Choose freshly baked white sourdough from the shop if you want to serve it straight away, or a part-baked loaf if you’d like to bring warm bread to the table just before breakfast. Then check the ingredients: sourdough can contain baker’s yeast as well, and not every loaf contains iodised salt. If you eat bread regularly and fibre is an important factor in your choice, consider brown or wholemeal bread too. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises replacing white bread with these options as often as possible.
You’re looking for a type of bread and a serving time that suit the breakfast you have in mind. Compare a whole loaf with an individual roll, and consider whether you’ll serve it straight away or bake it at home.
You want to choose when the bread is served warm. A part-baked product does require preparation time, and you’ll need to follow the instructions on the packaging.
If yeast, iodised salt or allergens matter to you, the word ‘sourdough’ alone won’t tell you everything. Use the ingredient list for the specific product as your starting point.
First, decide how and when you want to serve the bread. Then compare the type of loaf, ingredients and availability at the shop where you do your food shopping.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| Flavour and crust | Compare a whole loaf with an individual roll, and decide when you’ll serve the bread. Jumbo says its fresh-from-the-shop sourdough range is left to rise for more than 24 hours; this doesn’t tell you anything about other sourdough products. | If flavour and crust are the most important things for my weekend breakfast, I mainly want to choose a loaf that suits when I’ll serve it. This is the top priority for around 33% of consumers. |
| Convenience when serving | Check whether the bread is ready to serve or needs baking, and read the preparation instructions. | I want to serve warm bread at a time that suits me, without underestimating the preparation involved. This is the main consideration for around 27% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the ingredient list for sourdough, added yeast, baker’s salt or iodised salt, and any listed allergens. For unwrapped bread, ask for the product information. | When specific ingredients are a deciding factor for me, I want to know what’s in the bread before I buy it. Around 20% of consumers put these checks first. |
| Local availability | Check whether your chosen product is available at your shop and whether you can order it there or buy it in-store only. | I want to plan my breakfast around a loaf I can actually collect or order. For around 20% of consumers, this practical certainty comes first. |
Albert Heijn’s white sourdough roll, Jumbo White Sourdough Tear-and-Share Bread and PLUS Korenlanders White Sourdough list both sourdough and yeast. So, the word ‘sourdough’ on the packaging doesn’t automatically mean a loaf is yeast-free.
If you want to choose a product without added baker’s yeast, check the full ingredient list for the loaf you’re buying.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that not all bread is made with baker’s salt. So, the type of bread or the shop’s name won’t tell you which salt is used in a specific product.
Look for baker’s salt or iodised salt on the packaging. For unwrapped bread, ask the baker or shop about the ingredients.
ALDI lists a rustic white loaf and Dirk a white batard, but these product descriptions alone don’t show that the bread is sourdough.
Check whether sourdough is mentioned in both the name and the ingredient information of the product you want to buy.
Jumbo describes its fresh-from-the-shop sourdough range as an in-store product, while Lidl also says its rustic white sourdough is only available in-store. This means you may need to visit a shop to buy a loaf you’ve chosen in advance.
Before the weekend, check how you can buy the specific loaf at your shop, and read the product information again when you buy it.
Albert Heijn offers several types of sourdough, including a white sourdough roll for anyone looking for individual rolls.
Jumbo distinguishes between its fresh-from-the-shop sourdough range and a packaged white sourdough tear-and-share loaf.
PLUS lists Korenlanders White Sourdough as a white sourdough product to bake at home.
Lidl lists rustic white wheat sourdough as an in-store product.
ALDI lists rustic white bread in its bakery range.
Dirk lists a white batard and includes white bread and sourdough as separate categories in its wider bread range.
No, a loaf can contain both sourdough and added yeast. This is shown, for example, in the ingredients lists for Albert Heijn’s white sourdough roll, Jumbo White Sourdough Tear-and-Share Bread and PLUS Korenlanders White Sourdough. Check the ingredients list if you want to avoid added baker’s yeast.
Check whether baker’s salt or iodised salt is listed in the ingredients, or ask about it if the bread is unwrapped. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that not all bread is made with baker’s salt, so don’t assume it’s present based on the name of the bread.
Follow the storage and preparation instructions for the specific product. Jumbo says its packaged White Sourdough Tear-and-Share Bread should be stored in a cool, dry, dark place; other part-baked loaves may have different instructions.
No, calling a loaf sourdough doesn’t make white bread wholemeal. For everyday bread, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises replacing white bread with brown or wholemeal bread as often as possible. Wholemeal bread in particular contains more fibre, vitamins and minerals.
