Loafly lot of finalists named in Speciality Bread Product of the Year 2026

Thanks to our category sponsor

A trio of sourdoughs – one inspired by breakfast, one made with exclusive grain, and another packed with healthy ingredients – make up the finalists for Speciality Bread Product of the Year 2026.

Sponsored by Bako, the category seeks loaves that demonstrate great originality as well as immaculate looks and exquisite flavours and textures. They also need to show a thorough understanding of the market and consumer needs which informed the development process.

Check out more on each of the three breads moving ahead to the finals in November:

Apple, Honey & Porridge Sourdough, Happy Cinnamon Artisan Bakery

Classic breakfast porridge additions of apple and honey inspired the Gloucestershire-based artisan bakery to revamp its existing sourdough recipe, which is enriched with porridge oats for softness, moisture and improved shelf life.

Happy Cinnamon, which operates shops in Cheltenham and Nailsworth, incorporated the two new inclusions to create a more distinctive flavour profile with subtle natural sweetness. This, it said, gave it a broader consumer appeal.

The company noted the challenge in balancing the added ingredients without compromising fermentation performance, crumb structure, or eating quality of the sourdough, which is made with Shipton Mill Canadian String White Bread Flour.

Judges called it a “lovely looking loaf with great character” and liked the crunchy oats on the crust and chewy sourdough centre.

Wholemeal Barber Wheat Sourdough, Lovingly Artisan

Wheat farmer Andrew Wilkinson was gifted a flavoursome grain from American chef Dan Barber, and kindly offered to grow it exclusively and organically in the UK for Lovingly Artisan. The Cumbrian bakery mills the grain at its own stone mill in Burnside to produce the silky-smooth wholemeal flour used to create the nutrient-rich loaf, including its sourdough starter.

Lovingly Artisan said that, with no fortification or added protein during milling, the Barber flour requires exceptional skill to develop a light textured wholemeal bread. This includes techniques such as autolyse and bassinage to fully hydrate the bran. The dough is made with high hydration, retarded overnight, and then baked in a wood-fired oven.

The miche loaf is available to purchase in full, half or quarter sizes, which Lovingly Artisan said was to ensure those on a tighter budget or living alone could still enjoy it.

A “nice tangy smell” was noted by judges, who loved the appearance and the story behind the loaf.

Well-Bred Seeded Sourdough, Peter Cooks Bread

Described as its healthiest loaf to date, the Well-Bred Seeded Sourdough from Herefordshire-based Peter Cooks Bread contains no less than 21 different plants. Among these are black barley, spelt, rye, emmer oats, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, and linseeds as well as less common ingredients such as lentils, peas, quinoa, nettle leaf, kombu seaweed, coffee, hibiscus flowers, cocoa husk, and chia seeds.

These are carefully stoneground to maintain nutrient content. Also in the mix is a Mariagertoba wheat flour grown and milled at The Fold in nearby Bransford along with unfortified Shipton Mill Organic Stoneground flour.

Peter Cooks Bread revealed it took months to build relationships with millers and growers, and develop and understanding of how all the ingredients work in the dough. The various grains, seeds, and pulses are said to help enhance gut health, regulate blood sugar, and benefit overall immunity.

Judges remarked on how “a lot has gone into this loaf and you can taste it”, also giving praise to the “lovely aroma”.