S11.E06: Japanese Week

[Athena]

Quote

For the signature challenge the bakers tackle a Japanese version of Asian staple steamed buns, while the technical round involves a tricky recipe involving multiple layers. The showstopper round is themed around kawaii - the Japanese love of all things cute.

 

[Aulty]

As an average home baker and gbbo viewer, I thought this was an ok episode.

• A signature that I actually want to try
• A technical that asked for familiar techniques in an unfamiliar recipe
• A Pinterest showstopper if ever I saw on

Disappointed about the last challenge though. The only Japanese bit in the showstopper was the cutesy decoration and the odd East Asian flavour - shame there were no more Japanese baking techniques. The Jiggly Cotton cake technique would have been a great showstopper, alas it does not usually lend itself to overdecorating.

So so gutted for Mark. He was the good mood centre of the tent. Judging from what we saw it must have been really tight between him and Laura.

Well done Lottie - visually her showstopper was underwhelming, but they seemed really into the jiggle cake and her burger buns and chips looked tasty.

 

 

 

[Danny Franks]

Japanese week seems like a bit of a reach for a theme. I'm not sure Japan has ever been particularly lauded for its baking, but they did do Danish week last year, and that was just as flimsy. As someone who really dislikes Japanese and Chinese flavours, this one was not for me.

I enjoyed the "burger off" exchange between Mark and Lottie, and the confession that they'd prepped that bit. And Lottie's "sincere" declaration that she'd be happy for Mark if he got a handshake. Oh, and her saying "I'm making chips... which you obviously won't eat." That felt like a jab at the extraneous bits they sometimes ask the bakers to work on.

Paul hates gherkins but advocates mayonnaise on a burger? Disgusting.

I've never tried Matcha and honestly doubt I ever will. Even people who like it seem to describe it in ways that make it sound unpleasant. The crepe cake looked impressive, but again it didn't look like something I'd want to eat.

Mark saying "what can possibly go wrong?" with crepes was a bit of a jinx.

Why did no one make an Akira cake for the showstopper? Missed opportunity there.

It seems like Lottie went out on a limb with her cake, and it really paid off. But I think all of them looked a bit underwhelming - ranging from kind of rough to supermarket cake standard, but nothing that was amazing.

Really pleased for Lottie that she got star baker, she's been just a couple of steps away from it more than once. And I'm sad that Mark went home, he's been a fun presence in the tent.

[Corgi-ears]

"...they might float to the bottom." The word you're looking for, Paul, you gherkin, is "sink."

[rhys]

3 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

 

Paul hates gherkins but advocates mayonnaise on a burger? Disgusting.

 

Mayo is yum on a burger imo. That plus a lot of salt and some grainy mustard. 

I did laugh when someone pointed out that Paul didn't like green food!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This is the first episode where I liked all three of the baking challenges. I looooooove steamed pork buns at dim sum so I was ready to see what kind of fillings the bakers would use in the signature challenge. There are a bunch of restaurants that do those cute animal buns so I was also interested to see how well the bakers' versions would turn out. Some of them did really well (Peter's little sheep looked straight out of Wallace & Grommit). Others did not (Hermine's pandas looked pretty sad).

Mille crêpes desserts have been pretty common for several years (the bakeries around here do special rainbow ones every June for Pride) and matcha versions are popular at Asian dessert shops, but I have never seen one where you use a bigger crêpe as the base, fold it around the others to encase the cake, and then flip it over for the finished product. Normally you just pile up 20-30 crêpes with whipped cream or frosting in between each layer. Ha, I just googled to see if I was crazy and I found only ONE recipe with a larger crêpe to cover the rest (and that one just draped the bigger crêpe on top similar to a sheet of fondant on regular cake). It looks like the show just wanted to make this more complicated than it really is in the hopes that there would be a disaster. They usually don't have fruit or anything but whipped cream/frosting in between the layers either so I'm guessing that was added by the show so the bakers would have to agonize over wafer thin strawberry slices. I noticed that Mark definitely didn't have strawberries in between every layer but the judges didn't seem to notice!

