S07.E03: Bread Week

[Athena]

Quote

It is bread week, and Paul Hollywood has put together three of the toughest challenges ever. First up is the signature challenge - a sweet dough with a twist. And with Paul's digits primed for prodding, no dough is safe from scrutiny.

The bakers then face a steamy technical challenge without an oven, as Paul and Mary step out of the tent to leave the bakers with only a basic set of instructions and ingredients. For the perfect bake they have to avoid a burnt bottom and a soggy top.

Mel heads to Germany to discover how one brave baker and a few hundred dumplings saved his small town from the ravages of the Thirty Years' War.

And there is a mighty final challenge which requires the use of three different flours to create a huge showstopper centrepiece.

[halopub]

With his bread week win, I guess Tom's now in the running for the final. I'm not entirely convinced he was the best baker this week but I'm impressed Tom got Mary to like seaweed incorporated into bread. And kudos for attempting to craft "mew mew" for Bake Off.

So Dampfnudeln are the German counterpart to mantou? With sweet regional variations? I wasn't crazy about the steamers offered to the contestants but I actually liked the idea of Paul testing a steamed bread.

I've got to give Mary props for her preemptive positivity with her, "It's not a mess. It's informal." Heh. Val was saved by her technical.

[tenativelyyours]

I could swear 'I have had Dampfnudeln at a festival but served with a choice of either a savory set of sauces or sweet.  The dumpling/rolls have the same sweet flavor that worked oddly well in the savory which had a sauce made of beer mustard and cheese and one that was sort of a indescribable  brown spicy sauce I had no idea what it was but tasted good.   With the sweet I have had all kinds of variations to the fruit which I suppose would piss the hell out of Paul.

Bread week often is my least favorite of the season.  Paul often gets a bit too lofty.  It has turned into the Restaurant Wars of Top Chef for me because I often feel there is an undertone, though very small here compared to Top Chef, of it being a tone setter because of Paul being so much about bread.  I think that is slightly overbaked. 

Benjamina's show stopper was one of those wonderful moments when it tastes good even though I am just looking at it.  Selasi's cakes were like that the first week when they were cut into and I could just do nothing but yearn and wipe the spot of drool from the corner of my mouth.  Funny, because Kate's didn't do that for me in even though I do believe it tasted wonderful.

I liked how it seemed everyone else had gotten Tom as the star baker a pun before he did.  Both Tom and Andrew got a nicely more engaging edit for me this week likely due to their efforts.  This is very much an up and down field this season it seems.  Tom has shown he can be catastrophic so I'm not sure bread lifts up that far up towards getting to the finals.  I do think though that he made both Mary and Paul's radar in a good way. 

Candice is another who can soar one minute and plunge the next.  I still find her reactions so enjoyable because they aren't peevish in a "that's not fair" way you often see but a hugely disappointed in herself way that comes off grouchy and yet kind of endearing.

I still love Selasi and his half bullshit half self-deprecation.   I just find him charming.

I was so sad to see Michael go.  I was really hoping he could get into his strengths and they would be enough.  Maybe I just like the marathoners in terms of lasting in the contest and also being one of the youngest if not the youngest in the tent.  I just found him a "good'un" indeed.  

I'm pissed though because tonight I realized that my version of the soundtrack (well the second collection that includes soundtrack music) has a very truncated version of 'Tension Rising' (the music that aptly builds during the judging discussion and the show stopper bake).  I'm not sure I can even just buy it again since I get Amazon Prime through work and that means using my US address for all my amazon accounts.  I also noted a piece during the technical bake that is new to me.  I really need to try and track down all the music Howe does for this and Creme de la Creme because I find it hits just right when I am in a certain mood.

Next week looks really interesting.

[justmehere]

Wow, so many of the bakers had a rough time time this session. The signature challenge only allowing 2-1/2 hours felt impossible. Only 3 of the 10 did well. Ironically (and kind of wonderfully), I think those whom Paul criticized most up front did the best (only a single prove for Andrew; a smaller loaf for Ravi; and questionable buns vs. loaf for Tom). At least he owned up to them doing well.

