S11.E03: Bread Week

[Athena]

Quote

It's Bread Week, and the remaining bakers have a lot to prove in a sweet and savoury signature, a technical that honours the NHS, and an ambitious, artistic showstopper

 

[Aulty]

This episode of Bake Off was presented by Matt Lucas and Bob Seger.

LOVEd the soda bread challenge - I think making one type of bread would have been enough, but overall it was a decent 'old school' Bake Off challenge. While I usually frown upon those little non-bake side challenges, I thought making a butter to go with the bread was actually quite nice. I do decent savory and sweet soda breads myself and I bake them quit regularly. This episode gave me a few interesting ideas and recipes to try out. Maybe later this week. I will let you know how it turned out 🙂

Well done Hermine. The editing of this challenge was quite entertaining - Hermine was a bit all over the place and usually that heralds bad news for judging.

I love that Suna's family, especially (and against the common muslim stereotype) the male members mentioned so far, are so supportive of her taking part in this.

Damn, even the technical challenge is interesting. The NHS connection touted in the episode description is a bit of stretch, but a nice sentiment. I dunno if I'd buy a rainbow bagel seeing as its just flashy colouring, but regular taste throughout.

The harvest plague showstopper was ok - very reminiscent of the bread animal challenge with Paul's bread lion. There were only a hand full of fluffy breads and a lot of flat messes. Well done Mark - lovely to see that his family was there to congratulate him.

Edited October 6, 2020 by Aulty

[Danny Franks]

That opening skit was really lame. I figure Noel probably wrote it, and it was a good example of his weird sense of humour falling flat. But then, "no one under the age of forty eats bread any more," did make me laugh.

They did soda bread a few years ago, as a signature, didn't they? I guess repeating is better than forcing an even more convoluted, complicated challenge. 

Someone saying their bread "is quite gritty" by design is... an odd choice. Most of the others sounded pretty good though, especially Irish Mark's. But not Hermine's, because I hate salmon and the idea of fish in bread sounds disgusting to me.

I initially thought Lottie would be annoying, but she's got a dry sense of humour that's appealing. The run of Paul winding her up over the blueberries was fun. She already vibes well with Noel and Matt.

Rainbow coloured bagels are not something I've ever seen before - in real life or in foodie Instagram pics. It sounds like Paul invented them for this challenge. Bagels alone are a decent technical challenge, as Paul said, whether plain or flavoured.

Also - people who don't toast bagels before eating them... what the hell? They're too heavy and stodgy to eat as-is.

How has Paul Hollywood never been to a West End show? I'm no musical theatre fan and I've been to three. I guess he's playing up his 'gruff, straight, working class man' credentials.

Bread week always provides for a good showstopper round, and this was no different. Nothing spectacular, but better than the last two weeks.

Loved Matt's question - "how much flavour do breads really need?" and Paul's reaction. He's got a point, though.

Edited October 7, 2020 by Danny Franks

[TVbitch]

Rowan seems like a sweet fun guy, but he is incapable of taking the judges notes. 

I've never in my life seen a rainbow bagel before either. I think they just threw that in their to add interest. 

[Athena]

1 hour ago, TVbitch said:

I've never in my life seen a rainbow bagel before either. I think they just threw that in their to add interest. 

 

6 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Rainbow coloured bagels are not something I've ever seen before - in real life or in foodie Instagram pics. It sounds like Paul invented them for this challenge. Bagels alone are a decent technical challenge, as Paul said, whether plain or flavoured.

You are both lucky as they have been trending on social media in the last few years. I've never seen it in person either but I've seen recipes or attempts at them going as far back as 2016-2017 (see this article). A bagel place in NYC helped viralize it. They look garish and gimmicky to me.

[Mabinogia]

2 hours ago, Athena said:

You are both lucky as they have been trending on social media in the last few years. I've never seen it in person either but I've seen recipes or attempts at them going as far back as 2016-2017 (see this article). A bagel place in NYC helped viralize it. They look garish and gimmicky to me.

I've seen one in real life and they are an abomination! They just do not look appealing to me. I'm not a fan of overly colored foods. it makes something that might taste amazing just look like it will taste fake and processed. 

9 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Also - people who don't toast bagels before eating them... what the hell? They're too heavy and stodgy to eat as-is.