I agreed with the judges about most of the kawaii cakes. As soon as Hermine described her cherry blossom cake, I told Mr. EB that it was cute but not kawaii. I loved Mark's adorable avocado family but as soon as Paul said it was dry and "unedible" I knew he was toast. Laura's upside down pineapple cake was such a cute idea. I loved that Noel gave her a quick but much needed pep talk just as she was having a breakdown and ready to give up. I liked Lottie's jiggle cake mushroom. Those souffle cheesecakes have been pretty popular the last few years. One place near me had to institute a very strict policy (only allowing pre-ordering and assigning specific pick up times) because the line was so out of control! Coincidentally, Selasi from S7 just posted about making one last night!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CG2-l8GpFsR

ETA: I don't know why the forum isn't letting me embed the instagram post so you'll have to click the link to see the video!

 

 

Edited October 28, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Recipes

Signature challenge: buns
Dave's chicken katsu curry buns
Lottie's cheeseburger buns

Technical challenge:
matcha mille crêpes cake

Showstopper challenge: kawaii cakes
Laura's upside down pineapple cake
Marc's Hamish the dog cake
Lottie's toadstool cake

Mark's exit interview

Cute anecdote:

Quote

On the night I left we had karaoke in the Bakers’ Bar at the Hotel, which was pretty ironic considering I left in Japanese week. I sang ‘Islands in the Stream’ with Laura, it was really good fun but also pretty emotional. 

 

Edited November 18, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[emmawoodhouse]

11 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

This is the first episode where I liked all three of the baking challenges. I looooooove steamed pork buns at dim sum so I was ready to see what kind of fillings the bakers would use in the signature challenge. There are a bunch of restaurants that do those cute animal buns so I was also interested to see how well the bakers' versions would turn out. Some of them did really well (Peter's little sheep looked straight out of Wallace & Grommit). Others did not (Hermine's pandas looked pretty sad).

Mille crêpes desserts have been pretty common for several years (the bakeries around here do special rainbow ones every June for Pride) and matcha versions are popular at Asian dessert shops, but I have never seen one where you use a bigger crêpe as the base, fold it around the others to encase the cake, and then flip it over for the finished product. Normally you just pile up 20-30 crêpes with whipped cream or frosting in between each layer. Ha, I just googled to see if I was crazy and I found only ONE recipe with a larger crêpe to cover the rest (and that one just draped the bigger crêpe on top similar to a sheet of fondant on regular cake). It looks like the show just wanted to make this more complicated than it really is in the hopes that there would be a disaster. They usually don't have fruit or anything but whipped cream/frosting in between the layers either so I'm guessing that was added by the show so the bakers would have to agonize over wafer thin strawberry slices. I noticed that Mark definitely didn't have strawberries in between every layer but the judges didn't seem to notice!

I agreed with the judges about most of the kawaii cakes. As soon as Hermine described her cherry blossom cake, I told Mr. EB that it was cute but not kawaii. I loved Mark's adorable avocado family but as soon as Paul said it was dry and "unedible" I knew he was toast. Laura's upside down pineapple cake was such a cute idea. I loved that Noel gave her a quick but much needed pep talk just as she was having a breakdown and ready to give up. I liked Lottie's jiggle cake mushroom. Those souffle cheesecakes have been pretty popular the last few years. One place near me had to institute a very strict policy (only allowing pre-ordering and assigning specific pick up times) because the line was so out of control! Coincidentally, Selasi from S7 just posted about making one last night!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CG2-l8GpFsR

ETA: I don't know why the forum isn't letting me embed the instagram post so you'll have to click the link to see the video!

 

 

The embed problem is on Instagram's end. It's been a problem for about a week now. 🤬

[Cactus]

Laura's steamed buns irked me. Those were NOT Japanese.  And Prue and Paul going on about the flavor as if China and Japan are interchangeable. Grrr.

On a less annoyed note - can you imagine what Kim-Joy would have done with the kawaii challenge?!

Edited October 29, 2020 by Cactus
edit to specify the kawaii challenge

[irisheyes]

16 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Coincidentally, Selasi from S7 just posted about making one last night!

