S12.E03: Bread Week

[Athena]

Quote

It's bread week, and the bakers have a lot to prove as they put their twist on a classic Italian focaccia, make a Greek-inspired snack and create ambitious designs in milk bread.

Original UK Airing: October 5, 2021.

[Aulty]

The introduction for the first challenge, the Lord of the Loaf bit with the song, I actually found quite nice and on topic. To me it felt like something Mel and Sue would've done.
Cut to the comdey bit before the technical bake, which was AWFUL and pointless and showed how hit and miss their overly scripted stuff is. Also the overwrought time calls wouldn't be necessary if the interaction with the bakers were better or they could come up with better food related puns.

Anyway, I guess I will make a foccacia this week because the signature challenge had me drooling all over the couch. Chrystelle's baked grapes and feta (?) cheese bread sounded delicious. TBH all the breads looked good. I was afraid Lizzie would overdo it with the truffle, using truffle oil, truffle salt and truffle pieces, but glad she had a good week.

Rochica, girl, of all things why would you choose to make a bird cage out of milk bread?? Maggie was lucky.

Edited October 5, 2021 by Aulty

[Corgi-ears]

Oh look, the instructions for the technical are brief and cryptic. It's Series 12, WE GET IT. 

Somewhere a TV exec is scribbling "breadstick jenga" in their notebook.

Edited October 6, 2021 by Corgi-ears

[zibnchy]

Noel and Matt were especially cringey this week. It's as if they knew people were going to complain and got worse on purpose. Which, honestly, I wouldn't put past either of them.

A worried Jürgen is NOT a happy Jürgen. Give us happy Jürgen!

That was the least suspenseful star baker announcement ever. Guiseppe rocked the entire episode.

Was sorry to see Rochica go. She seemed so quiet and nice. Truth is I like them all and will be sorry to see them all go.

Edited October 7, 2021 by zibnchy
what I had written made no sense

[bybrandy]

I love bread week.  It is my favorite week and I will totally make a focaccia this week and maybe even that ciabatta break stick.  I thought Noel's where is wally bit was genuinely funny and was only terribly annoyed by either of them when he was tossing the dough around.  But I'm here for the baking and mostly tune out the rest.   

I feel like somebody did grapes in their focaccia before but it might have been in Australia... or maybe I saw it on another show entirely.  Anyway I made grape and rosemary focaccia once maybe with pine nuts?   And it was delicious.    

I was so happy Lizzie had a good week. She cracks me up.  And I'm glad that while Jurgen's week wasn't great it wasn't awful so many contestants I really, really like have been felled by bread.   

 

 

[Lois Sandborne]

Good for Giuseppe.

I'm not really a bread baker, so I wasn't familiar with milk bread. It looks pretty simple, though it turned out some dire showstoppers. Rochica's birdcage and Jurgen's baby are things I'd rather forget.

Not a bread person, but I have a delicious recipe for raisin focaccia, so I wasn't surprised that all the versions with grapes turned out so great.

[Danny Franks]

Not the most interesting bread week, I have to say. The technical was very boring, and there didn't seem to be too much adventurous in the other  rounds either. It's hardly surprising that Giuseppe, an Italian who says he loves making bread and pizzas, would be star baker in the week they have two Italian bread challenges. Fully deserved, though, that guy obviously knows his loaves.

He and Jurgen both seem to be the most solid all-rounders, although Freya is chugging along very nicely, just below them.

It seems like Crystelle does really well on the signature and showstopper challenges but then lets herself down on the technical. She'll need to improve there if she's to really challenge. I think the fact they got her to play a part in one of their skits suggests that at least some of the bakers enjoy Noel and Matt's antics. I still think they're good at relieving tension and getting the bakers to laugh, even if some of their bits are too long. 

I did love Maggie's line when Paul asked if her showstopper was really four hours work - "it was for me." A very nice riposte.

Rochica was on the verge of going last week and I think she was precarious in week one as well, so it's not too surprising she got the chop.

[Kiddvideo]

So Maggie’s show stopper was too basic but the guy’s bread basket was simple but effective. Did Maggie kick Paul’s dog or something? He really didn’t need to be an asshole and ask her if it should’ve taken her that long. Saying she needs to be more creative is helpful. Telling her she wasted time isn’t.

[AZChristian]

I'm one of those people who loves spoilers.  So I found a website that said it was providing the contestants in the order of elimination.  I ASSUMED they meant that they were showing them for the whole season, and had it in mind that a particular contestant had won.