Depends on the bagel. I used to grab one from a street vendor in NYC on my way to work, plain bagel, untoasted, with butter. It was heavenly, soft and doughy and just a great breakfast for about, I think it was 50 cents back then. (It's been about 10 years)

[Lois Sandborne]

I wasn't familiar with the rainbow relating to the NHS. Coloring the bagels did seem like a stretch to give the challenge more substance. 

Paul and all of his various mystiques can be entertaining, but he irritates me in his Arbiter of Bread persona, stalking around the tent waiting to pounce on any anomaly. Laura (? or Linda, one) cracked me up dragging him for not having any fun in his life. Lighten up, Paul, and go see Little Shop. It's just bread.

Sura's showstopper ended up looking more like a meatball tree to me than a tomato vine. It still looked good though.

I really like Lottie, you guys. And I was so pleased for Zen Mark to take Star Baker. He came off well, staying calm while everyone was freaking out about their final bakes. The dharma wheel looked really impressive too, especially the vivid pattern in the center.

I won't miss Rowan.

[ShortyMac]

9 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

I initially thought Lottie would be annoying, but she's got a dry sense of humour that's appealing. The run of Paul winding her up over the blueberries was fun. She already vibes well with Noel and Matt.

I think she might be my favorite baker in the history of the show. I love her vibe, and personality.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 hours ago, Lois Sandborne said:

I wasn't familiar with the rainbow relating to the NHS. Coloring the bagels did seem like a stretch to give the challenge more substance. 

I laughed when Paul said that rainbows are totally an NHS thing now because I'm pretty sure the LGBTQ+ community might have something to say about that. I'm all for rainbows though so I didn't mind this challenge, but I did think the NHS connection was a bit tenuous. The episode description made it sound different (just because you're making something with colors doesn't mean you're honoring NHS).

I liked that they were doing a more on trend recipe for the technical because often Paul is either totally clueless or he just acts totally clueless about trends in the food industry. As was mentioned last week, he and Prue seemed not to know what ruby chocolate was when a baker used it on the show in a previous season and he's done the same about really popular flavors like matcha and yuzu in the past. I'm not in the food industry and I've seen stuff like ruby chocolate, matcha, and yuzu everywhere so it seems ludicrous that someone who is a food professional hasn't heard of these things before.

The other reason I liked this particular challenge is that having the colored layers added another element to the technique. Most of the bakers managed to twist their bagels well enough to get a nice rainbow effect, but Lottie initially didn't see that part of the instructions (which is what I think the producers were kind of hoping would happen to at least one baker). Some of them definitely achieved better looking rainbow twists of color than others. I noticed that some of the bakers followed the recipe exactly, including cutting the five colored sheets of dough to an exact measurement, while others just kind of piled their five colors on top of each other. I was wondering if that would make a noticeable difference in how the swirls of colors turned out.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Recipes

Signature challenge: soda bread
Mark's stout and chocolate soda bread
Hermine's smoked salmon and chive soda bread

Technical challenge
rainbow bagels

Showstopper challenge: bread plaques
Marc's three bread twisted loaf
Sura's tomato, olive, and garlic rolls

Rowan's exit interview

[Mabinogia]

I haven't even seen the episode yet and I miss Rowan already. Sure he didn't listen, sure he wasn't the best baker, but I absolutely adored his personality and his style. 

I am on the Lottie love train which surprises me because after reading their bios before the first ep I thought for sure she'd be one of my least favorites. She interacts really well with the others and has a great sense of humor. 

[Rickster]

I live in the NY suburbs and rainbow bagels are something you occasionally see in bagel stores and supermarkets, but not really common.

[bybrandy]

I love bread but I'm not sure I've ever actually made soda bread.   The two posted recipes are the only ones that I was interested in trying so they might be coming up next weekend (as opposed to this weekend as it is my family's monthly zoom dinner party).   

 

I've made bagels before and to me they aren't really worth the effort if you have a decent bagel near you.   But even if I was inclined to make bagels again I wouldn't make the rainbow bagel.  I find neon food unappetizing.   

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Rowan's bread sculpture was visually appealing so I was disappointed that the judges said it didn't taste great.

Normally when I watch this show, I crave whatever the bakers make but I didn't have an urge for anything I saw until the showstopper. Watching that made me really want some focaccia!

