Start with the type of bread and its label, not just the words ‘tiger’ or ‘sourdough’. Wholemeal tiger bread is a good choice if you want an everyday loaf with a tiger crust; choose a wholemeal sourdough deliberately if the sourdough itself matters to you. Compare the ingredients, fibre per 100 g, allergens and loaf size, and check whether it contains iodised salt or baker’s salt if that matters to your choice.
Looking for bread for breakfast and lunch, and like the sound of a tiger crust? Look for a loaf explicitly labelled wholemeal. The tiger crust alone doesn’t tell you what type of flour has been used.
If the sourdough itself matters to you, compare the ingredients of individual loaves. The name doesn’t tell you how much sourdough it contains or whether baker’s yeast has also been used; check the listed allergens too.
If you’re unlikely to get through a whole loaf quickly, a half or small loaf may suit you better. You can also freeze a whole loaf in portions; the Voedingscentrum advises freezing bread in portions straight after buying it.
First decide whether wholemeal bread, a clearly identified sourdough ingredient or a suitable loaf size matters most to you. Then check the label on the loaf you’re actually planning to buy: tiger crust and sourdough alone don’t tell you enough about the flour, fibre or ingredients.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who should pay particular attention? |
|---|---|---|
| Wholemeal and fibre | Check the bread’s name and compare the fibre per 100 g in the nutritional information. Albert Heijn lists 6,7 g of fibre per 100 g for AH Tijger volkoren; Jumbo lists 7,3 g per 100 g for Boeren Tijgerbrood Volkoren. | If I’m buying bread for my usual breakfast and lunch, I want to know whether the loaf I’ve chosen is genuinely wholemeal. For around 42% of consumers, choosing wholemeal for everyday eating comes first. |
| Sourdough and ingredients | Check the label for the sourdough ingredient, type of flour, any baker’s yeast and allergens. Sourdough bread can also contain baker’s yeast. | If you’re deliberately choosing sourdough, you’ll want to look beyond the product name and check what’s in it. For around 33% of consumers, choosing sourdough takes priority. |
| Size and storage | Compare a whole, half or small loaf with how much you expect to eat. The Voedingscentrum advises freezing bread in portions straight after buying it. | If I live alone or eat bread irregularly, I don’t want to buy more than I can use or store. For around 25% of consumers, choosing the right size is the main consideration. |
‘Tiger’ doesn’t tell you what type of flour has been used. Albert Heijn, for example, sells AH Tijger volkoren and a separate AH Nederlands desem volkoren; the names refer to different features.
If you want wholemeal bread, check the name first, then read the ingredients and nutritional information for that particular loaf.
PLUS lists both 9% sourdough and baker’s yeast in Korenlanders Kleintje desembrood bruin meergranen. So the word ‘sourdough’ alone doesn’t give you the full picture of the ingredients.
Read the full ingredients list if the way the bread is risen is important to your choice.
According to the Voedingscentrum, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. So you can’t tell whether it’s been used just from the type of bread.
For packaged bread, look for ‘baker’s salt’ or ‘iodised salt’ in the ingredients list if this is something you want to take into account.
When you’re doing a small first shop, it’s easy to buy more bread than you can use in time.
Choose a half or small loaf if that suits how much you eat, or freeze a whole loaf in portions straight away, as advised by the Voedingscentrum.
These ranges give you a starting point for comparing types of bread. When you buy, check the label on the loaf you’ve chosen and whether it’s available in store.
Albert Heijn lists a wholemeal tiger loaf and a wholemeal sourdough loaf separately.
Jumbo lists tiger bread and also describes rustic sourdough loaves baked in store.
PLUS lists both wholemeal tiger bread and a small brown multigrain sourdough loaf.
Lidl lists an organic brown wheat sourdough loaf with seeds as an in-store product.
ALDI lists, among other options, white and wholemeal farmhouse tiger loaves.
Dirk’s bread range includes both sourdough and brown tiger bread.
No. ‘Tiger’ refers to the crust, while you’ll need to check the bread’s ingredients to find out about sourdough. Albert Heijn, for example, lists AH Tijger volkoren and AH Nederlands desem volkoren separately; the latter lists 9,6% wholemeal wheat sourdough. Check the ingredients of the loaf you want to buy rather than treating the names as interchangeable.
No, don’t assume this is the case for every loaf: according to the Voedingscentrum, bakers aren’t required to use baker’s salt. For packaged bread, check whether ‘baker’s salt’ or ‘iodised salt’ is listed in the ingredients.
No. Sourdough alone doesn’t tell you whether a bread contains gluten. The AH Nederlands desem volkoren reviewed contains wheat; always check the allergen information and packaging claims if you need bread to meet specific dietary requirements.
Freeze any bread you won’t use soon in portions straight after buying it, as the Voedingscentrum advises, and take out what you need. If it better suits how much you eat, choose a half or small loaf, and follow the storage instructions on the packaging.