Duh.  It turns out they were updating the website every week AFTER the show was shown in Britain, so only the actual eliminated contestants were being show in the correct order.  When I looked at the website yesterday, it showed Rochica as having been eliminated, whereas before this week, she was shown last in the line of contestants, so I assumed she had won the whole thing.  In fact, the remaining contestants were being shown in ALPHABETICAL order, so it LOOKED like Rochica had won.

Okay, now it makes more sense.  LOL.

[Yajmele]

Okay, I actually thought Matt & Noel‘s vocal was decent at the beginning of the episode with the Lord of the Dance bread spoof.  However, they’re a one-step-forward, one-step-back duo.  Whatever good will they had with the singing earlier evaporated with the prolonged tzatziki bit before the technical.

Have they made focaccia in previous seasons as something they’ve been specifically tasked to make?

Prue:  “Milk in focaccia?  Is that what your grandmother used to do?”

Giuseppe:  “No, not at all.  My grandmother used to buy her bread, rather than making it.”

Yep, still a big fan of Giuseppe.  One of the few things he and I would never see eye-to-eye on is the love of olives.  I’ve really tried, and I just can’t do it.  Wow, it’s great of him to get a handshake, but it’s really the height of approval when Paul asks for the recipe.  It feels like this week was tailored to him…but at the same time, they’ve had Indian bakers in past seasons struggle with challenges involving traditional Indian bakes like naan, roti, and samosas, so being Italian doesn’t mean he’s ingrained with the ability.  I’m glad to see him get Star Baker this week.

Okay, again, I’m from the U.S., so I’m not versed on nuance with accents of the U.K.  I have no idea what people here on the forums are talking about with Freya’s accent or affect.  She sounds normal to me.  I like the idea of a fajita focaccia, given how much I enjoy Mexican food.  I’d eat the hell out of that.

Paul seems more keen on bagging on his colleagues this season.  In the first episode, he made a comment to Prue about taking out her dentures, which earned him a smack on the arm from Prue.  Then he made the vampire joke about Noel about how much garlic was on Rochica’s focaccia.

Jurgen is human, after all.  I admit, I had to look up what kippers are, as I’ve heard of them, but have never had them.  Was that actually him that chucked the dough at Crystelle, or was it Noel?  I absolutely adore Jurgen, but I’d have been murderous if I was on the receiving end of projectile dough balls hitting my hard work.

Ages ago, I randomly had a video suggested on YouTube that showed how Tangzhong milk bread was made.  Ever since then, I’ve wanted to try it.  I’m actually surprised no one seemed to go for that, but I’m admittedly not up on all of the techniques of making milk bread.  I think Kim-Joy used that technique in her season.

I was horrified at first with hearing Lizzie talk about putting condensed milk in her coffee…but condensed milk is just sugar and milk.  How many people add those two items to their coffee separately?

Poor Rochica.  I was hoping she’d go further, but this was a really bad week all around for her.  When the judges are making jokes about every one of your bakes, and not in a good way, it’s a sure sign that you’re on your way out.

Anyone know what next week’s theme is?

Edited October 8, 2021 by Yajmele

[BradyB66]

On 10/7/2021 at 1:40 PM, Danny Franks said:

It seems like Crystelle does really well on the signature and showstopper challenges but then lets herself down on the technical. She'll need to improve there if she's to really challenge.

Reminds me of the champion from my favorite season.  Nadiya tanked on technicals in the beginning and then all of a sudden turned it around and became a juggernaut.

I thought Giuseppe's response to the handshake was so sweet, actually tearing up.  Loving him.  

I really don't dislike any of the contestants, but man, there are a lot of inherently whiny sounding accents among the females.  Freya and Lizzie definitely, but even Rochica a bit.

Edited October 8, 2021 by BradyB66

[caitmcg]

2 hours ago, Yajmele said:

I was horrified at first with hearing Lizzie talk about putting condensed milk in her coffee…but condensed milk is just sugar and milk.  How many people add those two items to their coffee separately?

Vietnamese coffee is made with sweetened condensed milk. While I normally take only milk in hot coffee and drink iced coffee black, I am a fan of Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk, and order it whenever I’m at a Vietnamese restaurant. 

Edited October 8, 2021 by caitmcg

[Yajmele]

45 minutes ago, caitmcg said:

2 hours ago, Yajmele said:

I was horrified at first with hearing Lizzie talk about putting condensed milk in her coffee…but condensed milk is just sugar and milk.  How many people add those two items to their coffee separately?

