Students sharing bread at dinner
If you’re serving soup, salad or a dip, a whole floor-baked loaf, bake-at-home bread or tear-and-share flatbread may be a better fit than individual slices. Choose a style that goes well with what you’re serving.
Which bread styles might suit you?
Students planning for several meals
If you want to use the bread after dinner too, consider its size and how much you can store. A half loaf may be more convenient if you’re unlikely to finish a whole one in time.
Shoppers who read labels carefully
If you want to check the wholemeal flour, nutritional information or allergens, the product description and current packaging are more useful than a dark colour or rustic appearance.
What should you look for when choosing?
First, decide how you want to serve the bread with dinner and how much you’re likely to use afterwards. Then compare the wholemeal labelling, nutritional information and storage instructions for the products that suit your needs.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Bread style for dinner | Check whether the bread is sliced, whole, pre-baked or ready to serve. | With soup or dips, I want bread that’s easy to share at the table. Around 25% of consumers prioritise this style of bread as their main need. |
| Using it for several meals | Check the loaf size and the quantity in each pack. | If I’ll be eating bread over the next few days too, I want enough without having lots left over. For around 31% of consumers, using bread for several meals is the priority. |
| Wholemeal content and nutritional value | Read the product description and ingredients; if you wish, compare fibre and salt per 100 g. | A dark crust doesn’t tell me what’s in the bread; I want to be able to assess its wholemeal content and nutritional information. This label information is the main concern for around 25% of consumers. |
| Storage and waste | Choose a suitable size and follow the storage instructions on the packaging. | When I’m eating alone, I want to avoid leaving a whole loaf uneaten. Around 19% of consumers prioritise reducing leftover bread. |
Common mistakes
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Assuming dark or multigrain bread is wholemeal
Colour, seeds and a rustic name don’t in themselves tell you whether you’re buying the wholemeal bread you’re looking for.
Check the product description and ingredients. Albert Heijn explains that, for bread, the term wholemeal refers to bread made with 100% wholemeal flour.
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Buying a whole loaf without a plan for leftovers
If you don’t eat much bread after dinner, some of it may go unused.
Choose a half loaf if that’s enough, or freeze a whole loaf in portions after buying it. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends keeping wholemeal bread in a kitchen cupboard for 2 to 4 days, or in the freezer for 1 to 3 months; also follow the instructions on the packaging.
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Overlooking allergens when trying a different type of bread
The ingredients in floor-baked loaves and flatbread may differ from those in the bread you usually buy.
Check the current allergen information whenever you try a new variety. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains which allergens must be listed on the label.
Brands to consider
Albert Heijn
Albert Heijn lists a whole wholemeal floor-baked loaf for anyone looking for a different style of bread to serve with dinner than ordinary slices.
- AH Wholemeal Floor-Baked Loaf, Whole is a specific option to compare.
- Check the current packaging for ingredients, nutritional information and allergens.
Jumbo
Jumbo offers several wholemeal breads, including fine-textured and half-loaf options.
- The different sizes make it easier to choose a quantity you’ll use.
- Not all the breads shown are the same size or have the same ingredients; compare the labels for each product.
ALDI
ALDI offers a whole Extra High-Fibre Wholemeal Loaf for shoppers who specifically want to compare nutritional information.
- For this product, ALDI provides a comparison of its fibre and salt content with ordinary wholemeal bread.
- This comparison applies to this product and the basis used by ALDI, not to every bread from the brand.
PLUS Korenlanders
PLUS Korenlanders Rustic Wholemeal Floor-Baked Loaf is a pre-baked whole wheat and rye loaf for a dinner where you bake the bread yourself.
- The product information includes ingredients, nutritional values and baking instructions.
- Check whether this variety is available at your chosen shop and whether you have time to bake it.
Bakker van der Akker
Dirk lists Bakker van der Akker Country-Style Wholemeal Loaf, Whole as a loaf that can also be used for other meals.
- A wholemeal loaf is an option if you want to use the bread after dinner too.
- Check the current packaging if the ingredients or nutritional values matter to your choice.
Curated product ranking
This curated ranking takes account of bread style, how it can be used for a student dinner and the product features available. It isn’t an independent product test: shareable flatbread and a whole floor-baked loaf, for example, serve different purposes at the table.
| Rank | Product | Features | Why it’s included | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PLUS Korenlanders Rustic Wholemeal Floor-Baked Loaf, 1 piece | Whole pre-baked wholemeal floor-baked loaf with baking instructions. | PLUS describes a style of bread that you can bake and serve with a shared meal. Remember to allow for the preparation time and check availability. | PLUS |
| 2 | Souq Lebanese Wholemeal Bread, 6 pieces | Shareable wholemeal flatbread. | Joybuy describes this Souq bread as flatbread that can be served with dips, among other things. It’s a different style from a whole sliced loaf, so choose it if that’s how you want to serve your bread. | Joybuy |
| 3 | AH Wholemeal Floor-Baked Loaf, Whole | Wholemeal floor-baked loaf. | Albert Heijn lists a floor-baked loaf option. Check the current product information if the ingredients or nutritional value will determine your choice. | Albert Heijn |
| 4 | ALDI Extra High-Fibre Wholemeal Loaf, Whole | Wholemeal loaf with a product-specific fibre claim. | ALDI focuses its product description on fibre and salt. Assess this information for this particular loaf and the stated basis of comparison; it isn’t a feature of every wholemeal bread. | ALDI |
Wholemeal flatbread at Joybuy
This product selection focuses on shareable wholemeal flatbread for a dinner with dips. If you’re mainly looking for a whole loaf to last several days or bread to bake yourself, compare those styles too.
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Souq Lebanese Wholemeal Bread, 6 pieces
This shareable flatbread is a good fit for a dinner where you serve bread alongside dips.
Joybuy lists 6 pieces, weighing 330 g in total, and 6 g of fibre per 100 g for this Souq product. If you have allergies, check the current packaging; the product information lists wheat and possible traces of soya and milk.
Frequently asked questions
Is dark or multigrain bread always wholemeal?
No. The colour and the term multigrain don’t prove that a bread is made with 100% wholemeal flour. Albert Heijn explains that, for bread, the term wholemeal refers to this wholemeal flour base, so check the product description and ingredients.
Where can I check allergens in wholemeal floor-baked loaves or flatbread?
Check the current packaging and ingredients list for the specific bread. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains how allergens must be listed on labels; the PLUS variety reviewed lists wheat, rye and barley, while the information for the Souq flatbread lists wheat and possible traces of soya and milk.
Can I assume that every loaf in the Netherlands contains iodine?
No, don’t assume that every bread has the same ingredients without checking. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that iodine compounds may only be present in bread and certain other baked goods through added baker’s salt, with a maximum of 65 mg of iodine per kg of salt. Check the information for the specific product if iodine is important to you.
How should I store bread left over after dinner?
Freeze bread in portions if you won’t use it within a few days. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends keeping wholemeal bread in a kitchen cupboard for 2 to 4 days, or in the freezer for 1 to 3 months; for packaged bread, also follow the instructions on the packaging.