Finalists unveiled for New Bakery Product of the Year 2023

Indulgent viennoiserie, a wholesome yet delicious sourdough, and better-for-you bread have been selected as finalists for New Bakery Product of the Year 2023.

Sponsored by Baker & Baker, the category celebrates innovative and marketable bakery products that have hit the shelves over the past year.

Here are the standout innovations named as finalists this year:

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

Bournemouth-based M’s Bakery has taken the humble croissant to new heights in the form of a Cube Croissant. The latest iteration, which was perfected in March 2023, is filled with the harmonising flavours of chocolate crème patisserie and raspberry compote.

Creating the croissant cubes is a three-day process and uses Estate Dairy butter, strong white flour, and French T55 Flour. Once cooled and filled, the cubes are dipped in chocolate ganache and decorated with fresh raspberries and chocolate shavings for added flair.

The judges were impressed with the craftsmanship that went into creating the Croissant Cubes and declared the balance of silky smooth ganache and tart raspberry compote to be a triumph.

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.

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’.