S05.E03: Bread

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The top ten make bread!

[Athena]

 

In week three, the remaining ten bakers get ready to brave bread.

The boys are confident that this is their week, but the girls have other ideas. Knowing that Paul will be watching their every move and prove, the bakers must bake 12 perfect rye bread rolls, shaped in any way they like and using as much rye flour as they dare.

Paul is enigmatic in the technical challenge, telling the bakers to 'be patient' with his recipe for ciabatta loaves. But which bakers will listen to his words of wisdom and which ones will lose their nerve?

The bakers have their work cut out for them in the showstopper challenge, making a filled centrepiece loaf that will make an impact on a table as well as on the judges. Mary and Paul are looking for real talent and natural instinct, creativity and baking brilliance - but which one of the bakers has what it takes?

 

You beat me to it! I love bread week. Paul is right that every winner has been a good bread baker. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Still no squirrels spotted, but we got ducks this week!

 

Ha, I loved that Mel and Sue were all bundled up in the opening. I know what it's like to get a cold snap in the winter - I had on a wool hoodie and a hat the other night after work and the whole time I was thinking, "But it's AUGUST! It's still summer!"

 

This week's theme was patience. I loved all the shots of the bakers just standing around while their dough was proofing.

 

I wasn't familiar with what royal rye rolls were so i was glad that the hosts mentioned several examples. I remember first raeding about treacle when I read The Thorn Birds back in middle school.

 

Nancy's pear cider and walnut rolls looked nice with that crust on the top. Chetna's onion and pinenut rolls with lentil chutney sounded good but they did look flat as the judges said. Iain's cranberry and walnut sourdough rolls with orange zest sounded good too so good job, Wildling! Martha's date, honey, and walnut rye rolls definitely looked nice and dark. I liked that Paul almost told her why he thought the egg wash was daring and then caught himself.

 

Norman's caraway and sultana rye rolls sounds like he was taking the judges' previous complaint about how simple his flavors were and trying to take it up a notch while still using traditional flavors. Too bad they had the same criticism again. Loved his laser thermometer - I've always wanted one and I know I would do the same thing as the host, zapping everything and everyone.

 

Diana's cheese and walnut flower pot rolls were so cute! I agree with Paul about Richard's cranberry and caraway pumpernickel - seeing where the glaze stopped was not attractive. I was surprised that Jordan's lemon, honey, and poppyseed spelt rolls got such good reviews after Mary made that comment about his dough being dry.

 

Loved watching Kate make her orange and caradamom knots. On a shallow note, Kate's really light pink lipstick freaked me out because it looked like she had no lips. Luis' opposites attract rolls sounded interesting. I've never had anything made out of fennel and parsnip dough or carrot, coffee, and chocolate dough but I would try them! The color contrast between the light and dark dough looked really nice.

 

I love ciabatta so I was excited about this week's technical challenge.

 

Norman's chicken and pesto picnic loaf with sundried tomatoes and roasted vegetables. Ha, I loved that Norman said that for him pesto was very exotic. It reminded me of when Mr. EB said they had some people from corporate headquarters visit the California office. They ordered lunch catering and the Detroit people asked if they could just get "some regular sandwiches." I agreed with Mary that this loaf looked likd a big pie. I think he used too many vegetables which is what caused the soggy bottom.

 

Loved Richard's OCD about making his pesto, feta, and walnut pinwheel. I totally approve of the water glass in the middle to make a perfect circle and then cutting every piece perfectly. It paid off because it looked very professional.

 

Martha's epoisses, apricot, and fig sunflower looked like a flower, but a few of the petals were trying to escape the baking sheet so those looked a little bit like octapus tentacles. I liked that she found an interesting way to use three different fillings.

 

Chetna's cauliflower and potato loaf with mango chutney looked like a space ship pie. Her flavor always save her though.

 

Iain's Moroccan plait with bessara dip was nicely risen and I liked his idea to bake the bread around the tangine.

 

Jordan's strawberry and raspberry cheesecake brioche sounded delicious but it looks so messy when he was twisting each petal. I was so disappointed that it didn't turn out well.

