Good bread is one of life’s greatest pleasures. If you ask us, few things beat a perfectly chewy slice of sourdough, a gorgeously crisp slab of focaccia or a warm, steaming roll of ciabatta. The joy of bread is that it comes in all sorts of different shapes, sizes and flavours. But which one is the greatest of them all?
Every year, British Baker evaluates hundreds of loaves of bread to determine which one can be called the very best in the country. For 2025 a lemon and earl grey tea brioche from Kuma-San Bakehouse in Derbyshire was awarded the grand title of Britain’s Best Loaf.
The judging panel, made up of 14 experts from Britain’s bread industry, praised the sweet, squidgy bake for its ‘unique flavour profile featuring earl grey tea and limoncello-soaked candied lemon peel, combined with lemon curd and juice for a zesty, aromatic finish’. Finished off with white chocolate and pearl sugar, one judge said it was a bread that ‘took you on a journey’ to the Italian Riviera.
The loaf was created by Japanese baker Miyo Aoetsu, who won the top prize back in 2023 too, for her matcha, white chocolate and fruit loaf. She told BBC News that the key ingredient of this year’s winning loaf is the Japanese citrus fruit, yuzu. Aoetsu revealed that she made around 45 loaves before she felt that she had nailed it.
She added: ‘In the last few years in Japan, the combination of earl grey tea and citrus fruits like lemon has been really trendy so people make a lot of cakes and cookies with these.
‘So I started to think about making a bread with these combinations... I like the subtle aroma of tea when used in baking.
‘I baked and baked and baked until I was confident it would be ready for the competition.’
There were eight categories in this year’s awards. The lemon and earl grey brioche also won in the innovation category while the prize for best flavoured sourdough went to Cumbrian bakery Lovingly Artisan’s dark chocolate malt and orange loaf and best wholegrain went to the rye sourdough with sunflower seeds by Oxford’s Natural Bread.
The overall prize for best loaf has remained in Derbyshire for the past three years, with the 2024 title going to 4 Eyes Bakery in Chesterfield for its garlic and rosemary deep pan focaccia.
See British Baker’s list of the UK’s best artisan bakeries here.
ICYMI: One of the world’s best sandwiches is right here in the UK.
Plus: Britain’s best pier has been crowned for 2025.
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