[dleighg]

On 10/7/2020 at 4:01 AM, Danny Franks said:

Rainbow coloured bagels are not something I've ever seen before - in real life or in foodie Instagram pics. It sounds like Paul invented them for this challenge.

Nah, my local bagel shop (suburbs of NYC) has them. I think they are kind of hideous.

 

On 10/7/2020 at 4:21 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I laughed when Paul said that rainbows are totally an NHS thing now because I'm pretty sure the LGBTQ+ community might have something to say about that.

I had the same thought. Is the NHS associated with lots of colors?

 

On 10/7/2020 at 4:01 AM, Danny Franks said:

Also - people who don't toast bagels before eating them... what the hell? They're too heavy and stodgy to eat as-is.

 

Here in the NYC area many consider it a sacrilege to toast a freshly made bagel. There are arguments about this, much like how to eat a slice of pizza.

 

9 hours ago, bybrandy said:

I've made bagels before and to me they aren't really worth the effort if you have a decent bagel near you.

At the beginning of the pandemic our bagel shop was closed so I went to the trouble to make them. It was kind of fun, but yeah, if you can get them at a good shop, why bother. I liked the comment by the blond woman about making butter: "Who does that?" I thought they were just going to have to make a flavored butter. Not actually MAKE butter LOL.

[dleighg]

I know that this show is always willing to make naughty jokes, but poor Rowan seemed to be getting quite a lot of it

"do you like sausages?" "I prefer not to answer that one" (or something like that)

(my bagel) "is rather soft and wrinkly" which got a "look" from one of the other bakers

 

[Aulty]

5 hours ago, dleighg said:

I had the same thought. Is the NHS associated with lots of colors?

Not as such, but people/children showed support and as a thank you to the NHS staff during the spring wave of COVID by putting drawings of rainbows in their windows. I assume as a symbol it is easy to draw for children, they are based on the 7 stripe peace flag (which is only slightly different than the pride flag)

Good point by @ElectricBoogaloo about the LGBTQ+ community - I googled that and there has been some pushback/concern over the similarity of the symbols, but not really a big outcry. They will definitely need to sort this out at some point.

Edited October 9, 2020 by Aulty

[cynicat]

6 hours ago, dleighg said:

Nah, my local bagel shop (suburbs of NYC) has them. I think they are kind of hideous.

I'm also outside of NYC and have never seen these before, although I have seen green bagels for St. Patty's day.  Because bagels are so Irish.  They look disgusting.  But, as stated above, there was an added element to the challenge by not knowing how long to bake them based on color. 

I loved Sura's comment that she has watched them make bagels at the shop near her home, but never tried to make them...because she has a great shop near her home.

Why did Matt say Paul was gay?  

[festivus]

Oh man. I laughed my ass off at those giant bagels. 

I'm gonna miss Rowan, but he had to go. His bread tree looked awesome though which I didn't really expect when he was making it. My fave was Marc's, so pretty and looks like something I want to eat. Like now.

[AZChristian]

23 minutes ago, cynicat said:

Why did Matt say Paul was gay?  

I think he was just joking with him, given Paul's reputation with the ladies.

[Ceindreadh]

2 hours ago, cynicat said:

I'm also outside of NYC and have never seen these before, although I have seen green bagels for St. Patty's day.  Because bagels are so Irish.  They look disgusting.  But, as stated above, there was an added element to the challenge by not knowing how long to bake them based on color. 

 

Bagels are as Irish as St. Patty's day.  That is to say, not at all because it's Patrick's or Paddy's, not Patty's.  

[Clanstarling]

On 10/7/2020 at 1:01 AM, Danny Franks said:

Also - people who don't toast bagels before eating them... what the hell? They're too heavy and stodgy to eat as-is.

I only toast bagels that aren't completely fresh.  I far prefer to eat them fresh - fortunately, I haven't encountered too many  heavy, stodgy bagels.

But I'm not interested in eating a rainbow bagel - the amount of food coloring is a bit of a turn off.

In honor of bread week, my daughter made a lovely cinnamon bread for us to eat while watching the show (we're theme snacking this season). It was delicious - and only her second attempt with that type of bread.

[Rammchick]

I'm a native New Yorker now living in the Pacific Northwest.  I would kill for a NY bagel!  They try really hard out here, but it's just not the same.  I buy them from the supermarket and freeze them, so they have to be eaten toasted.  Not horrendous, but basically a roll with a hole!  And don't even get me started on pizza!