Vietnamese coffee is made with sweetened condensed milk. While I normally take only milk in hot coffee and drink iced coffee black, I am a fan of Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk, and order it whenever im at a Vietnamese restaurant. 

I never knew that was a thing.  Some things seem gross and wrong when I first hear about it, but when I break it down, it makes sense. Someone on my Instagram expressed disgust at a cake recipe that requires mayonnaise.  At first, that does sound gross, but I pointed out to this person that mayo is eggs, oil, and some kind of acid (usually vinegar), and how many recipes have those ingredients in them separately, and we think nothing of it?

[mjc570]

I was very disappointed, because bread week is usually one of my favorites.  First, there was way too much Noel and Matt, to the point that I just started fast forwarding past them.  I don't know if they're really helpful to the contestants, but certainly they are not funny or entertaining, especially throwing dough at someone trying to concentrate on her bake.  Second, there is a whole world of bread out there - why deliberately select the two most well-known ITALIAN types of bread, unless it was to showcase Giuseppe (who really deserved Star Baker) in the same episode.  

Speaking of types of focaccia - I was really surprised, since they all had notice of what the assignment was, that only poor Rochica attempted a design.  I see beautiful flower focaccia all over., it is not all that hard to do. 

Maggie dodged another bullet.  I like her, but I don't think her baking (especially finishing skills) are really up to the level shown by others.  

I hope I don't get to the point where I just FF to the finished bakes, but I'm close.  That's how much I am irritated by the two "hosts."  

Edited October 8, 2021 by mjc570
too many words

[illdoc]

3 hours ago, Yajmele said:

Have they made focaccia in previous seasons as something they’ve been specifically tasked to make?

I believe it was a technical one year.

[SnapHappy]

Christ on a cracker, I need Lizzie and Freya to GO.NOW.   I have to mute my TV when both are on, so sadly I miss some things.  But my ears practically bleed listening to them, Rochica too.  I'm so thankful for the captions and that Rochica is gone.  Plus, they all come off with a don't-really-give-a-shit attitude.  And Lizzie & Freya say they hate bread.  WTF?  Did they think this competition was all cookies & muffins?  I  hate that Lizzie is doing well.   I'm just glad Maggie was spared.  

Noel is so sweet to everybody, whispering "well done!" even after folks get some negative reviews from the judges.  Matt is just a huge nothing to me. 

I think this whole thing is Giuseppe's to lose.

[Spunkygal]

This is the first episode ever that Netflix automatically put captions on. Anyone else? I thought I had accidentally hit a button on my remote. It was distracting.

Edited October 9, 2021 by Spunkygal

[Mabinogia]

39 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

This is the first episode ever that Netflix automatically put captions on. Anyone else? I thought I had accidentally hit a button on my remote. It was distracting.

Did it to me too, but then I went and watched that baking impossible or whatever it is, that has Andrew as a judge, and not only did it have captions, it was dubbed in Russian for some reason. I think Netflix is having a midlife crisis or something. 

[Cetacean]

3 hours ago, mjc570 said:

I hope I don't get to the point where I just FF to the finished bakes, but I'm close.  That's how much I am irritated by the two "hosts."  

RIght behind you.  They get exponentially worse every week to the point where it's almost unwatchable.  Noel throwing the bread dough was the last straw.  I hate them both the the heat of a thousand suns.

I hate to give up a great show because of these clowns.

Rochica has been on thin ice all along so not surprised to see her go.

[ShortyMac]

3 hours ago, illdoc said:

I believe it was a technical one year.

Ciabatta has also been featured before as a technical challenge.

[Cetacean]

What was with the Twit Twins pronouncing it chee a bat a?  Followed by that idiotic bit about Paul rubbing Prue's feet.  Gad, they are ruining this for me.

[MissT]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

This is the first episode ever that Netflix automatically put captions on. Anyone else? I thought I had accidentally hit a button on my remote. It was distracting.

I agree.  I also thought I hit a button by mistake.   I understand why they do it, but it was distracting to me.     

[Spunkygal]

21 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

What was with the Twit Twins pronouncing it chee a bat a?  Followed by that idiotic bit about Paul rubbing Prue's feet.  Gad, they are ruining this for me.

Matt brings out the worst in Noel. They are beyond stupid this season and I hate them. I almost turned it off when Noel threw the wad of dough at lovely Crystelle. This isn’t FN. 

[caitmcg]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

2 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

This is the first episode ever that Netflix automatically put captions on. Anyone else? I thought I had accidentally hit a button on my remote. It was distracting.

