Choose fresh white sourdough if you’re stopping at a shop just before your picnic and a rustic crust matters to you. A part-baked loaf or baguette is a better choice if you want to plan your departure from home, provided you have the time and equipment to bake it according to the pack instructions. Check the ingredients and nutritional information for each option, and carry any chilled fillings in a cool bag.
If you’re taking the bread with you soon after buying it, look for a rustic white sourdough loaf in store. Jumbo describes its rustic sourdough loaves as in-store products that are left to rise for more than 24 hours with fresh sourdough starter. Lidl also lists its rustic white sourdough bread as available in store only. Check in advance whether the bread is available at your local branch.
If you want to choose when to bake the bread, check the preparation instructions and size. PLUS says its white sourdough baguette takes 8–10 minutes in the oven at 220 °C; Jumbo also sells a part-baked white sourdough tear-and-share loaf. Allow time to bake it and let it cool before packing.
If wheat, gluten, added yeast, salt or fibre affects your choice, the word ‘sourdough’ alone doesn’t tell you enough. The ingredients for Jumbo Desem Breekbrood Wit and PLUS Korenlanders Desem Wit list yeast as well as sourdough. Check the current packaging of the loaf you buy.
Choose this if: you’re buying bread in a shop just before you set off and a rustic crust matters to you.
Bear in mind: Jumbo and Lidl list the rustic loaves mentioned here as in-store products, so check availability at your chosen branch.
Choose this if: you want to decide at home when the bread will be ready and are looking for a tear-and-share loaf or baguette.
Bear in mind: the preparation instructions, the equipment you have and the time needed to let the bread cool before you leave.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Freshness and crust | Check whether the bread is available at your branch and when you can collect it. | I want to share the bread soon after buying it and care most about the crust. Freshness comes first for around 33% of consumers. |
| Preparation and size | Compare the size with your group, and check the preparation instructions and baking time for part-baked bread. | I want to plan when I set off and finish baking the bread at home. Convenience is the main priority for around 25% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and nutritional information | Read the ingredients and allergen information; compare fibre and salt per 100 g on the packaging. | I want to know whether this bread meets my requirements for ingredients or nutritional value. These checks matter most to around 25% of consumers. |
| Chilled fillings | Carry any fillings that need to stay chilled in a cool bag and limit the time they spend out of the fridge. | I’m taking chilled fillings and need to keep them safely stored on the way. This is the main picnic concern for around 17% of consumers. |
Seeing ‘sourdough’ on the front doesn’t mean baker’s yeast hasn’t been added. Jumbo Desem Breekbrood Wit and the white sourdough products from PLUS mentioned here also list yeast.
Read the full ingredients list if you want to avoid yeast. For unwrapped bread, ask to see the product specification.
The way bread is made doesn’t determine whether it’s wholemeal. Voedingscentrum recommends replacing white bread with wholemeal or brown bread as often as possible.
If the type of bread or its fibre content is important to you, check the description and compare the fibre per 100 g on the label.
Choosing a particular type of bread doesn’t remove the need to transport fillings that need to stay chilled safely. Voedingscentrum recommends using a cool bag for chilled picnic foods.
Take chilled fillings out of the fridge shortly before you leave. Voedingscentrum advises throwing away perishable foods that have been out of the fridge for more than two hours.
Jumbo describes its rustic sourdough loaves as available in store only; Lidl says the same about its rustic white sourdough bread. This means you’ll need to include a visit to a branch in your plans.
Check how the bread is sold and whether it’s available before setting off. If a shop visit doesn’t suit you, see whether a packaged or part-baked option meets your needs.
A useful comparison for rustic sourdough loaves sold in store and part-baked white sourdough tear-and-share bread.
A useful comparison for a whole white sourdough loaf and a white part-baked sourdough baguette.
A useful comparison if you want to buy rustic white wheat sourdough bread in a shop.
A useful comparison for white breads in the OerDesem range, including AH Liefde & Passie Biologisch OerDesem blond.
No, sourdough bread can also contain added baker’s yeast. Both Jumbo Desem Breekbrood Wit and the white sourdough products from PLUS mentioned here list yeast in their ingredients. Check the ingredients list if you’re looking for bread with no added yeast.
No, sourdough doesn’t tell you whether bread is wholemeal. Voedingscentrum recommends replacing white bread with wholemeal or brown bread as often as possible. If fibre content affects your choice, compare the type of bread and the fibre per 100 g on the packaging.
Carry fillings that need to stay chilled in a cool bag and take them out of the fridge shortly before you leave. Voedingscentrum recommends throwing away perishable foods that have been out of the fridge for more than two hours. This storage advice applies to chilled fillings, not automatically to plain bread.
Read the ingredients list for the bread you want to buy. PLUS lists iodised salt in its white sourdough baguette; this doesn’t tell you anything about the ingredients of other breads. If it matters to you, ask to see the product specification for unwrapped bread.