Oh, Selasi, just as yum as the cakes he baked. I think I need to binge his season again. 😂

They’re really starting to stretch with the theme weeks. I mean, it’s better than Roaring 20’s but not much. 

[Lois Sandborne]

48 minutes ago, irisheyes said:

They’re really starting to stretch with the theme weeks. I mean, it’s better than Roaring 20’s but not much.

😄 I think I've accepted the idea that there will be one or two filler weeks each series, but I think they tend to work a bit better tied to an ingredient or an era rather than a culture. Botanical week I remember being okay, and even though Dairy week wasn't all I dreamed it could be, it turned out interesting. The Victorian challenges they did a while ago were pretty good, and they could probably get a lot of mileage out of a 40s style austerity theme.  I can't say I got much of a thrill out of Japanese Week, especially when half of them roamed around Asia for their flavorings. Never gonna quibble with getting to see a Shiba Inu cake though.

[bybrandy]

Did anybody not get the dreaded "dry" comment on their steam buns?

[bybrandy]

22 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I noticed that Mark definitely didn't have strawberries in between every layer but the judges didn't seem to notice!

I didn't pay attention to Mark's layering but the recipe posted calls for strawberries on just half the layers.

[Aulty]

16 hours ago, Cactus said:

On a less annoyed note - can you imagine what Kim-Joy would have done with the kawaii challenge?!

I was thinking the same - that challenge was made for her! Kim-Joy does recipes for the Guardian, and her creativity is off the charts adorable.

[ShortyMac]

10 hours ago, bybrandy said:

Did anybody not get the dreaded "dry" comment on their steam buns?

They meant that the filling was dry.

[bybrandy]

3 hours ago, ShortyMac said:

They meant that the filling was dry.

LOL, yeah you're right the way I worded that.  I mean did anybody manage not to get dinged for their filling being too dry?

[TVbitch]

Nooooo, not Mark! His smiles were like little bombs of sunshine that blew up stress. I think Lottie had a bit of a crush on him.   

I can't believe nobody made a Hello Kitty cake!  

[dleighg]

On 10/27/2020 at 5:27 PM, Aulty said:

A signature that I actually want to try

it inspired me to dig out my recipe for char siu  pork buns (chinese not japanese, different dough, but all I needed was the inspiration! Pork is marinating as we speak)

On 10/27/2020 at 7:43 PM, Danny Franks said:

The crepe cake looked impressive, but again it didn't look like something I'd want to eat.

 

I honestly think matcha is used for its color more than taste. I think it tastes like grass clippings. The cake (when done right) was impressive to look at, though.

What the heck was the graphic on Noel's shirt? It looked kind of naughty at first glance, and for the life of me I could not figure out the other objects in the image. Guns? Curling irons?

[AZChristian]

6 minutes ago, dleighg said:

What the heck was the graphic on Noel's shirt? It looked kind of naughty at first glance, and for the life of me I could not figure out the other objects in the image. Guns? Curling irons?

Here you go!

[dleighg]

5 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

Here you go!

Thank you! But LOL I still required the text to tell me they are "thieving magpies" !

Edited October 30, 2020 by dleighg

[Omeletsmom]

19 hours ago, bybrandy said:

LOL, yeah you're right the way I worded that.  I mean did anybody manage not to get dinged for their filling being too dry?

I thought I heard several people get that comment.  I can't tell you who without rewatching, but I remember thinking how ironinc that a steamed bun could be deemed dry.

[anniebird]

Because my only experience with Japanese baking was making milk bread rolls using the tangzhong method I was sure that would be one of the challenges. Sadly, I was wrong.

[dleighg]

did anyone else think it odd that so many bakers didn't know what a "crescent" is? I mean, they've heard of a crescent moon, right? Or a crescent (croissant) roll, since we're talking baking!

[Kohola3]

2 hours ago, Omeletsmom said:

I thought I heard several people get that comment.  I can't tell you who without rewatching, but I remember thinking how ironinc that a steamed bun could be deemed dry.