Did it to me too, but then I went and watched that baking impossible or whatever it is, that has Andrew as a judge, and not only did it have captions, it was dubbed in Russian for some reason. I think Netflix is having a midlife crisis or something. 

When I went to turn off the mysteriously appearing captions, I saw that the language was marked as Russian, although thankfully there was no actual dubbing on Bake Off.

[Aradea831]

I actually turned to my husband and made a comment about the chee a bat a. I couldn't figure out if it was a British thing or what until the rest of them started to say it correctly. Then I couldn't figure out if there was a joke there I wasn't getting. 

 

[MisterGlass]

I heard chia-batta to start with.  And Netflix also turned on random captions for me.

I was happy for Giuseppe and he did lovely job with everything.  I was most surprised by Lizzie's performance.  I thought it was rather clever that she used twine to make pumpkin shapes.  And Freya's idea of pull-apart rolls as a turtle shell was fun.

I'm not shocked that it was Rochica that went home, but the oddest criticism was that what she produced wasn't a "loaf" of bread.  That's not what they asked for.

[bybrandy]

I mean I agree we've had both these breads before and they aren't terribly exciting on the other hand when they make really wacky technicals that nobody has ever heard of or would ever bake in their lifetime people are upset by that to.  It is a no win situation on keeping it exciting without being too wacky.

 

[caitmcg]

2 hours ago, MisterGlass said:

I'm not shocked that it was Rochica that went home, but the oddest criticism was that what she produced wasn't a "loaf" of bread.  That's not what they asked for.

I think the criticism concerned the fact that she didn’t have anything larger than a roll, essentially, just a few different small shapes and the breadsticks that made up her “cage” (which were all wrong for milk bread). Giuseppe didn’t have a large central shape, but everything he made was more substantial. 

[iwantcookies]

Lizzie:

we put condoms on cucumbers not grate them

I died laughing

 

 

[Quilt Fairy]

Oh, Jurgen, why didn't you just say it was a teddy bear? 

[Rammchick]

6 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

Did it to me too, but then I went and watched that baking impossible or whatever it is, that has Andrew as a judge, and not only did it have captions, it was dubbed in Russian for some reason. I think Netflix is having a midlife crisis or something. 

My Baking Impossible was in Spanish.  Something weird going on over at Netflix.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

13 hours ago, Yajmele said:

Okay, again, I’m from the U.S., so I’m not versed on nuance with accents of the U.K.  I have no idea what people here on the forums are talking about with Freya’s accent or affect.  She sounds normal to me.

The thing that bugs me about Freya is her vocal fry, which isn't a accent. But I like her otherwise, and was glad that she did well this week. I'm also glad about Lizzie's good bakes, though she's the reason I use closed captions this season. 

As someone else mentioned, I love that Giuseppe's grandmother buys/bought her bread. 

[blueray]

Basically Guiseppe had a well deserved run away. He won every challenge and got a handshake. Also can I have his signature dish right now?

I agree the comedy bits are getting a bit old. Lizzie's story seemed like the writers were trying match the magic of Rosie's story from a few season ago. But failed at it. What worked with Rosie's was her unemotional response about how "rabbit's just die "and probably wasn't scripted. Though I did laugh at the part when Noel refused to eat garlic and the part where they were talking about Gurgin's (sp) baby in the oven.

I was surprised Maggie didn't go home but I guess the other woman (forgot her name) messed up more. Why build a bird cage for that challenge. As the point was to have an obvious loaf of bread?

[Ellaria]

12 hours ago, Cetacean said:

RIght behind you.  They get exponentially worse every week to the point where it's almost unwatchable.  Noel throwing the bread dough was the last straw.  I hate them both the the heat of a thousand suns.

Matt and Noel are like the class clowns in junior high school. Throwing dough was unacceptable. If the viewers are bothered by their endless chatter and intrusive behavior, I can only wonder how some of the bakers feel. And I don't need closeups on either of them.

Happy for Giuseppe. Despite being one of the more talented bakers in this group, he seems to get less screen time than others. Maybe he is too quiet and unassuming for the producers. Still, I'd rather hear from from him (and a few others like Chigs) than the two clowns that never stop talking.

[Ohiopirate02]

20 hours ago, Yajmele said:

 

Prue:  “Milk in focaccia?  Is that what your grandmother used to do?”

Giuseppe:  “No, not at all.  My grandmother used to buy her bread, rather than making it.”

I cackled at that exchange, and also later when Paul asked Giuseppe about his mother's cooking and Giuseppe responded that his father was the cook in the family. 