I guess we'll never see the likes of Paul's bread lion and other amazing creations from past seasons.  These folks are clearly lovely people, so that's ok.  I'm enjoying it anyway.

 

[MisterGlass]

I really enjoyed this one; I feel like the different personalities are starting to gel into an interesting whole.  Most of them did pretty well, too, which makes it feel more upbeat.  It was sweet to see Marc's daughters come running out.  I'm glad their families were included in this, because being separated in this mess would have been very hard.

The soda breads mostly looked good, though as soon as Rowan said it I knew polenta wasn't going to be a good addition.  If he'd partially cooked it, maybe it would have taken the edge off the texture.  Lottie's back and forth with Paul over blueberries was a good laugh.  It was nice that Mak gave Linda his honey to make honey butter. 

Those bagels just looked like Playdoh.  Even in some of the showstoppers the color was a bit garish.  I prefer the ones that have the natural colorants, even if they are duller. 

I am enjoying Matt's newbie comments, like asking how much flavor does bread really need.  It makes the show feel a bit more grounded to have an outside perspective.

[Johnny Dollar]

I’ve seen rainbow colored bagels at plenty of shops in NJ. Other than that part of the challenge, I though making a basic plain bagel wasn’t much of a challenge. And Paul’s bagels looked much to puffy and roll-like for my taste.

I don’t know about Matt yet. His interactions with Noel are childish, and when he accompanies P&P to judge the contestants, he never seems to add much. 

[Cerulean Blue]

I'm in Atlanta, and there are rainbow bagels at shops here. My 4-year-old loves them, but they're pretty horrifying looking and basically just plain bagels with lots of food coloring. That said, I mostly liked this technical since it was essentially just making bagels (the rainbow thing added a tiny bit of difficulty, but not much). Bread week is always my least favorite (well, bread week and pie week, because the British pies full of meat are super-unappetizing to me)--maybe because everyone is so weirdly deferential to Paul? Also, for me, bread-making isn't as fun to watch because it all kind of looks the same when it's done. It's...bread.

This season has been the best of the Channel 4 seasons, I feel. The previous channel 4 seasons really relied on the whole "attractive young person" thing, so I love that this season's cast is more diverse. Plus, all of them look like they're having lots of fun. In the past few seasons, there were always a couple of bakers that seemed like they were super-stressed and sort of miserable (Rahul from season 9, Michael from season 10), but there doesn't seem to be anyone like that this year. Dave seems a little tense, but not in an uncomfortable-to-watch kind of way. 

Speaking of: I swear Dave looks like an actor, but I can't for the life of me figure out who it is. It's seriously driving me mad trying to figure it out...

Edited October 10, 2020 by Cerulean Blue

[Nordly Beaumont]

I had to watch the part where Marc's concoction exploded all over his face and workplace about three times before I could move on! I loved when Noel came over and just laughed. He couldn't even come up with a line, could only laugh!

On 10/7/2020 at 3:01 AM, Danny Franks said:

I initially thought Lottie would be annoying, but she's got a dry sense of humour that's appealing. The run of Paul winding her up over the blueberries was fun.

I had to watch that a second time too, it really had me laughing. "I'll put in less... mooore? NONE!"

Noel looked smokin' in that outfit, and I generally don't like leather of any kind!

I love Hermine's voice/accent.

[sharifa70]

16 minutes ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

I had to watch the part where Marc's concoction exploded all over his face and workplace about three times before I could move on! I loved when Noel came over and just laughed. He couldn't even come up with a line, could only laugh!

I replayed it several times too. I laughed myself into a wheezing fit.

Lottie and the blueberries cracked me up. I like her.

Another favorite interaction was Noel and Peter’s exchange - Noel: “He knows the apprentice always kills the master.”  Peter (deadpan): “That would be an interesting end to Bake Off this year.” And, cue second laugh-wheezing fit of the episode.

Good for Mark, who I keep calling Hamish thanks to Matt. He deserved it.

[Irlandesa]

On 10/7/2020 at 3:01 AM, Danny Franks said:

Loved Matt's question - "how much flavour do breads really need?" and Paul's reaction. He's got a point, though.
 

