Expert panel from the Dough House take blind-tasting challenge to pick Stratford’s best bread and bakes
WHEN Gail’s Bakery opened in town recently there was a lot of talk about who has the best bread and supporting independent bakers.
The Herald decided to get together an expert panel of professional gourmets to blind taste products available both from artisan local bakers and supermarkets to decide who has the best of the bakes.
We found our experts at The Dough House on Ely Street in Stratford.
The business offers cookery classes and workshops.
On hand to lend their professional opinions were business owner Fulden Tur, instructor and interiors guru Jo Sanderson and chef Mike Lok, who teaches Asian cookery.
The Dough House was established in 2018, firstly operating out of a cottage in Birmingham Road, Stratford, before moving to Ely Street.
The business is doing well, and attracts tourists and locals to its classes and workshops, making everything from Italian and Asian food to bakes and breads, all with expert guidance.
“Since the pandemic, everyone started making their own bread and so baking is really popular,” said Fulden. “But it requires some skills, and that is where we come in. you can learn and have a great time doing it.”
Overall winner was Mor Bakery, winning three of the four rounds; however Gail’s was deemed to have made the best sourdough. Supermarket brands’ ‘commercial yeast’ and overuse of sweetness were easily detected by the judges.
Here are the results with judges’ comments below.
Round 1: Sourdough, judges’ comments
1 Mor: “It’s got a bit of a chew, and is quite dense, almost paste-like in the middle. It needs a little bit longer fermentation, in my technical opinion, and possibly a longer bake. It’s nice and fresh though, and is proper sourdough.
“I think it's the prettiest one, look-wise. The crunch is nice, but it's heavy in the middle.”
2 Waitrose: “I can tell from the look immediately it's not 100 per cent sourdough. It's a mixture, it has some commercial yeast in it, so I'm not very keen of the mixed ones. It feels like supermarket bread, might be nice for a sandwich.”
3 Gail’s: “This is proper sourdough, very nice. It's light, but it has a dense part and smells like sourdough and crust is perfect. A definite favourite.”
4 M&S: “It’s a bit chewy – I almost broke a tooth. It is nice enough but not proper sourdough.”
5 Sainsbury’s: “Very dense and heavy. I wouldn’t have said sourdough, but very rustic.”
Round 2: Croissants, judges’ comments
1 Mor: “You can tell the high quality butter. A very good croissant. It is a beautiful shape with perfect lamination.”
2 Waitrose: “Smells odd, but almost tasteless.”
3 Gail’s: “This has got that buttery taste, nice texture outside, a good bake. Nice and airy. Great fermentation. Smells a bit bready.”
4 M&S: “Yeasty again and almost raw. It's got a funny bit in the middle. I don't like that smell. It’s the worst.”
5 Sainsbury’s: “Good with nice crunch.”
Round 3: Cake, judges’ comments
1 Mor’s cruffin: “Nice and fluffy. Sweet but not over sweet, an amazing bake. You can taste the quality of the chocolate.
2 Gail’s crumb cake: “Looks heavy but is surprisingly and pleasingly light. A really good bake.”
3 M&S Yumnut: “This tastes commercially made and is too sweet, not pleasant.”
Round 4: Brownies, judges’ comments
1 Mor’s brownie: “This is incredibly rich but really gorgeous. You couldn’t eat much.”
2 Gails’ brownie finger: “This tastes weird. I can’t actually eat it, feels sickly. It’s overpowering not in a good way.”
3 Waitrose brownie: “A very pleasant taste, nice chocolate, and a light bake. Nice.”