Free-From Bakery Product of the Year 2022 finalists revealed

A gluten-free festive favourite, vegan-friendly pie and nutritious loaf have been named as finalists in the Free-From Bakery Product of the Year at the Baking Industry Awards 2022.

Sponsored by KaTech by Ingredion, the category seeks the best baked goods on the market that have been developed for those with dietary needs.

Here are the free-from finalists:

Beefcake Trinidadian Black-eye Bean & Vegetable Pie

Produced by The Beefcake Café, this vegan pie comprises a shortcrust pasty base with puff pastry lid encasing a blend of beans, vegetables, mixed spices, chilli, and coconut. The recipe is based on a traditional Trinidadian stew that was adapted to cater for the sizeable vegan customer base in Glasgow where the business is based. The major challenge faced with the recipe development was what binding agent to use – cleverly solved by mashing some of the beans.

The judges said the pie smelled wonderful, looked amazing and the texture of the filling was beautiful.

Buckwheat & Poppyseed Loaf

This lovely looking loaf is gluten free and vegan. It’s made at The Bakery by Knife and Fork – a family business based at Deddington in Oxfordshire from a buckwheat and teff flour blend, plus fresh baker’s yeast, psyllium flaxseeds, Himalayan pink salt, and poppy seeds.

The bakery is wholly gluten-free and conducted numerous trials to produce a commercial loaf that does not dissolve on the tongue (a common issue with gluten-free breads), is not bitter, has a depth of flavour, great colour, and delivers a good source of fibre. The judges said the Buckwheat & Poppyseed Loaf had a smashing texture and great combination of flavours.

Gluten-Free Yule Log

This Gluten-Free Yule Log is made by Baker & Baker for Marks & Spencer and comprises a gluten-free chocolate Swiss roll sponge with chocolate buttercream filling and a dusting of sugar. It sounds straightforward but to create the perfect gluten-free sponge roll required Baker & Baker to trial 40 different recipes, each with a different mix and varied bake times before they succeeded. Then came the challenge of getting the gluten-free sponge to roll once cooled and within the parameters of what the factory process could achieve. The judges said it was both delicious and moreish.