HOW TO CHOOSE A REAL FOOD BREAD
Bread is a staple in most Australian homes. It may be eaten at breakfast, packed into lunchboxes and served again as an afternoon snack. When a food is eaten that often, getting the quality right can make a real difference. But it also has to be achievable. I do not want families to feel that the only acceptable option is a $14 artisan sourdough from a bakery across town. We need better everyday breads that are affordable, accessible and available where most families actually shop. Right now, Australian supermarkets still have a long way to go. Turn over many loaves marketed as “wholesome”, “traditional” or “sourdough”, and you will find refined flour, added gluten, modified starches, emulsifiers, preservatives and refined oils.
Even “sourdough” is not a guarantee. An Australian audit found that 83 per cent of supermarket and bakery-franchise breads labelled sourdough contained ingredients not traditionally used in sourdough. There are exceptions, and I will share the better supermarket options I have found, alongside some beautiful speciality breads that come much closer to bread as it was traditionally made. But choosing better bread is not only about what we put in our trolley today. It is also about showing supermarkets and manufacturers what we want to see more of. Every time we choose a loaf with wholegrain flour, fewer additives and a shorter ingredient list, we are voting with our wallets. The more consumers demand better bread, the harder it becomes for supermarkets to ignore us.
Simple, good-quality bread should not be a niche luxury. It should be an affordable everyday option for every Australian family. Until it is, we need to keep reading labels, support the brands doing better, and ask the rest of the industry to catch up.
The one rule you actually need
Turn every loaf over and read the ingredient list. The front of the packet is marketing. The back tells you what the bread is actually made from. Look for wholemeal or wholegrain flour and ingredients that resemble a bread recipe: flour, water, sourdough starter or yeast, salt and perhaps seeds or olive oil. If the list reads more like an industrial formula, see if there is a better option beside it.
Bread marketing I do not rely on
- Health Star Rating: I never use it on its own. The system considers nutrients such as sodium, sugar, protein and fibre, but it does not assess processing or additives. Wonder 5 Star Soft White, for example, has five stars but also contains modified tapioca starch, added wheat gluten, wheat fibre, canola oil and three emulsifiers.
- “No added nasties”: Read the small print. It may simply mean no added sugar, artificial preservatives, colours or flavours. It says nothing about modified starch, emulsifiers, refined oils or isolated fibres.
- “Long-lasting softness”: Bread that stays unusually soft may use emulsifiers and other processing tools to retain that texture.
- “Sourdough”, “traditional” or “artisan”: These words can also appear on bread made with commercial yeast, added gluten, oils and emulsifiers. Always check the ingredients.
- “High protein”: Check where the protein comes from. Wholegrains, seeds and legumes are different from added wheat gluten or protein isolates.
What matterS on the ingredient liSt
1. The grain base
For an everyday family loaf, look for wholemeal or wholegrain flour at or near the beginning. Plain “wheat flour” generally means refined white flour unless the label says otherwise. Wholemeal and wholegrain both use all parts of the grain. Wholemeal is simply wholegrain that has been milled more finely. Spelt is a type of wheat and may be wholemeal or refined, so “spelt” alone does not mean wholegrain or gluten-free.
2. Numbers matter
A loaf with around 4-6 ingredients is generally closer to real food than a loaf with around 10-15 ingredients, and which reads more like a science experiment
3. How closely it resembles real food
A good way to identify a quality loaf is if you recognise the names in the ingredient list. If any of these are listed, you may want to think twice about your pick. It is important to note that most supermarket breads will contain refined vegetable oil or canola oil. For some families, this may be acceptable – staying informed means you can make the right choice for your family based on what’s important for your family’s health and wellbeing.
Below are some key ingredients and additives I avoid in my family’s bread:
- Modified starches such as 1412 and 1413
- Emulsifiers such as 471, 472e and 481
- Propionate preservatives such as 282
- Refined vegetable or canola oil
- Added wheat gluten and soy protein isolate
- Isolated fibres added back into a refined loaf
Finding one of these does not mean a bread is poisonous. From a Real Food Rating perspective, it shows that the loaf has been formulated further away from traditional bread.
4. High in fibre
Once the ingredients look reasonable, compare the nutrition panels per 100 grams. Choose more naturally occurring fibre from wholegrains, rye, seeds and legumes; a good rule of thumb is 2 grams+ of fibre per slice.
5. Low in Sodium
Look for lower-sodium options when comparing similar breads. Breads with around 400 mg of sodium and no more than 600 mg (for a good quality sourdough) per 100 grams are often a good choice.
