Multigrain Bread Reviews

Helga’s toasts the competition in multigrain bread ratings

While white and wholemeal breads may satisfy your ‘kneads’, the multigrain kind has just the rye grainy texture to make your sandwich the best thing since sliced bread. Multigrain bread may cost more than your traditional loaf, whether it’s a supermarket private label or one of the big-name brands, but the popularity of multigrain bread is certainly on a roll.

To help you suss out the best bread on the shelf, Canstar Blue surveyed over 500 shoppers for feedback on the multigrain bread they ‘loaf’ most. Consumers were asked to review and rate the multigrain bread they have purchased from a supermarket or grocer and enjoyed (or otherwise) in the last three months. Brands (which received a minimum of 30 survey responses) were then scored on important factors like freshness, taste, texture, variety, value for money and overall satisfaction. So, who rose to the top, and who crumbled?

In our 2020 multigrain bread review, five brands featured, but only one achieved a five-star rating for overall satisfaction – Helga’s Continental Bakehouse. It earned the number one spot in every category except value for money where it got three stars.

Best Multigrain Bread

Here are the best brands for multigrain bread in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s latest review:

1. Helga’s Continental Bakehouse
2. Woolworths
3. Coles
4. Abbott’s Village Bakery
5. Tip Top

Helga’s Continental Bakehouse was clearly what Aussies kneaded. It scored five stars in most categories, including freshness and overall satisfaction, but slumped slightly in the value for money category where it got three stars. Woolworths, Coles and Abbott’s Village Bakery followed closely behind on four stars, while Tip Top rounded out the results on three stars.

Other brands also got a taste of the top, with Woolworths and Coles being the only two brands to beat this year’s winner, both scoring five stars for value for money. Abbott’s Village Bakery scored similarly on taste and texture.

Multigrain Bread

Helga’s Continental Bakehouse

Helga’s Continental Bakehouse offers a few different bread varieties across its classic, specialty, gluten-free, lower-carb, square loaf and Turkish bread ranges. Products from the brand’s bread range usually cost between $3.90 and $6.

• Helga’s Continental Bakehouse rolled the competition in our latest multigrain bread review, earning five stars for overall satisfaction and all other categories, except for value for money where it got three stars.

Woolworths

Woolworths offers a wide selection of packaged bread in its stores, with different types available such as White Soft, Super Soft, Country Loaf and a regular supermarket-branded range of loaves. Prices typically vary between $2 and $3 for a loaf.

• Woolworths was rated second best in this year’s ratings, achieving five stars on value for money and four stars in most categories, including overall satisfaction. It got three stars for variety.

Coles

Coles also has its own selection of packaged bread with different products to choose from. Multigrain options include the High Fibre Multigrain Sandwich Bread and Soft Multigrain Sandwich Bread. Prices usually start from as little as $1.30 and can cost up to $5 for gluten-free alternatives.

• Coles achieved five stars on value for money, beating the winner Helga’s, but scored four stars in the remaining categories, including freshness, taste and overall satisfaction.

Abbott’s Village Bakery

Abbott’s Village Bakery offers many different bread options from its Sandwich Thins, Sensations range, gluten-free range and classic range. Prices for Abbott’s Village Bakery’s breads usually range between $3.80 and $7.

• Abbott’s Village Bakery earned five stars for taste and texture, alongside this year’s winner, and achieved four stars in most categories, including freshness and overall satisfaction.

Tip Top

Tip Top serves a few varieties of bread, including sandwich thins, fruit bread, buns and bread rolls across different product ranges like Burger Thins, Texas Toast, 9 Grain, Cafe and The One. Multigrain options include the Tip Top Sunblest Soft Multigrain Sandwich, Sunblest Multigrain Toast and English Muffins. Prices for Tip Top’s bread products range between $3 and $5.

• Tip Top rated four stars on taste and value for money, but got only three stars in most categories, including freshness and overall satisfaction.

Which multigrain bread should I buy?

Over a third of our survey respondents (36%) believe that premium brands taste better than private labels. Our survey shows texture was the biggest driver of satisfaction, followed by taste and value for money. If you’re after a healthier alternative, 42% of people admitted to switching white bread for multigrain or wholegrain as part of a health kick.

Multigrain bread contains more than one type of grain and seeds. It’s usually low GI and can have up to four times the amount of fiber than normal white bread. Ideally, look for multigrain bread products with whole ingredients like ‘whole wheat’ and ‘whole grain’. Check out the nutrition information panel for different breads and look for options that are low-carb, but are high in fiber and protein, which prolongs energy release. It will make your sandwich keep you fuller for longer.

The rest will simply come down to what you like and how you break bread. Do you use bread mostly for sandwiches and toast in the morning? Either way, over a third of survey respondents (37%) said they prefer ‘thick’ sliced bread over thinner varieties.

About the author of this page

This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Content Lead, Megan Birot. She’s an expert on household appliances, health & beauty products, as well as all things grocery and shopping. When she’s not writing up our research-based ratings reports, Megan spends her time helping consumers make better purchase decisions, whether it’s at the supermarket, other retailers, or online, highlighting the best deals and flagging anything you need to be aware of.

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Picture credits: Anna Shepulova / Shutterstock.com.