[meep.meep]

More like Italian bread week than bread week.  But good on Giuseppe!

Was it Chiggs who made the woven basket for the show stopper?  That thing was gorgeous!  The bake was perfect and it practically glowed.

[BrainyBlonde]

15 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

This is the first episode ever that Netflix automatically put captions on. Anyone else? I thought I had accidentally hit a button on my remote. It was distracting.

Yes! I was wondering why that was happening and if I could turn them off. I really hope this isn't something they do on the show every week and we don't have a choice on having the captions.

[Rickster]

9 minutes ago, BrainyBlonde said:

Yes! I was wondering why that was happening and if I could turn them off. I really hope this isn't something they do on the show every week and we don't have a choice on having the captions.

Yes, you can turn them off. Since I suspect the Netflix interface is different depending on the device you access it from (computer, iphone/ipad, Roku, smart tv, etc.), I wouldn’t give specific steps, but it should be pretty easy.

I thought I recently saw a message from Netflix that they were going to default to whatever subtitles or dubbing you usually use when watching their programs, unless you change it. Since I use subtitles a lot, I never noticed the difference.

I have occasionally seen some odd language subtitles or dubbing pop up in Netflix and Amazon Prime.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Like last season, I think Matt and Noel get worse as the season goes on.  Since they were insufferable this episode I am afraid of how bad it will get.  The pre-technical "comedy" bit dragged on and wasn't funny at all.  Throwing bread would have infuriated me if I was baking.  They simply make it harder for the bakers who already have very limited time to complete their bakes.  

With them all being quarantined together, Matt and Noel get almost too familiar with the bakers.  Also they are likely more bored so their antics get worse.  And Matt and Noel feed the worst in each other.  When Maggie said her note for herself was less talking and more working I thought if only Noel and Matt would heed that. 

I really missed Mary Berry this episode.  Paul is always extra critical during bread week, but Prue piled on during the technical.  Mary would always find a way to say something nice even if the persons hadn't done well.  They feel bad enough; no need to twist the knife.  I am glad the bakers are so likeable, because the cast isn't always (and I'm usually a Paul apologist).  

I did enjoy Lizzie telling Paul the bread would win in a staring contest.   I was happy to see her do so well this week.  The first two weeks I thought she would not be long for the show.  Now at least it seems like she'll be middle of the pack.  Maggie is on life #8.  I doubt she'l last much longer, but she does seem like quite a nice person.  

[Cetacean]

16 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

Like last season, I think Matt and Noel get worse as the season goes on.  Since they were insufferable this episode I am afraid of how bad it will get. 

And this is only the third episode.  I will have my finger on the fast forward button for sure.  Even the bakers aren't laughing at their juvenile crap anymore.  Well, except Maggie, and I think she's just a nice lady who is trying not to hurt anyone's feelings.

[CatLover74]

On 10/9/2021 at 5:17 AM, Yajmele said:

 

Anyone know what next week’s theme is?

Next week is Dessert Week.

[Deskisamess]

Did Maggie put icing rosettes on her bread? What were those little blue things? I like Maggie, but she is out of her depth I believe.

I turned sub-titles off, then back on later because I can't understand Lizzie, at all. She still strikes me of a made-up character, but her bakes have been ok. I wonder what she would do if there was no Noel to chatter with.

Bread baby needs to never be seen again. That was horrible and disturbing. I love Jürgen, but oy, that was like a fever dream.

Where are the supportive hosts? I'd love to know what behind the scenes producer is telling Noel & Matt to act like 13 year old class clowns. The dough toss was so out of line and inappropriate.

My goodness is Crystelle a beauty. Those eyes...she's as pretty as 2018 Ruby. (Not annoying Ruby from 2013)

[Mabinogia]

1 hour ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

I really missed Mary Berry this episode.  Paul is always extra critical during bread week, but Prue piled on during the technical.  Mary would always find a way to say something nice even if the persons hadn't done well. 

I think Mary Berry often judged based on how Paul judged, or how she assumed he was going to if she went first. If she knew the baker royally messed up she would find something nice to say, even if it was just how "rustic" something looked, she softened the blow. Prue, whom I quite like, tends to judge in a bubble. She says it how she sees it, which is fine, it's how judging should go, but I one of the things I loved about the show was how it was so much more gentle than other judging shows. Mary was a big part of that. 

1 hour ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

With them all being quarantined together, Matt and Noel get almost too familiar with the bakers.  Also they are likely more bored so their antics get worse.  And Matt and Noel feed the worst in each other.