 

Nancy's full English stromboli sounded soooo good. Bread with bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, quail eggs, and sausage? HELL YES. I agree with the judges that it wasn't much to look at but I would still eat the crap out of it.

 

Diana's UK/Italian pinsheel with parmesan, spinach, and ham sounded good and it looked nice. Heh plus everyone gets one giant hunk of bread! As long as you don't have more than five guests, you'll be okay, I guess.

 

Kate's prosciutto, olive, and coriander looked interesting but messy. She did a great job rolling it nice and tight so there was no gap. Such a shame that the dough was still raw.

 

Luis' roscón de reyes with manchego cheese, serrano, and saffron looked great, one of the few that qualified as a showstopper. I'm glad Mary liked the flavors since Paul wasn't too keen on them. He did so well in the first two rounds that I wasn't worried about him being eliminated. He definitely deserved star baker this week.

 

I found it interesting that one of the hosts pointed out that the bottom two were opposites: Norman had such simple flavors while Jordan took risks. But at the same time, I feel like their flavors represent their personalities. Jordan isn't trying to be a risk taker. He's just a weirdo who likes the weird things he does. I don't think he's making these things because he thinks they're risky. He makes them because he likes them. On a similar note, Norman isn't being safe because he's afraid to take a chance. He is making things with simple classic flavors because that's what he likes. He is the kind of guy who would say you don't need anything to cook a steak but a little bit of salt and pepper.

 

I thought the judges would keep Jordan since he is perceived as being creative and taking risks, but I think Norman is actually the more skilled baker so I'm glad he got to stay. I think it's just a matter of time before he is eliminated though, because the judges want fancy and exciting things from the contestants.

[Athena]

I found it interesting that one of the hosts pointed out that the bottom two were opposites: Norman had such simple flavors while Jordan took risks. But at the same time, I feel like their flavors represent their personalities. Jordan isn't trying to be a risk taker. He's just a weirdo who likes the weird things he does. I don't think he's making these things because he thinks they're risky. He makes them because he likes them. On a similar note, Norman isn't being safe because he's afraid to take a chance. He is making things with simple classic flavors because that's what he likes. He is the kind of guy who would say you don't need anything to cook a steak but a little bit of salt and pepper.

 

I thought the judges would keep Jordan since he is perceived as being creative and taking risks, but I think Norman is actually the more skilled baker so I'm glad he got to stay. I think it's just a matter of time before he is eliminated though, because the judges want fancy and exciting things from the contestants.

 

I agree that it does reflect their personalities. I am glad Norman didn't get eliminated. He is a good baker and a great character. I love his banter with the camera and the hosts. Having said that, this is a competition and you can't separate yourself from the others by making everything look "homemade" as Norman likes it. Another reason why I never enter baking competitions.

 

I felt really bad that Kate's bread was raw in the middle. She sort of came out of nowhere this episode, but Luis went all out on his bread. It looked delicious, but it did seem to have a bit too much saffron as both he and Paul noted.

 

Bread week is always fun and kind of intense too. All that patience! This episode reminded me I need to download some of the recipes from the BBC website. 

[zbornak]

I love Mel and Sue more and more with each week. They somehow manage to make constant fun of themselves, the show and the contestants without ever passing into mockery or meanness, and that sets the tone just right for the programme. Also, Mel should shout out in Italian every week.

 

Luis deserved star baker this week but, for me, he is starting to veer towards that not entirely endearing Holly/John/Frances role of faux-modest perfectionist who is constantly surprised by his own success. I didn't like the way his rolls couldn't roll either, but that's just me being picky. Richard the Builder was as strong and steady as ever this week, and I'd say he's a definite pick for the top three at this point.

 

I was so very disappointed to see Kate trip at the last hurdle, in what was probably the tensest moment of series 5 so far. She had an excellent week and seems to have carved out a spot near the top of the group for herself. My dearest Nancy showed the first flaw in her steely Northern armour this week with her poor showstopper, but I think I had near impure dreams about her Full English Stromboli last night. Be still my beating heart. Martha and Diana were as charming as ever but they were undoubtedly in the middle of the pack this week.

