Miyo Aoetsu, a 55-year-old baker from Darley Dale in Derbyshire, has once again captured the title of Britain’s Best Loaf. Her innovative brioche bread took the coveted prize at this year’s competition run by trade magazine British Baker. The bread itself is scented with lemon and Earl Grey tea notes. Congratulations to Miyo on her second-straight victory! Last year, she won first place with her outstanding green loaf, made with matcha, white chocolate and fruit.
Miyo operates Kuma-San Bakehouse out of her house, where she sells to local restaurants and offers loaves for pickup by community members. Since her success with the green loaf, the award has continued to stay in Derbyshire, highlighting the area’s vibrant baking talent.
The winning bread has a very distinctive flavor. It takes Earl Grey tea and mixes in limoncello-soaked candied lemon peel, lemon curd, and juice to finish with a zesty, aromatic punch. The judges praised the loaf for its creativity and taste, emphasizing its alignment with current trends in Japan, where Miyo noted that “the combination of Earl Grey tea and citrus fruits like lemon has been really trendy.”
After returning to England from Japan, Miyo started baking as a fun hobby. She actually comes from Tokushima, about 93 miles away from Osaka. Her path to the UK started when she chose to pursue her Master’s degree at the University of Manchester. Her love of baking deepened once she was back home, inspiring her to do a lot of trial-and-error experimentation.
“I baked and baked and baked until I was confident it would be ready for the competition,” Miyo stated. She baked upwards of 45 loaves before she landed on her award-winning recipe.
When told that she had won the award, Miyo said she was in disbelief and excited. “I was speechless when I won… I was very, very happy. I was almost screaming on the stage,” she recalled. There is always a possibility but I never really thought that it would come through. When they announced my name I was speechless but internally elated and happy because of the work I had done.
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