It really is the perfect storm of bad. Matt and/or Noel might be better with someone else, but they really do bring out the most juvenile in one another. If they weren't quarantined maybe they wouldn't be so desperate for laughs and attention. I just feel like my worst fears about the show changing when it left the BBC are slowly coming true. It is becoming more like any other competition show. 

That said, this is a great group of bakers, personality wise. I think Giuseppe and Jurgen are clear leaders, but the rest are, if not the greatest bakers, or the greatest orators (oh, some of the vocal affectations!) but they are all delightful personalities. Only thing keeping me coming back. On the plus side, FFing through the Unchuckle Brothers has made for much faster viewing. :)

[magdalene]

On 10/8/2021 at 11:47 AM, Yajmele said:

Jurgen is human, after all.  I admit, I had to look up what kippers are, as I’ve heard of them, but have never had them.  Was that actually him that chucked the dough at Crystelle, or was it Noel?  I absolutely adore Jurgen, but I’d have been murderous if I was on the receiving end of projectile dough balls hitting my hard work.

That was Noel making it look like it was Jurgen.  I like Noel but that was not one of his better moments.

I see Lizzie is the female baker this season who a section of the audience has taken against and tries to wish off the show.  First there was Ruby, then Stacey, then there was the one whose lips did not meet with approval, etc.... Why is it always women  that are singled out that way?  I try to keep in mind that the show is edited a certain way to elicit certain reactions and that these contestants read about themselves on the Internet and it must be hard to get so much hatefulness aimed at them.

[buttersister]

2 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

FFing through the Unchuckle Brothers has made for much faster viewing. :)

Yes, it did! Highly recommend it. Mel and Sue were hosts, amusing, charming, supportive of the bakers. These clowns suck at all three this season. So no need to waste time on them. The bread toss was the nail for Noel, far as I'm concerned. 

I miss Mary all of the time. I knew the show as I loved it was over, but luckily, the bakers still make tuning in worth it.

Edited October 9, 2021 by buttersister

[theatremouse]

On 10/8/2021 at 8:05 AM, Kiddvideo said:

So Maggie’s show stopper was too basic but the guy’s bread basket was simple but effective. Did Maggie kick Paul’s dog or something? 

He also said Maggie's tasted like nothing, whereas the other guy took a flavor that's hard to get right and they could taste it. So basically, hers was boring tasting and visually. Other dude's was not.

[Omeletsmom]

On 10/8/2021 at 7:17 PM, Spunkygal said:

This is the first episode ever that Netflix automatically put captions on. Anyone else? I thought I had accidentally hit a button on my remote. It was distracting.

I thought that was just me!  I did have to turn them back on a couple of times because I could not understand what Lizzie was saying. 

[MisterGlass]

20 hours ago, caitmcg said:

I think the criticism concerned the fact that she didn’t have anything larger than a roll, essentially, just a few different small shapes and the breadsticks that made up her “cage” (which were all wrong for milk bread). Giuseppe didn’t have a large central shape, but everything he made was more substantial.

The volume of bread she presented was certainly low compared to the other contestants, and the bird cage was not a good idea for milk bread.  However, I thought it met the shape requirements as voiced by Noel and Matt - a 3D display using milk bread shaped and decorated with a specific theme.  It's possible that the contestants received some other guidelines that pointed to a sliceable loaf, or they understood the implication better than I did.

[caitmcg]

1 hour ago, MisterGlass said:

The volume of bread she presented was certainly low compared to the other contestants, and the bird cage was not a good idea for milk bread.  However, I thought it met the shape requirements as voiced by Noel and Matt - a 3D display using milk bread shaped and decorated with a specific theme.  It's possible that the contestants received some other guidelines that pointed to a sliceable loaf, or they understood the implication better than I did.

I’m quite sure they receive more substantial instructions for the signature and showstopper challenges than the few words we hear at the beginning, since it will have been laid out in advance so they can come up with what they’ll do and practice. I think in most competition cooking shows, there’s more spelled out than what we see on camera, even if the editing doesn’t reflect it. That said, we have no way of knowing whether Rochica didn’t quite meet the specifics as laid out by the producers, or just didn’t satisfy whatever best floated Paul's boat.

[cynicat]

15 hours ago, Deskisamess said:

Bread baby needs to never be seen again. That was horrible and disturbing. I love Jürgen, but oy, that was like a fever dream.

Making a bread baby was bad enough.  Having it come from a German with a very strong accent took it to a whole different level of creepiness for me.