I felt so bad for Michael. It seemed like he had such potential to grow. I really couldn't tell who would go. Even with coming first in the technical, I thought it could be Val. She's been barely holding on. I also kind of thought Andrew earned Star Baker rather than Tom this week, though Tom was good. Kate's corn-doll showstopper was gorgeous. Maybe not quite on par with Paul's lion last series but up there.

[LaChavalina]

My overall impression this season is that the bakers are a lot closer together in talent than they've been in recent seasons, but on the whole none of them are as good as the standouts of seasons past. Likable as always, but I was hoping for another Cecil the Lion bread to really wow me.

[Athena]

One of my favourite weeks and I can't wait until next week too. Well every week is good, but something new next week.

I'm a bread baker so I knew that with the signature being only 2.5 hours, they were really pushing it. I think they set that challenge to really see who could develop a plan to do one loaf very well. Most of the contestants went too far with the fillings resulting in all the raw dough. Rav had a good strategy for that. I'm glad he had one "win" since he's a lot of misses. I knew Candice's enriched dough was too much. She needed double the time for that dough to proof. Poor girl. I do feel she is getting a slight finalist edit.

Tom was interesting; I could tell early on he was sliding in there. I think being a good bread baker does matter in this competition and as an overall good baker in general. A lot of the precision, patience, and skill required by good bread bakers extend to pastry and other chefs. I think any of these contestants can improve in the latter half like Nadiya did last season. The show has always liked contestants who grow week to week which is why I am wondering if Candice can improve. 

Kate is learning so I think well of her. I still like Selasi and Benjamina. I don't mind Paul Hollywood, but he was a very pedantic when he kept saying it was a coronne. Babkas are often made that way. Blah.

I loved the Technical because my mum makes steamed buns. I've never been big on making them or dumplings, but it is a good skill to have and test.

 

17 hours ago, justmehere said:

Wow, so many of the bakers had a rough time time this session. The signature challenge only allowing 2-1/2 hours felt impossible. Only 3 of the 10 did well. Ironically (and kind of wonderfully), I think those whom Paul criticized most up front did the best (only a single prove for Andrew; a smaller loaf for Ravi; and questionable buns vs. loaf for Tom). At least he owned up to them doing well.

I think Paul was skeptical with all of those Signatures; we only just saw the three that did well. The editing does tend to note his doubts so that the audience can compare the results. The show consistently does show when the judges doubts are disproven not in an smug way, but more of "Hey this contestant did well! Yay!" way.

Mel and Sue's antics were even more fun this episode. Aww bless them.

[Rinaldo]

10 hours ago, Athena said:

with the signature being only 2.5 hours, they were really pushing it. I think they set that challenge to really see who could develop a plan to do one loaf very well. Most of the contestants went too far

I found myself thinking just the same thing. They knew about this one ahead of time, they had a chance to think it through and practice it. They needed to work out what was possible to do well in the given time. And a few of them (relatively few, certainly) did. I did feel as if Paul was deliberately out to shake their confidence in some cases: Rav's small loaf was clearly a good idea, and Andrew's single proof was a valuable strategy if he could make it work.

Quote

Mel and Sue's antics were even more fun this episode. Aww bless them.

It's funny how I've come to just love them over the last year or two. Yes, once in a while they goof by touching or squashing something they shouldn't, but far more often they add immensely to the esprit in the tent by keep things light and positive.

Kate cracked me up with her description of the Harvest Loaf she makes every year (of course she does), with the Corn Doll her children made. I know it's a real thing that people do, and I intend no disrespect (I'm the biggest Anglophile ever), but it was such a "there'll always be an England" moment.

Edited September 9, 2016 by Rinaldo

[rubyred]

This episode...I don't know. I felt like the show is trying to manufacture drama after so many seasons by making the challenges uneccessarily stressful. Yeah, they could practice the Signature but really they could only do it in 2.5 hours if everything went well (and we've seen how many things can impact baking success, from simple chemistry to the weather to equipment failure to host interference). They were all trying to be ambitious, but there was no time for them to even think through a course-correction, let alone make one. It just felt cheap to me to do that to non-professionals.

