If you want substantial slices for toasties, soup or generous toppings, choose a wholemeal loaf and cut it to your preferred thickness. ‘Coarse’ and ‘hearth-baked’ don’t, on their own, tell you how thick the slices are. Check that it’s labelled wholemeal and read the packaging, and think about what you’ll do with any leftover bread.
A whole loaf can be useful for a toastie, alongside soup or with generous toppings, as you can choose the thickness yourself. Very coarse wholemeal bread and wholemeal hearth-baked loaves are options to consider, but the name of the bread doesn’t guarantee thick slices.
Sliced wholemeal bread saves you the effort of cutting it when choosing your own thick slices isn’t essential. ALDI describes its Fijn Volkoren as sliced bread; Jumbo Fijn Volkoren lists nutritional information per 100 g.
If you won’t use a whole loaf straight away, you can freeze it in portions and take out what you need for each meal. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises freezing bread in portions as soon as you buy it.
First, decide whether you want to cut thick slices yourself or would rather buy sliced bread. Then check that it’s labelled wholemeal, look at the nutritional information and check the current packaging for anything that matters to your family.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| Slice thickness | Choose a whole loaf if you want to cut it yourself; ask at the bakery counter what slicing settings are available. ‘Coarse’ doesn’t describe the thickness of the slices. | For toasties or bread served with soup, I want to be able to cut slices that suit the dish. That choice comes first for around 42% of consumers. |
| Wholemeal and fibre | Check that it’s labelled wholemeal and, if fibre matters to you, compare the values per 100 g in the nutritional information. | When I’m looking for wholemeal bread, I don’t want to rely on its dark colour alone. For roughly 33% of consumers, the ingredients are the first thing they consider. |
| Storage and allergens | Check the allergens on the current packaging and think about how much bread you’ll use or want to freeze in portions. | When several people are eating, I want to be able to store leftovers and take relevant allergies into account. This matters most to around 25% of consumers. |
A dark colour or several types of grain doesn’t automatically mean a loaf is made with wholemeal flour.
Look for the wholemeal label and read the ingredients. Albert Heijn explains that, for bread, this label is linked to the use of 100% wholemeal flour.
These words describe the bread, not how thickly it has been sliced. Pre-sliced bread may therefore be different from the slices you had in mind for a toastie.
Choose a whole loaf if you want to cut the slices yourself, or ask which slicing settings are available before you buy.
If you only use part of the loaf for dinner, you’ll have bread left over to store.
If needed, divide the loaf into portions and freeze them as soon as you buy it. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends keeping opened wholemeal bread in a kitchen cupboard for 2–4 days or in the freezer for 1–3 months.
The ingredients and potential allergens listed vary from loaf to loaf. The name wholemeal doesn’t tell you what other ingredients are in the bread.
Check the current packaging every time you buy bread if allergens are a concern for anyone at the table.
Albert Heijn offers several wholemeal breads, including AH Vloerbrood volkoren heel.
Jumbo has offered, among other options, fine and coarse wholemeal varieties.
Alongside Fijn Volkoren, Lidl also offers a whole tiger wholemeal hearth-baked loaf in store.
ALDI offers both wholemeal loaves and Fijn Volkoren in its bread range.
PLUS offers, among other options, Grof volkoren heel and other whole wholemeal varieties.
Dirk offers wholemeal hearth-baked bread and Bakker van der Akker Boeren volkoren heel.
These two varieties from Lekhaven Bakkerij are loaves that you slice yourself after baking and cooling. That lets you choose the slice thickness for dinner, but it doesn’t confirm that the bread is made entirely from wholemeal flour. Check the current ingredients to find out.
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For a dinner where you want to cut the slices yourself, with a second loaf to save for another meal. According to the preparation instructions, the frozen bread should be defrosted and baked, then left to cool for 30 minutes before slicing.
Check the baking time on the packaging. If you need bread made entirely from wholemeal flour, check the current ingredients.
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For anyone who wants to bake one loaf and cut the slices themselves once it has cooled. According to the preparation instructions, this frozen loaf should first be defrosted and baked, then left to cool for 30 minutes.
Check the baking time on the packaging and read the current ingredients if you specifically want bread made entirely from wholemeal flour.
Look for the wholemeal label, then check the ingredients. According to Albert Heijn’s explanation, this label is used for bread made with 100% wholemeal flour; a dark colour or the name multigrain doesn’t offer the same assurance.
Check the ingredients on the packaging. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says bread doesn’t have to be baked with baker’s salt, so don’t assume it has been used based on the type of bread alone.
If you won’t use the bread soon, it’s best to freeze it in portions as soon as you buy it. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, opened wholemeal bread can be kept in a kitchen cupboard for 2–4 days or in the freezer for 1–3 months. Take out only the amount you need for each meal.