That was a good moment but I'm on Paul's side.  Bread should have favor.  There's nothing worse than having something labeled as a "cherry almond brioche" and not being able to taste the cherries, the almonds or even the butter of the brioche. 

On 10/9/2020 at 7:38 AM, dleighg said:

Nah, my local bagel shop (suburbs of NYC) has them. I think they are kind of hideous.

I've seen them in my city around Pride week but not usually any other time of the year. 

That said, I did like the simplicity of the challenge because it really came down to exercising precise technique.  The end results had more variety than I was expecting.

Quote

I liked the comment by the blond woman about making butter: "Who does that?" I thought they were just going to have to make a flavored butter. Not actually MAKE butter LOL.

Early in the pandemic, I got a big container of heavy whipping cream even though I had only ordered a small one.  I knew I wasn't going to use all of it in heavy cream form so I decided to just go ahead and make butter using my food processor and a nut milk bag.  I added some rosemary to it and I loved the end result. So who does that?  This gal did.  And if I ever have leftover heavy whipping cream, I'll do it again.

Edited October 10, 2020 by Irlandesa

[SuprSuprElevated]

1 hour ago, Johnny Dollar said:

I’ve seen rainbow colored bagels at plenty of shops in NJ. Other than that part of the challenge, I though making a basic plain bagel wasn’t much of a challenge. And Paul’s bagels looked much to puffy and roll-like for my taste.

I don’t know about Matt yet. His interactions with Noel are childish, and when he accompanies P&P to judge the contestants, he never seems to add much. 

He seem out of his element, and hasn't found his groove.  I'm sure he's a nice person, but I get an uncomfortable vibe from him at this point.  Perhaps he will gel soon.  Maybe three episodes in is too soon to judge.  I was equally apprehensive about Noel, but I now enjoy him.

[Cerulean]

During this show, it occurred to me that the people who are eliminated probably have to stay in seclusion to be available for the finale. I then thought it would be sad to miss the families, but it looks like at least Mark’s is there with them. 

[kittykat]

Sorry but I’m going WTF on the Technical.  I mean bagels are fine but all that food coloring was so off putting.  Shows how trendy I am.

I will miss Rowan but not at all surprised he bit it.  Knew he was done when style over substance was used.  I would have been upset if it was Dave or Peter even if they didn’t have good weeks.  Still looks like curse of the Star Baker is here.

Hoped my fave Hermine would pull out the win but knew she was out of it when Paul didn’t like the not a brioche but she has a handshake to celebrate.  Good on Mark E though, nobody had a perfect week but he was definitely the most consistent.

my favorite showstopper so far.  Agree upthread that this and the signature definitely felt more old school.

I ate Battenberg during biscuit week so this week I ate Florentines during bread week.  Didn’t do too bad making them. After a few tests I managed about 12 good ones.  I think I’ll make Hermine’s salmon soda bread next week.  That looked amazing.

[GaT]

On 10/7/2020 at 1:01 AM, Danny Franks said:

Also - people who don't toast bagels before eating them... what the hell? 

There's no reason to toast a fresh NY bagel, they are perfect the way they are.

On 10/7/2020 at 6:38 AM, TVbitch said:

I've never in my life seen a rainbow bagel before either. 

That's because they're disgusting & should be banned. I kept looking at those "bagels" & wondering how lox would look on them. 

6 hours ago, Rammchick said:

I'm a native New Yorker now living in the Pacific Northwest.  I would kill for a NY bagel!  They try really hard out here, but it's just not the same.  I buy them from the supermarket and freeze them, so they have to be eaten toasted.  Not horrendous, but basically a roll with a hole!  And don't even get me started on pizza!

You sound like my soul mate LOL, I'm a native New Yorker now living in California, & we actually bought this a few weeks ago from Goldbelly because it's been so long since we've had a NY bagel.

I'm still not connecting with Matt, I just don't find him funny or interesting, though I did find this excerpt from his memoir which I found very interesting.

Edited October 10, 2020 by GaT

[cynicat]

3 hours ago, GaT said:

You sound like my soul mate LOL, I'm a native New Yorker now living in California, & we actually bought this a few weeks ago from Goldbelly because it's been so long since we've had a NY bagel.

