check the allergens highlighted on the label. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority states that allergen information for prepacked products must appear on the label. For unpackaged bread, ask for the information before buying.
If you’re not going to use the bread straight away, it’s best to freeze it in portions on the day you buy it, as recommended by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. That way, you can take only as much as you need out of the freezer later.
Compare the salt per 100 g if it matters to your choice of bread, especially if your snacks also include savoury fillings or sauce. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends comparing the labels of similar products side by side; use the values for the varieties you’re actually considering.