Real Food Rating SpeCiality Bread PiCkS
Speciality bread still deserves an ingredient check. These are the specific loaves and bakeries that stand out for their wholegrain or ancient-grain flours, genuine fermentation and relatively simple formulations.
Sonoma Miche
A traditionally leavened artisan loaf made with locally grown, chemical-free sustainable wheat and wholemeal flour. It also contains rice flour, barley malt and honey, and is not promoted as certified organic. Find Sonoma Miche and bakery locations.
Ancient Grains Wholemeal Spelt
Made with certified-organic wholegrain spelt flour and sourdough, filtered water, olive oil and sea salt. A simple organic spelt option with no emulsifiers or modified starches. Find a stockist or pre-order in Victoria.
HealthyBake Khorasan Sourdough
Made with organic Khorasan wheat flour, rye sourdough, filtered water, olive oil, sea salt and soy lecithin. A good ancient-grain option, although the added lecithin is a small trade-off. Sodium is 410mg per 100g. View the loaf and find a stockist.
Naturis Organic Buckwheat Loaf
A gluten-free, wheat-free loaf made with organic buckwheat flour, whole buckwheat kernels, organic rice and maize flours and a buckwheat leaven. It contains no artificial preservatives, but provides only 1.4g of fibre per slice, so I see it as a useful dietary option rather than a high-fibre bread. Buy online or find a stockist.
OrganiC Sourdough BakerieS worth Seeking out
Zeally Bay Sourdough, Victoria
A certified-organic bakery in Torquay. Its Stoneground Wholegrain combines organic and biodynamic wheat and rye flours with sprouted rye and an organic sourdough culture. View the loaf or find a stockist.
Bodhi’s Bakehouse, Western Australia
Its Organic Dark Rye Gourmet is made with organic rye sprouts, wholegrain rye flour and organic rye sourdough. It provides an impressive 4.8g of fibre per slice and 245mg sodium per 100g. Order online Australia-wide.
Sorganic, Western Australia
A Subiaco bakery making sourdough from organic flour, filtered water, sea salt and a 30-year-old starter. The loaves are made over 72 hours and are available from the bakery and selected WA retailers. See locations and stockists.
Organic Bread Bar, New South Wales
This Paddington bakery uses an organic sourdough starter and slow fermentation throughout its bread production. Its daily range includes multigrain, light rye, 100 per cent spelt and 100 per cent rye loaves. View the range and bakery details.
Recipes and availability can change, so always check the current packet or ask the bakery before buying.
Our Supermarket Bread PickS
Better
Bill’s Healthy Bakery 100% Spelt Sourdough
Made with certified-organic stoneground spelt flour and naturally fermented for 18 hours, with no added yeast, sugar or artificial preservatives. It is low in sodium at 242mg per 100g, although it contains sunflower oil and lecithin and provides a modest 3.83g of fibre per 100g. Buy at Woolworths..
Edwards Organic 7 Grain Sourdough
A genuine sourdough containing organic wheat flour, organic spelt sourdough, rye, BARLEYmax, seeds, oats, quinoa and amaranth. It contains no added commercial yeast, refined oil or artificial preservatives. The only caveat is that the first flour is organic wheat flour, rather than wholemeal flour. View the product or buy at Woolworths.
Okay
Just Wholemeal Loaf
A relatively simple supermarket loaf containing 62 per cent wholemeal wheat flour, with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. It provides 6.9g of fibre per 100g, but the added wheat gluten and canola oil prevent it from reaching the excellent category. Buy at Coles or Woolworths.
Bakers Delight Wholemeal Block Loaf
A practical family option made with 62 per cent wholegrain wholemeal wheat flour, providing 6.2g of fibre per 100g. It has no emulsifiers or modified starches, but does contain canola oil, refined wheat flour and soy flour. Find it at Bakers Delight.
Macro Ancient Grain Loaf
The nutrition panel looks impressive, with 9.6g of fibre and only 210mg sodium per 100g. However, water is the first ingredient, wholemeal flour makes up only 26.5 per cent, and much of the fibre and protein comes from added wheat gluten, inulin and bamboo fibre. It also contains soy flour and canola oil, making it more processed than the front of the packet suggests. Buy at Woolworths.
These classifications are based on the current ingredient and nutrition information available. Recipes can change, so always recheck the packet.
My final adviCe
Choose the best loaf that works for your family, budget and location. Slice and freeze it if it goes stale before you can finish it. Aim for better, not perfect. Small changes to something your family eats most days genuinely add up.
Follow @realfoodrating for more honest supermarket guides.
Product information was checked on 16 August 2026. Recipes and availability can change, so always recheck the label.