Choose a whole white sourdough loaf if you want to slice it yourself, tear-and-share bread if you want guests to help themselves easily, or a part-baked baguette if you want to finish baking it just before serving. Check the label whichever you choose: sourdough does not automatically mean yeast-free, and the grains, allergens and type of salt listed can vary from one loaf to another.
A whole white sourdough loaf is a good fit for an Easter table where you can slice it yourself and guests can choose from a selection of toppings. Just think about who will slice the bread if everyone wants to eat at the same time.
A part-baked sourdough baguette works well if you have a set time in mind for serving, as long as your oven or air fryer is available then. Check the cooking instructions for the product you choose.
Check the packaging if yeast, cereals containing gluten, possible cross-contaminants or the type of salt used matter to you. You can’t tell these things from the name sourdough alone.
Start by thinking about how you want to serve the bread. Then check the ingredients and whether your chosen bread shape is available at your local shop.
Choose this if: you want to put a loaf on the table and slice it yourself.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to slice it at the table. Jumbo also says its rustic sourdough loaves are only available in store.
Choose this if: you want guests to be able to help themselves to pieces of bread.
Bear in mind: the ingredients. As well as sourdough, Jumbo lists yeast in its white sourdough tear-and-share bread.
Choose this if: you want to finish baking the bread just before serving.
Bear in mind: whether you’ll have space in the oven or air fryer at the time.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Presentation | Check whether it’s a whole loaf that you can slice yourself. | I want to put a loaf in the middle of the Easter table and slice it myself to serve with toppings. For around 40% of consumers, presentation would be the most important consideration. |
| Serving | Compare tear-and-share bread with part-baked bread, and check the cooking instructions. | If everyone is sitting down to eat at the same time, I want to be able to share the bread easily or bake it just before eating. Around 30% of consumers would put ease of serving first. |
| Label | Read the ingredients and allergen information; check the type of salt used too, if needed. | When serving the bread, I want to know which grains, yeast and type of salt it contains. For around 20% of consumers, this information on the label would be their first consideration. |
| Availability | Check whether your shop stocks the bread shape you want and whether it’s only available in store. | A loaf I can’t buy at my chosen branch won’t fit into my Easter plans. Local availability would matter most to around 10% of consumers. |
Both Jumbo Desem Breekbrood Wit and PLUS Korenlanders Desem Wit list sourdough and yeast among their ingredients.
Check the ingredients list if the presence of yeast matters to your choice.
According to the Voedingscentrum, using baker’s salt in bread is not compulsory. So the term sourdough doesn’t tell you what type of salt has been used.
Check the packaging to see whether baker’s salt or iodised salt is listed among the ingredients.
According to the Voedingscentrum, white bread contains fewer nutrients than wholemeal bread. Making bread with sourdough doesn’t turn white bread into wholemeal bread.
If you want to offer guests a choice of breads, consider serving wholemeal bread alongside white sourdough.
Lidl says its fresh bread range can vary from one branch to another. Jumbo says its rustic sourdough loaves can’t be ordered online.
Check your chosen shop before planning to serve a particular bread shape at your Easter table.
Albert Heijn lists several sourdough breads, including OerDesem varieties.
Jumbo describes rustic sourdough loaves and offers white sourdough tear-and-share bread for sharing at the table.
PLUS lists both Korenlanders Desem Wit and a white part-baked baguette made with sourdough.
Lidl lists a rustic white wheat sourdough loaf for in-store purchase.
ALDI lists rustic white bread and a fresh-from-the-oven range at shops with an in-store bakery.
Dirk lists white bread, sourdough bread and baguettes in its bread range.
No. Both Jumbo Desem Breekbrood Wit and PLUS Korenlanders Desem Wit list yeast as well as sourdough. Check the ingredients of the loaf you choose.
No. According to the Voedingscentrum, bread doesn’t have to be made with baker’s salt. If the type of salt used matters to you, check the packaging for baker’s salt or iodised salt.
You can’t tell from the word sourdough. The white sourdough products mentioned from Jumbo and PLUS contain cereals with gluten, including wheat. Before serving, check the current allergen information on the packaging too.
For its Korenlanders white sourdough baguette, PLUS recommends baking for 8–10 minutes in a preheated oven at 220 °C, or for 4 minutes in a preheated air fryer at 200 °C. If the instructions on the packaging differ, follow those instead.
You can’t assume that. Lidl says its fresh bread range can vary from one branch to another, while Jumbo describes its rustic sourdough loaves as available in store only. Check your chosen branch before planning to serve a particular loaf at your Easter table.