I thought it was odd as well since at least two of them were using raw meat.  You would think that would release some juice when cooking.

[krankydoodle]

On 10/28/2020 at 5:49 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

As soon as Hermine described her cherry blossom cake, I told Mr. EB that it was cute but not kawaii.

What did Paul call it? Menacing? I quite liked the look of it, but it definitely wasn't kawaii. In fact, something about the figure seen from the back and the almost bare tree reminded me of some of the Japanese horror movies popular in the aughts that featured women whose long hair obscured their faces while they went around killing people.

Peter's sheep buns were adorable. I also enjoyed the moment where he said "Game, set, matcha" to himself after finishing the technical.

[AZChristian]

I was googling around on my phone while waiting for my husband.  Apparently, there has been some controversy about this being called a Japanese challenge.  The steamed buns, for example, are a Chinese cuisine item, not Japanese.  And panda bears?  And curry?

Some thought it was a racist idea, and others just thought that perhaps they should have called it "Pan-Asian."

[dleighg]

14 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

I was googling around on my phone while waiting for my husband.  Apparently, there has been some controversy about this being called a Japanese challenge.  The steamed buns, for example, are a Chinese cuisine item, not Japanese.  And panda bears?  And curry?

apparently steamed buns are actually a Japanese thing as well (thank you google: https://www.google.com/search?q=japanese+steamed+buns), though I immediately think of China. I image-googled kawaii, and pandas show up pretty regularly (I guess 'cause they're so darn cute). (Aside: I saw an avocado as well!)

As for the flavors, for the signature I don't think there was any expectation of Japanese flavors (unlike the showstopper)-- I mean hamburgers aren't Japanese either.

Edited October 30, 2020 by dleighg

[ShortyMac]

27 minutes ago, dleighg said:

apparently steamed buns are actually a Japanese thing as well (thank you google: https://www.google.com/search?q=japanese+steamed+buns), though I immediately think of China. I image-googled kawaii, and pandas show up pretty regularly (I guess 'cause they're so darn cute). (Aside: I saw an avocado as well!)

As for the flavors, for the signature I don't think there was any expectation of Japanese flavors (unlike the showstopper)-- I mean hamburgers aren't Japanese either.

Yes, they could choose whatever fillings they wanted, did not not have to be Japanese.

I was very happy that Lottie redeemed herself from last week. She did so well.

My predictions for who makes it to the final:

Spoiler

Peter, Lottie, and Dave.

 

[J-Man]

11 hours ago, TVbitch said:

I can't believe nobody made a Hello Kitty cake!  

They're probably not allowed to use trademarked characters. 

In the signature, the instructions stated that the fillings could be sweet or savory, and didn't have to be Japanese. So I don't think it was an issue that a lot of the bakers chose fillings from other parts of the world. 

[Adiba]

Not a fan of matcha, so the technical looked unappealing to me in texture and taste. Seemed like a ton of trouble to go to for what are essentially pancakes, but I guess it was a good way to test the contestants on certain skills.

We had friends from Taiwan who served steamed buns at get- togethers and they were delicious ( bean and bbq pork)— but never saw them decorated like animals. Was that in the brief?

Sorry to see Mark go— loved the accent and that gorgeous head of hair, lol.

[Irlandesa]

I love crepes.  I hate crepe cakes so the technical was unappealing to me. 

I did enjoy the show stopper, though.  I would love to try the flavors of Laura's cake.

Maybe I haven't had good steamed buns but they all looked undercooked to me. 

[Kohola3]

5 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Maybe I haven't had good steamed buns but they all looked undercooked to me. 

They are always very pale, nothing to turn them brown I guess.

They did one of those crepe cakes in another season and those looked as unappetizing as these did.  Not my cup of tea at all.

[Kromm]

I've had a lot of steamed buns.  They are indeed supposed to be almost the same color as what you started with. If they change color any further, it actually means they're overcooked. 

[sharifa70]

On 10/28/2020 at 6:50 PM, Cactus said:

can you imagine what Kim-Joy would have done with the kawaii challenge?!

