Is Waldkorn Bread Healthy? It’s FAKE brown bread!

In order to sell every product in the supermarket, the producer wants his product to stand out and be distinctive than other products. So it is with Bread. Our eyes, smell and experience largely determine whether we buy that one specific bread. But is that one loaf also healthier than other loaves? What about Waldkorn bread? Is Waldkorn bread healthy?

Is Waldkorn Healthy?

• Waldkorn is not healthier than whole wheat bread, but much more expensive. 
• The Classic Waldkorn is made from 48% flour from multiple grains and seeds have been added. 
• Waldkorn is colored dark to make it appear healthier.
• Whole-wheat and multi-grain breads made from flour contain more fiber and are healthier. 

Waldkorn bread is now available in several variants. This article talks about the Waldkorn Classic. Is it healthy? How does the bread compare to other breads? The conclusion is surprising.

What Is Waldkorn?

Waldkorn is not a grain! It does not grow in nature. It is a name made up by CSM Bakery Solutions for a bread they have developed. Waldkorn is a mix of raw materials with extra additives to darken it, make it taste ‘better’ and make it look ‘better’.

In short: Waldkorn is a real marketing product. It has to look good, taste good and feel good. None of this says anything about whether it’s good for us.

Is Waldkorn Whole Wheat (bread)? 

Whole wheat is a legally protected term.

Bread may only be called whole wheat if the flour that is used contains the entire natural grain (= the flour core, the germ and the bran). It does not matter whether it is coarsely or finely ground. The flour must contain the entire grain of wheat then it is whole grain.

Waldkorn is a brand name. Waldkorn is not a grain. Waldkorn is a marketing term that should tempt us to buy the bread.

Waldkorn is made from white flour (= flour core) of various grains. Waldkorn is actually a white bread and not a whole wheat bread.

What Are The Waldkorn Bread Ingredients?

Waldkorn is a composite product. Several grains are used to achieve a flour blend.

The ingredients list for the Waldkorn Classic looks like this:

48% wheat flour, water, soy pieces, 3.5% roasted malted wheat flour, wheat gluten, baker’s yeast, sunflower seed, 2.5% barley flour, 2% oat flake, linseed, dried barley malt extract, 1% rye flour, 1% oat grain, iodized salt, palm oil, maltodextrin , 0.7% dried rye sourdough, sesame seeds, malted wheat flour, flour treatment agent (ascorbic acid [E300])

Explanation:

• Wheat flour indicates that the base is white bread.
• Toasted malted wheat flour gives the bread the dark color (but it remains flour)
• Dried barley malt extract is a product that is used as a coloring agent for the bread.
• Rye flour also for the dark color and for taste.
• Ascorbic acid is a natural flour improver.

What Are The Whole Wheat Bread Ingredients?

For example, the AH Zaanse coarse wholemeal

Whole wheat flour, water, broken wheat, wheat gluten, crushed wheat, baker’s yeast, malt flour (barley, wheat), iodized salt, antioxidant (ascorbic acid [E300]).

As you can see, no substances have been added here to make the bread look nice or to darken the bread.

What Is The Nutritional Value Of Waldkorn?

Here the nutritional value and health aspects of the bread are determined on the basis of the fiber percentage. The fibers provide a feeling of satiety, fibers release the sugars more slowly and fibers are of course good for the intestines. Fiber is provided by whole grains, kernels, nuts, seeds and dried fruit, with kernels, nuts and seeds providing healthy unsaturated fats as a bonus.

Per 100 grams of Waldkorn or Whole Wheat:

It can be concluded from this that Waldkorn Classic is no more nutritious than whole wheat bread based on the fiber. Waldkorn bread also has more calories than whole wheat bread.

How Many Types Of Waldkorn Are There?

Waldkorn has been around since 1989 ( 6 ) and since then many types of products have been developed; Waldkorn Classic, Waldkorn De Luxe, Waldkorn Dessem, Waldkorn Dark Whole Wheat, Waldkorn Oats, Waldkorn Maize, Waldkorn Vital.

Each type of bread is composed, according to CSM Bakery Sollutions, from a ‘carefully selected blend of grains’.

How Does Waldkorn’s Dark Color Come About?

First this. There is no darker bread than whole wheat bread. All breads including Waldkorn that are darker than whole wheat are colored. The bread colorings are dried barley malt extract, toasted wheat flakes, cocoa or caramelized sugar. Fortunately, they are natural dyes. Cocoa and caramelized sugar are not processed in Waldkorn, but barley malt extract and toasted wheat flakes are.

The dark color of bread is thus obtained in the factory. Then why are the manufacturers doing this? Buying bread is an experience and we humans think that dark bread is better, more nutritious and healthier for us. That is why manufacturers choose to color bread dark.

Is Waldkorn Gluten-Free?

Here is a short answer. No, Waldkorn is not available in a gluten-free version.

Does Waldkorn contain added sugars?

Waldkorn Classic, which has been discussed here, contains no added sugars. Other varieties such as Waldkorn Dark Whole Wheat, Waldkorn Maize and Waldkorn Old Grains do contain added sugars.

What Is The Price To Quality Ratio Of Waldkorn?

To answer this, we must not forget that the name Waldkorn was created by the marking department of CSM Bakery Solutions. This is a commercial company whose purpose is to make a profit.

The quality.

Waldkorn Classic has 48% flour as basic raw material. This is the least nutritious part of the grain and the cheapest part.

Whole wheat bread contains 100% whole wheat flour (this is regulated by law to guarantee quality). This is the most nutritious part of the grain and also the most expensive.

 The price 

The Albert Heijn web store was visited to compare the prices. Here we have looked up the prices. For the whole wheat bread we have taken ‘AH Zaanse coarse whole wheat’ (price level January 2021).

Price for a Waldkorn Classic bread € 2.05. Price for an AH Zaanse coarse whole wheat € 1.39.

In terms of price/quality ratio, the Waldkorn Classic bread is in bad shape.

One bread is clearly not the other. It is only healthier if it contains more fiber. So never rely on the color of the bread, the name of the bread, the term multigrain or extra seeds. The advice is to look at the label and check the ingredients.