 

I must say that I was a little taken aback by Mary's "surprise, surprise" remark about Chetna deciding to use "a lot of spices" in her showstopper, but that's probably just me being an overly-sensitive Guardian reader. Chetna doesn't seem to be getting as much airtime as the other contestants, which makes me question how long she has left in the tent. Iain the Wilding made a bit of a surprise comeback this week, I not so sure whether he can maintain the momentum next week though. 

 

Jordan has gone, and it was about time. Flamboyant? Somewhat. Polished? Definitely not. I'm glad Norman lives to fight another day. He really does need to step up his game and break free of this safe-borderline-boring narrative the judges have saddled him with, or it's curtains for him. Pesto is not exotic, Norm.

Edited August 21, 2014 by zbornak

[OnceSane]

I was glad to see Jordan eliminated because I think Norman has more skill.  Now if only he can be a bit more creative!  Bread week always makes me extra hungry.  Well, all the episodes make me want to eat, but bread week is especially hunger-inducing for me.

[Rickster]

Catching up on this, I was surprised to see what Paul Hollywood displayed as his "perfect" ciabatta. It looked like a typical Italian loaf from my local supermarket. The "better" ones I see in the US are much flatter and have huge air holes inside. One of us has a mistaken idea about this bread.

I always wonder on this show how well they control the temperature in the tent. Between variables in temperature and the humidity from all that rain pouring down, the contestants have to find it difficult to adjust. Very different from working in a kitchen.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

They don't control the temperature in the tent which means when it's unseasonably warm, the bakers are all sweating and all kinds of stuff happens like the dough being too soft. The same thing happened on the Australian version of the show and I felt so bad for everyone trying to cope as best they could when it was over 100 degrees.

[Primetimer]

The Bakers tackle rolls and loaves on The Great British Baking Show.

Read the story

[LittleIggy]

I'm glad Jordan and his bad teeth are gone.
BTW, what is this Brit thing about baked beans at breakfast? Ugh! Give me grits!

Edited January 19, 2015 by Athena

[heebiejeebie]

It amazes me as I watch this season how much better at copying Jeff Foxworthy was in the tepid US version as host considering it was his first time.  I am so glad when this one just uses one of the women with a voiceover that is matter of fact  Damn they are so unfunny even as you hear the muscles clench and the bones creak as they try so damn hard.  One is bad enough.  Both trying to out do each other for yucks is just so painful and annoying.

 

And I really do not like Foxworthy and he had some cringe worthy moments.  But since it has been awhile I have to re-iterate how much I wish it was just Mary all the time.  I don''t find Paul sexy or even that authoritative no matter his credentials.  I know he sure does find himself sexy though.

 

I'm so glad Jordan got the heave.  Only a couple episodes in and he was already a joke since whatever he said you could pretty much guarantee it would be the opposite outcome.  He seemed nice but either delusional or optimistic to the point of it being terminal.  I did wonder if the editors were having a bit of fun though including Norman's declaration to the next episode and his placement.  Hopefully since he will be making it to the next week, he will place first.    Nothing about the breads looked that appealing.  And I love bread. A few of the rolls looked good but I think at least one of those did not taste great or was raw inside so...

[shandy]

Maybe I'm unfair but I somehow don't think Jordan has a spotlessly clean kitchen at home. I hate slovenly cooks. I do love Norman and his take me or leave me Scottishness. I think for breads in a tent, with strange ovens, dough trying to rise outdoors in the rainy English summer, they did great. The only filled bread I would have eaten was Iain's North African creation. I did like the look of Luis' epiphany bread, but not a huge fan of saffron. Richard's pesto bread looked ok, but that kind of thing is done to death these days. I'd need to pick the mushrooms out of Nancy's breakfast bread but I like the quail's egg and sausage idea.

[GaT]

They had some good looking breads tonight, but I do think some of the stuffed bread combinations were just too much. In a bread challenge I think the bread should be the star, the stuffings should be additions, not the other way around.