I thought about her through the entire round. She would have done an amazing job!
I’m sorry to see the breakup of the Mark & Lottie show. They need a show. 

7 hours ago, dleighg said:

did anyone else think it odd that so many bakers didn't know what a "crescent" is?

Same! Their collective confusion drove me a little crazy. Is the phrase “crescent moon” not a thing in Britain? Or, you know, “croissant?”

I did love these challenges, though. I came thisclose to ordering a bamboo steamer online while I was watching. Managed to put the debit card away just in time....

Edited October 31, 2020 by sharifa70

[Rickster]

7 hours ago, dleighg said:

did anyone else think it odd that so many bakers didn't know what a "crescent" is? I mean, they've heard of a crescent moon, right? Or a crescent (croissant) roll, since we're talking baking!

I could only think they were confused and thought it meant carve a crescent from a single piece of fruit (like a cantaloupe) when none of the fruit they were were appropriate to do that, rather than arranging the fruit in a crescent form. Other than that, I’ve got nothing.

I’d be curious to see the recipes for some of the sponges that were used, especially the one Paul raved about.

[dbell1]

Oh Mark, when you’re told your cake isn’t good, don’t ask them to try another layer. That’s when “inedible” happened and you got yeeted. 

A lot of the steamed buns were adorable, Peter’s sheep were my favorites, but that could have been their wee little pen making me happy. 

Congratulations to Lottie. 

[awaken]

On 10/27/2020 at 5:27 PM, Aulty said:

As an average home baker and gbbo viewer, I thought this was an ok episode.

• A signature that I actually want to try
• A technical that asked for familiar techniques in an unfamiliar recipe
• A Pinterest showstopper if ever I saw on

Disappointed about the last challenge though. The only Japanese bit in the showstopper was the cutesy decoration and the odd East Asian flavour - shame there were no more Japanese baking techniques. The Jiggly Cotton cake technique would have been a great showstopper, alas it does not usually lend itself to overdecorating.

So so gutted for Mark. He was the good mood centre of the tent. Judging from what we saw it must have been really tight between him and Laura.

Well done Lottie - visually her showstopper was underwhelming, but they seemed really into the jiggle cake and her burger buns and chips looked tasty.

 

 

 

What is odd about East Asian flavors?

[MisterGlass]

I agree this wasn't quite what I was expecting from a Japanese challenge.  Japan has unique styles of white bread, filled rolls, filled mochi, cheesecake, custards, and cookies.  This was a pretty shallow exploration themed around Instagram-able items.  I think there was an India themed challenge a few seasons ago that was also lacking in this way.  I understand that they want to do something achievable for home bakers, but then maybe this is the wrong theme.

The steamed buns and the kawaii cakes were certainly cute.  I loved that Peter put a little black sheep in his flock. I did start to think that the colors were a little too artificial looking.  I did think Laura would be leaving until I saw her finished upside down pineapple and it was so charming.  I'm sorry to see Mark go because as with all of them he seems like a nice guy.  Good luck to him.

6 hours ago, AZChristian said:

And curry?

There is Japanese curry that is completely different from other forms like Indian or Thai.  It's very sweet tasting and not spicy. 

Gherkins are great.

[theatremouse]

26 minutes ago, awaken said:

What is odd about East Asian flavors?

I don't think that statement meant "odd" as in "weird" but rather "the odd" as in "one here or there".

[emmawoodhouse]

48 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

I don't think that statement meant "odd" as in "weird" but rather "the odd" as in "one here or there".

That's how I read it.

[kittykat]

I was really looking forward to this week and it did not disappoint.  Enjoyed all three challenges.  Interesting how no one aced the steamed buns but no one totally screwed it up.  I did like the battle of the burger buns and even more funny to watch Paul squeam over gherkins.

Interesting crepe cake technical, it actually looked pretty good bit I'm a little astounded that people didn't know what a crescent was.

Kawaii!  Congratulations to Lottie for a well earned Star Baker but gutted for Mark.  It was no surprise after the inedible cake but he had such a warm presence. 

