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Britain's best loaf revealed: a French-style sourdough bread made by a Hungarian baker in Dorset

From sourdough to ciabatta – where to buy the best bread in the UK - Cultura RF
From sourdough to ciabatta – where to buy the best bread in the UK - Cultura RF

A French Country-style sourdough from an independent bakery run by a husband and wife team near Bournemouth has been crowned the very best loaf of bread in the UK at the World Bread Awards. 

Prizes were also awarded for categories including best ciabatta, best 'Great British White' loaf, and best fruit bread (scroll down for a full list of the winners, and get hold of their award-winning bakes for yourself) – but Istvan Nadhazi of M’s Bakery in Pokesdown was crowned both winner of the Real Bread Campaign award and overall winner of the awards.

“Our organic sourdough is stoneground with 90 per cent white flour, 5 per cent wholemeal and 5 per cent whole rye,” he explains. 

"The bread boasts a thin, crispy crust, a desirably chewy texture and an ever-so slightly sour taste. It’s perfect served simply, with butter, and that’s why we like it. It's great with French onion soup."

The flour itself is sourced from Nadhazi’s local miller Michael Stoats, a fifth-generation miller at Stoate & Sons mill near Shaftesbury.

"These days, people are much more interested in buying sourdough and 'real' bread. It's good for the the gut, better for balancing your blood sugar, easier to digest, lower in calories, and contains fewer chemicals and preservatives," he adds.

Nadhazi's sourdough was judged by a panel of 90 master bakers, including stars of the bread-baking world Richard Bertinet, Stephen Hallam of Dickinson and Morris (famous for its Melton Mowbray pies), and Dr John Foster of BBC’s Victorian Bakers.

It beat off competition from hundreds of loaves delivered by courier, taxi and in person on the morning of the judging at Cathedral Hall, Westminster Cathedral, to ensure maximum freshness.

Nadhazi discovered his love of baking growing up in Hungary, and first discovered his passion for sourdough when he moved to London in 2011, inspired in part via the Youtube videos of Vincent Talleu, a French baker working in the UK with a large following online.

“I worked for GAIL's Bakery, and then I wanted to move out to the countryside with my family, so I joined Mark Bennett’s patisseries near Poole.

"He’s a legendary baker in the area, and he became a great friend. I learned a lot from him, but my dream was to open my own independent bakery," reflects Nadhazi.

The flour is sourced from a fifth-generation Dorset miller
The flour is sourced from a fifth-generation Dorset miller

"My wife and I bake everything from scratch: viennoiserie, French patisserie and cakes for special occasions as well as bread, and both sweet and savoury pastries. I love croissants myself – I need to eat less croissants!

"My wife and I do all the baking ourselves, and we currently employ just one other person to serve in the shop, but next year we hope to open another site and employ more bakers."

The World Bread Awards, sponsored by Tiptree and Brook Food, was founded in January 2013 to celebrate the very best of British bread baking. 

Here, we present the list of category winners across the country, from Edinburgh to Norfolk, via Gloucestershire (many of which also serve excellent coffee and cake). 

 

Overall and Real Bread Campaign winner

Istvan Nadhazi's "French Country Sourdough" at M's Bakery, Dorset

M's Bakery, 805 Christchurch Road, Pokesdown, Bournemouth BH7 6AP; 01202 900130

 

Tiptree Showstopper and Special Merit Award

Tami Isaacs Pearce's "Challah Queen Tzanzhong Orange Blossom"

Karma Bread Bakehouse, Hampstead, London NW3 2PT; karmabread.co.uk

 

Brook Food Sourdough 

Ed Clark's "Pastonacre" at Pastonacre bakery, Norfolk

Pastonacre, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt NR25 7RD; pastonacre.com

 

Zeelandia Wholegrain

Dominic Salter's "Seeded Khorasan Sourdough" at Salt Bakehouse, Gloucestershire

Salt Bakehouse, Stroud, Springfield Business Centre, Stonehouse GL10 3SX; saltbakehouse.co.uk

 

Ciabatta

Martha Brown's "Long Fermented Ciabatta" at Forge Bakehouse, Sheffield

Forge Bakehouse, 302 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield S7 1FL; forgebakehouse.co.uk

 

Gluten-free

Davina Steel's "Garlic and Rosemary Foccaccia" at MannaVida, Essex

Unit 1, Hammer Hill Business Park, Stanbrook, Thaxted Essex CM6 2NH; 01371 831525; davinasteel.com

 

Carr’s Flour Baguette

Justin Gourlay's "Artisan Sourdough Baguette" as Real Patisserie, Sussex

4-6 East Street, Shoreham-by-Sea BN43 5ZE; 01273 452899realpatisserie.co.uk

 

Great British White

Linda Kianfa's Farmhouse loaf at Foodhaven Cafe, Sussex

Foodhaven Cafe
Foodhaven Cafe

Foodhaven Cafe, Avis Way, Newhaven, East Sussex

 

Fruit Bread

Ian Hill's "Almond & Toasted Coconut Sourdough" at Riddle Me Rye, Edinburgh

riddle-me-rye.co.uk

 

Flatbread

Roger Haycock's "Focaccia" at Roger's Bakery, Huddersfield

4 Warehouse Hill, Marsden, Huddersfield HD7 6AB​; rogersbakery.com

 

Speciality Sweet

Paul Robinshaw's "Copenhagen" at Flour Water Salt, Macclesfield

Flour Water Salt, 9 Market Place, Macclesfield SK10 1EB; 01625 260563; flourwatersalt.co.uk

 

Speciality Savoury

Mark Bennett's 'Roasted Roots & Herb Sourdough' at Mark Bennett Patisserie, Dorset

256 Sandbanks Road, Poole BH14 8HA; 01202 709111; artisanmark.com

 

Muntons Malt Bread

Carina Carlstrom's "Seeded Malted Flatbread" at Loaf Bakery, Surrey

Loaf Bakery, 41 Ridgeway Road, Farnham, loafbakery.co.uk

 

Irish Wheaten Loaf

James Herron's Traditional Wheaten Bannock at Cookie Jar, Newcastle

Cookie Jar Bakery Newcastle
Cookie Jar Bakery Newcastle

Cookie Jar, Newcastle, 121 Main St, Newcastle BT33 0AE; nigoodfood.com

 

People's Choice

Today Bread, Walthamstow

 6-10 Central Parade, 137 Hoe Street, London E17 4RT; todaybread.com

Mention should also go to Caroline Jevachandran, a student at the National Bakery School, who was awarded the  Tiptree Patisserie Trainee Baker award, to Jessica Van der Schee who won the Home Baker Open for her "Country White", and to Graham Kinnear who won the Home Baker Sourdough award for his "Cheddar & Ale Sourdough".

Visit worldbreadawards.com for more information