 

Jordon seemed like a very nice guy, but I am happy not to have to see his teeth anymore.

[Monty9]

"The problem with Bread Week is all the waiting. It's bread, that's the deal, but it's not great TV. "

Speak for yourself Sarah, I was having major Proofing Box envy all episode long. I would shove people in my effort to get at Martha's or Iain's show breads.

Jordan's exit has been telegraphed for the past few episodes but he has very endearing. If Norman gets the axe though, I will cut a bitch.

[Athena]

"The problem with Bread Week is all the waiting. It's bread, that's the deal, but it's not great TV. "

Speak for yourself Sarah, I was having major Proofing Box envy all episode long. I would shove people in my effort to get at Martha's or Iain's show breads.

Jordan's exit has been telegraphed for the past few episodes but he has very endearing. If Norman gets the axe though, I will cut a bitch.

 

As a bread baker, this week is usually one of my favourites because I find the waiting really tense due to the competition climate. Normal bread baking is fun too, but watching the bakers wait it out is good TV for me. I like that the contestants have a passion for what they do and it shows that they care.

[BusyOctober]

I haven't taken the time to google my dream kitchen appliances, but do I want one of those ovens with the retracting door!  Genius and I don't know why I haven't ever seen one before on the dozens of cooking shows I watch. How simple would it be to pull a roast or pizza or manage several racks at a time without being a gymnast to avoid the damned door?   I'll take a proofing drawer as well please.  (And while I'm living in my fantasy world, I'll order the spectacular fridge Yolanda Foster has on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills").  So much kitchen envy, so little cash in the bank...

 

Still loving Norman, but if he doesn't fancy it up a bit Mr. Hollywood is going to show him out of the tent.  I don't agree with needing flash and dazzle, but the judges seem intent on disliking simple things. 

 

I'm confused by the doughs allowed to proof in the drawer vs. room temp as directed.  Paul said they'd not maintain the rise and be flatter/less air pockets. We saw that come true with most of the drawer users.  However, Martha used the drawer too and her ciabatta was one of the best.  Did she take it out sooner/later than others & that made the difference?  I've only recently started making bread (simple ones) and I'd like to understand why MArtha's was an exception to the physics Paul explained!

 

The stromboli sounded fantastic, but again I am confused.  Paul warned Nancy that if her roll wasn't tight enough there'd bee huge gaps between bread and fillings.  Nancy rolled it tightly, and the inner dough didn't cook.  Was it because she had too many fillings over all?  Was it just too tight?  Or because the some fillings were too "wet"?  Inquiring minds want to know!

 

It's very shallow, but I am also glad I don't have to look at Jordan's teeth or scraggly hair any longer.  He was a very pleasant person and has talent, but I felt like I was looking at an exaggerated cartoon of the old trope "Brits have bad teeth despite national health care".  And his choice for his filled bread had epic fail written all over it.

[stillshimpy]

Jordan seemed like such a nice person and I wish him every happiness in the world, but he wasn't exactly telegenic.  Super nice guy, but maybe look into some whitening strips at the very least, dude.  You're a nice man, with a ready smile and there are painless ways to improve that smile, so go for it.  

 

His bread really looked like a gushy mess though.  I find watching the bread baking process fairly harrowing.  I've got a cold-fermentation baguette recipe that can actually be used to make ciabatta bread also and watching everyone turning out their dough was making me want to reach for a Tums to quiet the squirrels doing backflips in my stomach.   I know it probably doesn't make sense to anyone who doesn't bake bread, but it's almost physically painful to watch the dough collapsing like that.  

 

Poor Jordan was operating under an ominous feeling of gloom for me after he cut the dough with an oiled blade.  The hell?  

 

Someone way upthread mentioned that there is an Australia Bake Off?  I so want to see that.  

 

I also sort of wanted to bonk the brunette woman over the head with a baking sheet when she was talking to girl with the Sunflower showstopper and the baker lost track of what petals had which fillings.  "Oh no, was it because I was distracting you?'  Well that can't have helped, Chatty.  I know she was just performing her host function there, but Jeez lady, step back when something is going wrong and pick up the conversation after the problem is sorted out. 

