Choose sourdough if you want the bread itself to play a distinctive role at dinner; choose tiger bread if you’re mainly after its familiar crisp crust alongside soup, spreads or a sharing board. Then decide whether you’d prefer a wholemeal option and what size is right for a meal for two. A tiger crust alone tells you nothing about how the bread was proved: check the product name and ingredients if sourdough is a deciding factor for you.
Are you serving soup, pasta or a sharing board, and would you like the bread to have its own distinctive flavour too? A rustic sourdough loaf is worth considering. Jumbo describes its rustic sourdough loaves as made with fresh sourdough starter, while Lidl offers a rustic wholemeal wheat sourdough loaf.
You want the crisp tiger crust, but also a loaf sold as wholemeal. Albert Heijn, Aldi and Plus offer wholemeal tiger bread options; check which one you’re actually buying.
You’re choosing bread for yourself or someone you’re eating with who has a food allergy. Check the current ingredients and allergen information for each option, even if the bread’s name sounds straightforward. Voedingscentrum emphasises the importance of allergen information on the label.
First, decide which style of bread will go best with your meal. Then compare the wholemeal options, the quantity you’ll need for two and the latest ingredients information.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Flavour and crust | For sourdough, look for bread described as sourdough; for a tiger crust, choose a tiger bread option. | If the bread is to play its own part alongside a sharing board, I want to choose deliberately between sourdough flavour and tiger crust. For around 40% of shoppers, bread style comes first. |
| Wholemeal and nutritional value | Check the product description and, if nutritional value matters to you, compare the fibre per 100 g in the options you’re considering. | If I’m choosing wholemeal bread, I want to know that it’s actually described as wholemeal, whatever the crust. Around 30% of shoppers give this the highest priority. |
| Availability and size | Check the size, whether it’s available on the day you need it and how to store it. Jumbo says its rustic sourdough loaves are only available in store. | For dinner for two, I want to serve enough bread without having lots left over. This is the biggest consideration for around 20% of shoppers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | For packaged bread, read the current ingredients and allergen information; ask for details if the bread is sold loose. | If someone I’m eating with needs to avoid certain ingredients, I need to be able to check the option I’ve chosen. For around 10% of shoppers, this is their first consideration. |
Albert Heijn lists both baker’s yeast and rye sourdough powder in the ingredients for AH Tijger volkoren heel. Sourdough being listed as an ingredient does not prove that the tiger-crust bread was proved using a sourdough method.
If the proving method matters to you, look for a product described as sourdough and read the ingredients list.
The tiger crust doesn’t tell you what type of grain or bread is underneath. Tiger bread is also sold as white or brown bread.
Choose the option you want based on the product description; if you’re comparing packaged loaves, use the nutritional information per 100 g.
Depending on the option, allergens or warnings about possible traces of other ingredients may be relevant as well as gluten-containing cereals. The bread’s name won’t tell you which of these apply to the product you’ve chosen.
Check the current packaging or ask for allergen information if the bread is sold loose.
If bread is only a side dish for two, a whole loaf may be more than you’ll eat during dinner.
See whether half a loaf or individual rolls would be a better fit. If you want to keep the bread, follow the storage instructions for your chosen option.
Albert Heijn offers both tiger bread and a separate range of sourdough bread.
Jumbo describes its rustic sourdough loaves and also sells farmhouse tiger bread as a separate type of loaf.
Lidl offers a rustic wholemeal wheat sourdough loaf for anyone looking to combine sourdough with a wholemeal option.
Aldi offers farmhouse tiger bread, including a wholemeal option.
Plus offers Korenlanders Boeren tijger volkoren as a 400 g half loaf.
Dirk offers Bakker van der Akker Boeren tijger bruin heel and tiger rolls.
No. Tiger bread is recognised by its tiger pattern and crust; sourdough is named for the way it’s made, using sourdough starter. According to Voedingscentrum, sourdough bread is made with sourdough starter instead of yeast. Tiger bread may contain a sourdough ingredient, so check the product name and ingredients if the proving method matters to you.
Choose sourdough if you want the bread itself to play a distinctive role; choose tiger bread if you’re mainly after a crisp tiger crust. Then consider the dish, the wholemeal option you’d prefer and how much the two of you will eat.
No. The allergens that matter depend on the specific bread option; other ingredients or warnings about possible traces may be relevant as well as gluten-containing cereals. For packaged bread, read the current allergen information; if it’s sold loose, ask for details.
You can with some options, as long as you follow the storage instructions. Albert Heijn and Plus say that their tiger breads mentioned here can be frozen at home on the day of purchase. If you want Jumbo’s rustic sourdough bread, bear in mind that Jumbo says it’s only available in store.