Taking to small talk for @GaT and @Rammchick

 

Edited October 10, 2020 by cynicat

[irisheyes]

5 hours ago, GaT said:

 

I'm still not connecting with Matt, I just don't find him funny or interesting, though I did find this excerpt from his memoir which I found very interesting.

I’m not crazy about Matt, though I do like the way he interacts one on one with the bakers. I just think he and Noel haven’t found their sweet spot yet. 

[libgirl2]

I think the challenge with the rainbow bagels was not knowing if they were cooked enough as you couldn't see any browning. 

[blueray]

18 hours ago, cynicat said:

I'm also outside of NYC and have never seen these before, although I have seen green bagels for St. Patty's day.  Because bagels are so Irish.  They look disgusting.  But, as stated above, there was an added element to the challenge by not knowing how long to bake them based on color. 

Actually they are Jewish.  My family has a recipe that has been passed down for generations. I unfortunately haven't tried to make it though. I've seen rainbow bagels but it's usually around Gay Pride week. I agree that the brightness is a turn off, however I'm sure it tastes good. 

Anyhow, I think that Rowen was the right one to go home. While he finally did finish is bake, it apparently didn't taste great. And he has been at the bottom for a while. 

[Clanstarling]

7 hours ago, GaT said:

I'm still not connecting with Matt, I just don't find him funny or interesting, though I did find this excerpt from his memoir which I found very interesting.

I like Matt, I'm not sure he's all that funny, but I enjoy him nonetheless. Noel's over the top (love him), so he seems a good counterweight to me. Thank you for the link, it was indeed interesting.

10 hours ago, Cerulean said:

During this show, it occurred to me that the people who are eliminated probably have to stay in seclusion to be available for the finale. I then thought it would be sad to miss the families, but it looks like at least Mark’s is there with them. 

That never occurred to me, but it does make sense.

11 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Early in the pandemic, I got a big container of heavy whipping cream even though I had only ordered small one.  I knew I wasn't going to use all of it in heavy cream form so I decided to just go ahead and make butter using my food processor and a nut milk bag.  I added some rosemary to it and I loved the end result. So who does that?  This gal did.  And if I ever have leftover heavy whipping cream, I'll do it again.

Thank you for the butter idea for heavy whipping cream leftovers. I never know what to do with it (it's usually an ingredient I'm using rather than whipped up for a dessert)

[Sharpie66]

You can freeze heavy cream in ice cube trays.

[SuprSuprElevated]

8 hours ago, GaT said:

I'm still not connecting with Matt, I just don't find him funny or interesting, though I did find this excerpt from his memoir which I found very interesting.

Tortured souls often become comics or serial killers.  I'm glad he chose the former.

[dgpolo]

1 hour ago, blueray said:

20 hours ago, cynicat said:

I'm also outside of NYC and have never seen these before, although I have seen green bagels for St. Patty's day.  Because bagels are so Irish.  They look disgusting.  But, as stated above, there was an added element to the challenge by not knowing how long to bake them based on color. 

Actually they are Jewish. 

Cynicat was being sarcastic, everyone knows they are Jewish. They were being sarcastic about green bagels on St. Patrick's Day.

[blueray]

16 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

Cynicat was being sarcastic, everyone knows they are Jewish. They were being sarcastic about green bagels on St. Patrick's Day.

Oh I took it seriously lol

[iMonrey]

Quote

Speaking of: I swear Dave looks like an actor, but I can't for the life of me figure out who it is. It's seriously driving me mad trying to figure it out...

There is something vaguely unpleasant about Dave and I can't quite put my finger on it. He has the look of a serial killer. Maybe I'm just not over his reaction to his technical challenge getting knocked to the floor. But he gets this look on his face like "I am smiling on the outside but I will murder you later."

[meep.meep]

10 hours ago, kittykat said:

Sorry but I’m going WTF on the Technical.  I mean bagels are fine but all that food coloring was so off putting.  Shows how trendy I am.

 

Why didn't they have them flavor some of the layers?  Beets for the red, onion for the yellow, pesto for the green, etc.?  That would have been a great challenge.

Rowan was circling the drain last episode - no way he was getting past this one unless all his bakes were great.  And none of them were. So, bye!

Somehow I missed Mark's daughters - have to rewatch!

[AnnaBaptist]

On 10/7/2020 at 7:00 PM, Rickster said:

I live in the NY suburbs and rainbow bagels are something you occasionally see in bagel stores and supermarkets, but not really common.