 

I have bread proof option on my oven.  Love it! 

[meep.meep]

Hooray for Luis!  I like a man unafraid to use gold leaf to decorate the olives on his bread show stopper.

 

Even if I'd been told to let my ciabbata rise at room temperature, I might be tempted to put it in the proofing drawer when the temperature dropped and torrential rain started in.  Again, why are they in a tent?

 

Jordan's goopy berry twisty loaf looked horrid at every stage.  I can't imagine why it would ever work, unless he used miniature berries.  Bye Bye.

 

I counted two duckies and a horse.

[shandy]

Isn't the tent is a sort of homage to the village fete / county show / cricket match refreshment tent? It's all very Downton with the Union Jack bunting, the wild fluctuations in humidity not great for baking though

[Quilt Fairy]

I don't know the background of the tent except it's supposed to be traditional in this show.  It's the reason they used a tent in the American version which was shot in Georgia (the state, not the country), although they never mentioned that and I know it drove us crazy on TWoP (RIP). But it is really different and pleasant. It makes me feel happy just watching.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[LittleIggy]

I haven't taken the time to google my dream kitchen appliances, but do I want one of those ovens with the retracting door!  Genius and I don't know why I haven't ever seen one before on the dozens of cooking shows I watch. How simple would it be to pull a roast or pizza or manage several racks at a time without being a gymnast to avoid the damned

Ditto! When I saw that retracting door I was like " that is so awesome!" I've never seen that before either.

[DeLurker]

I like all the bakers and don't get the impression any are playing it up for more screen time. Here, I thought Jordan was just your run of the mill left of center guy who could bake pretty well. If He was on a U.S. show, it probably would have been blown up and exaggerated for drama.

And I haven't heard a sob story yet - no wonder I am enjoying this!

[Rickster]

I don't know the background of the tent except it's supposed to be traditional in this show. It's the reason they used a tent in the American version which was shot in Georgia (the state, not the country), although they never mentioned that and I know it drove us crazy on TWoP (RIP). But it is really different and pleasant. It makes me feel happy just watching.

I'm going to guess that the reason for the tent is that in Season 1, the show moved locations to several different sites around the UK, and a tent was probably the easiest way to do this rather than trying to find an appropriate indoor site at each location. Sort of like a traveling circus. I suppose it then became a signature of the show, although it has to be tough on the competitors.

It may play into the village fete angle too.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Rickster

[Guest]

Jordan seemed like such a nice person and I wish him every happiness in the world, but he wasn't exactly telegenic. Super nice guy, but maybe look into some whitening strips at the very least, dude. You're a nice man, with a ready smile and there are painless ways to improve that smile, so go for it.

I don't disagree with any of this but can I just say I was thrilled to see someone on a competitive TV show who wasn't camera-ready perfect with bright white perfect teeth, impeccable hair and attractive. And this show had OLD people?! And people who dared to have wrinkles?! And no one ampong up the drama to get more airtime? A fairer representation of the world at large than what I am normally accustomed to on shows like this? How did this make it to air?

This was the first episode I saw of this show (never saw the American one) and simply adored it. I enjoyed seeing people doing what they were good at without them making nasty, producer-inspired comments about one another in set-up post-taping interviews. I just wished PBS had smell-o-vision enabled for this show. The smells wafting out of those ovens must have been heavenly (save for the stank cheese).

[DeLurker]

Totally on board with your comments Giant Mistfit.  Martha is the closest to what would be cast in the US, but I think she would be eviscerated on a US show..

 

It's really important to have appropriate snackage on hand while watching.  For this ep, I opted for little apple turnover bites and was quite pleased.  Bread might have been a bit of a disappointment after seeing what they were making.  Smell-o-vision would just be cruel.

[shandy]

I can't decide whether La Hollywood really is insufferable or whether it's self parody. I like that the hosts roast him all the time. I thought his comments to pencil ear on pumpernickel were just wrong, as the American version isn't some mad fusion thing but has been made for a very long time. Mary Berry is amazing tho. Nearly 80 and you can just see how much the bakers respect her. I've been watching her 70s shows on youtube. 

