Cube Croissant triumphs as New Bakery Product of the Year 2023

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From the raft of new products launched over the past year, the category looks to single out items that are truly innovative. Topping the podium this year was an exquisitely crafted cube croissant, ahead of a flavour-packed sourdough and an science-backed loaf for health-conscious consumers.

Winner: Cube Croissant with Chocolate Crème Patisserie and Raspberry Compote, M’s Bakery

Judges were wholly impressed at the craftmanship behind the latest indulgent iteration of the cube croissant from M’s Bakery in Bournemouth.

“A triumph” was how one judge described the geometric pastry filled with harmonising flavours of chocolate crème patisserie and raspberry compote, which were said to be well balanced and “silky smooth”. 

M’s Bakery takes no less than three days to create its croissant cubes, using ingredients including Estate Dairy butter, strong white flour, and French T55 Flour. The croissant dough is baked in 8x8cm tins with a lockable top to help create the perfect shape. Once baked, the cubes are cooled then filled, before being dipped in chocolate ganache and decorated with fresh raspberries and chocolate shavings as a final flourish.

The innovation has wowed customers as well with M’s Bakery describing demand as “constant”, adding that other flavour combinations on the cards for the future.

Finalist: Dark Chocolate Malt with Orange, Lovingly Artisan

This sourdough loaf was crafted to mark the ‘imminent arrival of garden party season’ but also serves well as a comforting weekend breakfast, according to Cumbria-based Lovingly Artisan.

This naturally chewy, textured yet soft, marbled loaf is full of flavour owing to the use of barley, rye flour, Warminster Malting’s chocolate malt, dark chocolate and orange peel, which all combine to create an incredibly moreish eating experience.

The judges were delighted by the inviting appearance of the loaf which, when cut open, revealed excellent distribution of the inclusions for a rich yet zesty flavour with every bite.

The loaf also impressed the judges at Britain’s Best Loaf 2023, being awarded Highly Commended in the Flavoured Sourdough category.

Finalist: Superloaf, Modern Baker

Superloaf 5.0 represents many years of collaboration between human biology scientists, research organisations and industrial partners. This iteration hit the market in March 2023 after Modern Baker partnered with Hovis and Marks & Spencer to create a mass-produced version of what the bakery previously dubbed the ‘healthiest loaf ever made’.

The nutrient dense loaf is made using the Chorleywood bread process – a decision which made the loaf more accessible to consumers in terms of acceptability and price but posed numerous technical issues. High fibre loaves are often too sticky for automatic processing, so the team sought to combat this without compromising the nutrition of the loaf and maintaining its clean label status.

The final recipe contains nine different plant-based fibres and seeds including linseeds, chia seeds, poppy seeds, hemp fibre, psyllium husk, dark rye flour, wheat germ and linseed flour. It also contains the gums acacia fibre and partially hydrolysed guar gum, which Modern Baker said are ‘both extremely rich sources of digestively well tolerated soluble prebiotic fibre’.

The judges were in awe of the technical and scientific research which went into creating the loaf and admired the level of innovation and determination required to produce it using the Chorleywood method. They also praised its usability, adding that it would make ‘lovely sandwiches’.