I also live in the NYC suburbs, and I generally see them during Pride week, and rarely otherwise.

Loved Noel's shirt. Wish I knew where to get one like that.

I am so happy this show is back! Such a treat during this time of covid.

Edited October 10, 2020 by AnnaBaptist
Had a brain fart and hit send too soon

[Spunkygal]

Dave sort of, kind of looks like he could be a cousin of actor Mark Ruffalo...at least to me. I like how excited he is to become a daddy. And I want Laura to invite me over for wood fired pizza! I have adored Noel for years since The IT Crowd, but I’m not digging Matt so far. The opening with Paul and his teeny tiny hand was funny.

Edited October 10, 2020 by Spunkygal

[Pepper Mostly]

On 10/7/2020 at 4:01 AM, Danny Franks said:

 

Also - people who don't toast bagels before eating them... what the hell? They're too heavy and stodgy to eat as-is

??? I often eat them untoasted, especially if I get them hot from the bagel bakery. 

On 10/8/2020 at 10:46 PM, bybrandy said:

I love bread but I'm not sure I've ever actually made soda bread.   The two posted recipes are the only ones that I was interested in trying so they might be coming up next weekend (as opposed to this weekend as it is my family's monthly zoom dinner party).   

 

I've made bagels before and to me they aren't really worth the effort if you have a decent bagel near you.   But even if I was inclined to make bagels again I wouldn't make the rainbow bagel.  I find neon food unappetizing.   

I've made bagels before, and I agree that they're a lot of work. But they are fun to make. And I was laughing and laughing when Paul and Prue were tut tutting over the appearance of the finished bagels, then admitted that they all tasted good. That's one thing I've learned from baking bagels--they might not look as pretty as the ones in the bagel shop, but they taste great. The bagel shop near my house has a line ALL THE TIME, so its worth knowing how. In fact I got fired up during the show and thought I'd make some this weekend!

I've made soda bread before too, and its fine, but in my experience it all has to be eaten at once, it doesn't keep. So unless I have a houseful of people I don't bother. 

Laura was cracking me up when she was fangirling over Matt. I'd have done the same thing. I like her a lot, she's so good humored and ready to laugh. 

Edited October 10, 2020 by Pepper Mostly

[SeeSee]

18 hours ago, Johnny Dollar said:

I don’t know about Matt yet. His interactions with Noel are childish, and when he accompanies P&P to judge the contestants, he never seems to add much. 

I'm not a fan of Matt.  I don't know who he is (because I'm not from the UK, I assume), but I don't find him funny or appealing.  I like Noel, who seems sweet and smart, but this guy is just not a good addition, IMO.  

 

[Gwendolyn]

17 hours ago, sharifa70 said:

Another favorite interaction was Noel and Peter’s exchange - Noel: “He knows the apprentice always kills the master.”  Peter (deadpan): “That would be an interesting end to Bake Off this year.” And, cue second laugh-wheezing fit of the episode.

 

And right after Peter implied Paul was ancient since Bake Off has been on telly more than half his life. Then again it also made me feel ancient.

We're starting to really get to know the bakers now and they do have a good sense of humor, especially Lottie.

I even like Rowan this week, despite his being so over the top, but you could tell he didn't care if he won or lost. He'll go on baking, gardening, antiquing in Worchestershire (I can't tell if I spelled it right or not, I did my year abroad in Norwich, Norfolk which is much easier to spell) and be has happy as can be. Though his final bake looked the best, he didn't get the bake right on top of being dead last in the technical and the gritty soda bread in the signature. If he'd come back it would have screamed production interference.

I didn't notice did Prue and Paul try the flavored butters or did they just have them make them? I couldn't even get near Hermine's handshake deserving loaf as I'm allergic to salmon, but glad it paid off for her.

Like most people I tried baking bread at the beginning of the pandemic on these shores and the second proof was always my undoing. I'm better at cakes, cookies, and pies.

 

[dleighg]

2 minutes ago, Gwendolyn said:

I didn't notice did Prue and Paul try the flavored butters or did they just have them make them? I couldn't even get near Hermine's handshake deserving loaf as I'm allergic to salmon, but glad it paid off for her.

 

I think they mentioned exactly one butter (might have been Hermine's). Yeah that was really just to give them something to do.