Overall I enjoyed the theme of this week.  Next week on the other hand is ummm...gonna be interesting.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

17 hours ago, TVbitch said:

  I can't believe nobody made a Hello Kitty cake!  

 

5 hours ago, J-Man said:

They're probably not allowed to use trademarked characters.

Now I wish someone had gone the way of the companies that sell unlicensed versions of trademarked characters for Halloween costumes. "This isn't Hello Kitty. This is Friendly Greetings Cat."

[dleighg]

2 hours ago, kittykat said:

Next week on the other hand is ummm...gonna be interesting.

what is it? Either I missed it or Netflix didn't have the "next week we're doing...." thing

[phalange]

I'm not a fan of matcha though I am a fan of crepes, especially with strawberries, so the crepe cake looked 50% tasty to me. Like everyone else, I am seriously baffled that so many of the contestants were confused by what a crescent looks like.

A lot of the showstopper cakes were extremely adorable, especially Laura's upside down pineapple and Lottie's mushroom and both the cakes that looked like dogs. Mark's avocado cake was also very cute, so it's a shame the flavor and texture didn't work out. 

Yay for Lottie getting star baker! Well deserved. But I feel bad for Mark and I'll miss their friendly rivalry.

[Kiddvideo]

Liked the episode but thought the skills they needed were lacking, well, baking skills. I'd rather appearance to be a small portion of the score along the lines of 50% taste, 30% time management, 20% decorating. The technical skill for the crepes seemed to be conserving the amount of mix to make the required # of crepes. Plus, all I could think of was that cooking video where someone made a bologna cake with cream cheese and spray cheese. /shudder. The sheep were the highlight. I'd buy one.

Also liked Mark, but he seemed to be falling behind the last couple weeks along with Laura, Marc, and Hermine. I'm liking Peter, Dave, and Lottie for the finals.

We're in my favorite part of each series now: I can remember who they all are, and we can spend more time on each of their bakes.

ETA: I'm really tired of the 'Paul is a mean, scary hunk' bits. 

Edited October 31, 2020 by Kiddvideo
adding a thought

[BradyB66]

3 hours ago, dleighg said:

what is it? Either I missed it or Netflix didn't have the "next week we're doing...." thing

I read on Wikipedia that it’s 80’s week.  Break out the neon fondant.

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, BradyB66 said:

I read on Wikipedia that it’s 80’s week.  Break out the neon fondant.

well that's ..... odd. 

[BradyB66]

I suspect there will be a quiche round with at least one joke about how real men actually do eat quiche.

[sharifa70]

1 hour ago, BradyB66 said:

I suspect there will be a quiche round with at least one joke about how real men actually do eat quiche.

A few years ago some friends and I got together for what we ended up calling “The Potluck from Hell.” It had to evoke midwestern (US) potlucks of the 70’s/80’s. I don’t know why we said “midwestern,” as all of us were either from the Pacific Northwest or had come from other countries and didn’t even know what that meant. 

Everything had to come from a box. Door prizes included a Twinkie cookbook and a Heinz ketchup cookbook (they exist).

The food was predominantly...orange. 

I want one of the bakers to bust out a can of Vienna sausages! Or use Lik-M-Aid in place of regular sugar! Melted Jolly Ranchers syrup? ...I’m sounding like an episode of Chopped.

[blueray]

12 hours ago, J-Man said:

They're probably not allowed to use trademarked characters. 

 

On 10/30/2020 at 9:33 AM, TVbitch said:

I can't believe nobody made a Hello Kitty cake!  

My guess is that they can't do characters that they don't have rights too. Or that it's harder to do a character that everyone knows what it looks like because if it doesn't come out like that they'll know. But the first seems more likely as Lottie made a mushroom but she couldn't say it was from Netendo even though it was. 

 

Anyhow, I'm glad that Lottie won as I feel like her show stopper was the best (and she did well on the other rounds). I really wasn't sure if it was going to be Hermone or Marc at the end. They both are fun and smile a lot. I feel like it was really close between them. Laura saved herself with the showstopper.