[Qoass]

 

I was thrilled to see someone on a competitive TV show who wasn't camera-ready perfect with bright white perfect teeth, impeccable hair and attractive. And this show had OLD people?! And people who dared to have wrinkles?! And no one ampong up the drama to get more airtime? A fairer representation of the world at large than what I am normally accustomed to on shows like this? How did this make it to air?

 

I think public television is more open to showing people who look like the general... public.

[Meredith Quill]

I'm going to guess that the reason for the tent is that in Season 1, the show moved locations to several different sites around the UK, and a tent was probably the easiest way to do this rather than trying to find an appropriate indoor site at each location. Sort of like a traveling circus. I suppose it then became a signature of the show, although it has to be tough on the competitors.

It may play into the village fete angle too.

 

This, precisely! 

 

I think TPTB went with the sensible notion of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'.

[Zahdii]

Episode 3 is available online: 

 

 

Episode 3:  Bread

http://video.pbs.org/video/2365400574/

[eurekagirl mOo]

LOVE this show. Especially because the people on it are real, wrinkles, bad teeth and all. Beans for breakfast? WelI do know there beans are nowhere near as sweet as ours but still yuck. The only Stromboli I'm familiar with is the chees, pepperoni, and sausage one from the pizza place. Never would have occurred to me to bake "stuffed" savory brad but I don't cook so there's that. I haven't been counting the squirrels, duckies, and horsies but I smile every time I see somebody drinking tea in a china (!) cup .So civilized. Carry on show.... 

[halopub]

Interesting that so many of you seem to have gotten the show on schedule. My local affiliate, which had started the season on time, preempted the episode and will only show it in its regular rerun spot.

 

I'm trying to remember back to August, but if I recall correctly, a big problem with Jordan's liquidity bake was that he changed his ingredients at the last minute out of fear of offending Mary. I think he was afraid of using blueberry and lemon together again after week one. I find it inexplicable that Mary would find those two flavors to be weird together. I can see how she might not care for them but unworkable? Hardly.

 

It's very shallow, but I am also glad I don't have to look at Jordan's teeth or scraggly hair any longer.  He was a very pleasant person and has talent, but I felt like I was looking at an exaggerated cartoon of the old trope "Brits have bad teeth despite national health care".  And his choice for his filled bread had epic fail written all over it.

 

Jordan seemed like such a nice person and I wish him every happiness in the world, but he wasn't exactly telegenic.  Super nice guy, but maybe look into some whitening strips at the very least, dude.  You're a nice man, with a ready smile and there are painless ways to improve that smile, so go for it. 

 

Apparently he got plenty of flack for his looks from British viewers too. For me, it was that vibrating, social awkardness that put me on edge when he was on screen but I applaud that he put himself out there in the first place. The rabid British viewers of the show are a vocal bunch.

 

I can't find a clip online but Jordan looked much more at ease on Extra Slice and was better put together. (In a lot of ways, that was the best part of that schmaltzy, overly scripted aftershow. The makeup people really made the contestants look fantastic.)

 

Mary Berry is amazing tho. Nearly 80 and you can just see how much the bakers respect her. I've been watching her 70s shows on youtube. 

 

I'm becoming more skeptical of Mary and her knowledge of well established flavor combinations. There was the blueberry/lemon issue in week one, and later on in the season, an issue with

sesame in sweets

.

Edited January 14, 2015 by halopub

[Bella]

 

I'm becoming more skeptical of Mary and her knowledge of well established flavor combinations.

 

After having watched umpteen cooking competition shows, I think a willingness to embrace a wide range of foods and tolerate all else should be the primary criterion for being a judge. Individual preferences shouldn't play into it.

 

This was also one of the reasons why Paul Hollywood wasn't a good judge on the American version. He didn't understand peanut butter as an ingredient, he didn't understand the prevailing sweetness levels of some American desserts, and he didn't understand the sweet/salty flavor combination. The show wasn't The Great American-Pretending-to-Be-British Bake Off, but he judged it that way.

