What are the most popular types of bread in Australia?
Bread is a staple food in most places around the world. It has been around for centuries, and as the saying goes, “it’s as old as sliced bread”! There are many different types of bread that are popular in different countries, and generally the more popular ones are white, whole wheat, rye, sourdough and multigrain.
More recently, consumers are choosing artisan breads, made locally, and are embracing their local bakeries.
Read on to discover the most popular types of bread in Australia, and discover something new or fall in love with an old bread favourite.
And the most popular type of bread is…
The statistics are in, and according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Australian Health Survey:
“Regular breads, and bread rolls (plain/unfilled/untopped varieties) were the products most commonly consumed with 66% of people consuming regular bread, and 13% consuming English-style muffins, flat breads, savoury and sweet breads”
It’s no surprise that white bread was the most popular type of bread, making up 58% of bread consumed, with mixed grain and wholemeal varieties accounting for 18% each.
How do we tell different types of bread apart?
Here is a quick run down on the more common categories of bread.
1) White Bread
This type of bread is made from wheat flour, yeast, salt and water.
2) Whole Grain Bread
This type of bread is made from whole grains like wheat, barley or rye. It contains more fibre than white bread and it’s often healthier too.
3) French Bread
These types of breads have a crusty exterior with a soft interior and it can be made with either white or whole-grain flour. Read more about popular French breads here.
4) Artisan Bread
Artisan bread is a style of bread that is made by hand (or in part with manual processes) and uses natural ingredients. Artisan breads are typically made without the aid of machines and are often baked in a wood-fired oven.
The word “artisan” comes from the French word for “craftsman” and implies that the baker has skill in their trade. Artisan breads are usually baked in a wood-fired oven, which gives them their distinctive flavour.
> Find out more about how you can bake artisan breads using our high quality dough range.
Bread industry in Australia
Here are some quick facts about the bread industry in Australia (IBISWorld):
What is the market size of the Australian bread production industry?
The bread industry in Australia is a significant part of the country’s food sector, with a market size estimated at $3.4 billion in 2024.
What is the growth rate of the Australian bread industry?
The industry has seen an annual growth rate of around 2.2% over recent years
Has the bread production industry in Australia grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the industry in Australia has grown 0.2% per year on average between 2017 and 2022.
What is the biggest opportunity for growth in the Australian bread industry?
Bread products are being sold to food-service companies in ever growing quantities. One of the reasons for this is that these products often save you time, money and effort, and are ‘done for you’ solutions.
Caterers, hotels, restaurants and cafes use products, such as freshly baked breads, premium breads, muffins, frozen dough (such as products from the range of Suprima frozen dough) and breadcrumbs.
> Find out how to use Suprima frozen dough products here.
Famous breads
The most famous breads in the world are the croissant, baguette and focaccia.
Croissants are flaky and buttery pastries that look like crescents. Baguettes are long loaves of crusty bread with a crunchy, crackling crust; they have an airier crumb than other types of breads. Focaccia is a type of flatbread made from olive oil, water and yeast; it is often topped with herbs or olives that give it great flavour.
Why use frozen dough?
Using frozen bread dough is as simple as it gets, but delivers astounding results and delicious flavours every time. With Suprima frozen dough the process is as easy as 1, 2, 3 – thawing, proofing and baking. As one of Australia’s leading bakery suppliers, we work tirelessly to provide consistent, high quality frozen doughs to enhance products and flavours.