[DeLurker]

 

Interesting that so many of you seem to have gotten the show on schedule. My local affiliate, which had started the season on time, preempted the episode and will only show it in its regular rerun spot.

I'm not sure when the eps air here locally.  I've only been able to find it playing at 3 AM or some other silly nonsense.  Luckily, it is on On Demand.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

After having watched umpteen cooking competition shows, I think a willingness to embrace a wide range of foods and tolerate all else should be the primary criterion for being a judge. Individual preferences shouldn't play into it.

This was also one of the reasons why Paul Hollywood wasn't a good judge on the American version. He didn't understand peanut butter as an ingredient, he didn't understand the prevailing sweetness levels of some American desserts, and he didn't understand the sweet/salty flavor combination. The show wasn't The Great American-Pretending-to-Be-British Bake Off, but he judged it that way.

ITA - he really fell a lot in my estimation of him as a judge. Even if you don't personally like certain flavor combinations, you should at least be aware of the trends. When he said he had never heard if the salty/sweet combo (I think it was bacon or salted caramel) that has actually been hugely popular for over five years, I couldn't decide if he genuinely had his head up his ass or if he was being willfully ignorant.

[shandy]

I think both Mary and Paul are conservative in their tastes and he is particularly hard on bakers who take shortcuts or don't use the 'classic' techniques. More power to Nancy for not putting up with his schtick. He makes Diana doubt herself, and ok, I didnt like the look of those blue cheese flower pots, but her tear and share bread was great.

I think Mary has much more empathy for  the home baker.What I do like though is they scrape off or throw out all the window dressing (those ganaches and coulis that are easy) and go to the baked product. I think both Claire (out e1) and jordan (out e3) wowed their friends with comforting flavors and custardy textures, but probably had masked raw dough or dry sponges for years without knowing it.

Edited January 15, 2015 by shandy

[Athena]

I think Mary has much more empathy for  the home baker.

 

The contestants retrospectives and behind the scenes specials have said that Mary gives them lots of tips whenever she talks to them, but the producers have to check her and edit that out. It's in her nature to be helpful to the home baker, but it is a competition and the judges can't give them too many tips.

 

I actually don't think Mary is that conservative in her tastes; she probably could be much more given her age. Paul is a bit because he has less of a sweet tooth and hates alcohol in the bakes (except Mary like it hehe). This show isn't  North American so they don't get the same trends that North Americans do. For example, the use of bacon in sweets just wasn't as trendy in the UK.

[wlk68]

I am enjoying this show soooo much. Add me to the list of folks who love that the people are 'real' and run the gamut in age and attractiveness. I also love that they're all nice to each other and there's no backbiting, petty infighting, sabotaging or manufactured drama like you would find on most American reality competition shows. It's so refreshing. I thought the same thing about the US/Jeff Foxworthy version.  

 

In regards to the comments about baked beans with your eggs and bacon at breakfast: it's extremely popular here in New England. Walk into any old school diner around here and you will find baked beans on the breakfast menu. I'm guessing it came over with the British colonists back in the day and stuck around.   

Edited January 16, 2015 by wlk68

[QuinnM]

 

In regards to the comments about baked beans with your eggs and bacon at breakfast: it's extremely popular here in New England. Walk into any old school diner around here and you will find baked beans on the breakfast menu. I'm guessing it came over with the British colonists back in the day and stuck around.

Refried beans are a breakfast staple in the Middle East.  And actually I quite like it in the morning.  I wonder if there is an Asia equivelent?

[Rickster]

Refried beans are a breakfast staple in the Middle East.  And actually I quite like it in the morning.  I wonder if there is an Asia equivelent?

In India, dals (a sort of lentil porridge) are pretty popular. Don't know about other Asian countries.

[Zahdii]

Episode 4 (Desserts) is up, if you want to skip ahead, since so many of the PBS stations are running a week behind.

 

http://video.pbs.org/video/2365403678/

[Lamb18]

This episode was on last night at 9:00 pm central time. It was nice seeing all those contestants again.