And while the Technical is notoriously sparse in directions, dampfnudeln, really? How are people supposed to have "instincts" about an item they know absolutely nothing about? (That said, I noticed above that some have tried this; maybe this is an example of the more Euro-oriented nature of this show.) What about mantou or bao? Or some other steamed bread. 

I'm probably overreacting but it just seemed like the challenges were designed to put the contestants constantly on the backfoot just to manipulate drama, which is not what makes this show great. Well, we'll see...

[shandy]

I generally  like bread week,   Paul  is more irritatingly superior than ever but the girls roast him to the point of parody. I couldn't believe all the issues with signature timings - I think after 6 seasons the bakers would know that 'fat' stuffed braids, plaits, babkas, couronnes almost never finish in the time permitted. It was interesting that the 'mom' bakers were felled like corn - decades of 'it's done when it's done' clearly isn't helpful - although what I like about the bake off is that bang, next challenge Val's experiences of dumpling after dumpling made her keep the lid on!

Jane is another Nancy - no pity party (hello Candice), took on board feedback, adjusted her recipe in the showstopper, and zoomed out of the death zone. The edit does her no favors, but there's not good tv in quiet competency. Candice and Val are  the mother lode -  pouts, scowls, whines, lipstick on the one hand - planet bonkers on the other -  in any reality competition the production assistants would be high-fiving. I thought Candice was going to flip Paul the bird at one stage.

Kate is a PBS poster girl. I keep thinking of  A Chef's LIfe as every...experience...she...ever...has is an inspiration for baking. Selasi is getting a little too cool for school. Andrew seemed genuinely thrilled by with for Tom. It's a strange season when Tom is the closest thing to an alpha male - Selasi's too laid back for the job.

And Michael - I never met a Greek guy who wasn't a momma's boy and he was no exception. I never saw enough of him to get an angle on his personality but his devastation was so genuine it reminded me of how young he is.

[Athena]

17 hours ago, rubyred said:

This episode...I don't know. I felt like the show is trying to manufacture drama after so many seasons by making the challenges uneccessarily stressful. Yeah, they could practice the Signature but really they could only do it in 2.5 hours if everything went well (and we've seen how many things can impact baking success, from simple chemistry to the weather to equipment failure to host interference). They were all trying to be ambitious, but there was no time for them to even think through a course-correction, let alone make one. It just felt cheap to me to do that to non-professionals.

And while the Technical is notoriously sparse in directions, dampfnudeln, really? How are people supposed to have "instincts" about an item they know absolutely nothing about? (That said, I noticed above that some have tried this; maybe this is an example of the more Euro-oriented nature of this show.) What about mantou or bao? Or some other steamed bread. 

I'm probably overreacting but it just seemed like the challenges were designed to put the contestants constantly on the backfoot just to manipulate drama, which is not what makes this show great. Well, we'll see...

I don't know. I didn't find that the challenges were designed to be stressful though. Even at home, I find 2.5 hours pushing it for an enriched dough without a lot of addons like chocolate. They take longer to proof and you're not in a competition. The Signature is not the Showstopper; it usually takes a basic idea and expands on it with flavour. Both Paul and Mary said this season they wanted to go back to basics with certain things and I think that's how it continues to be. I think the contestants were never suppose to have a super loaded bread in the first challenge; they were naturally ambitious. A lot of them had underproved and underbaked dough. I can't see them achieving that even at home easily with everything being fine. The first challenge is usually a more basic one to see if they can get great items in a limited amount of time.

The dampfnudeln is basically a dumpling or a steamed bun. I would have preferred a mantou or bao, but those actually take longer to do. In the case of Val who had made dumplings, her experience helped. I'd like to see them do a steamed bun challenge for Signature or Showstopper in the future.

This is still a TV show so they can't have no drama, and this drama is due to difficult challenges. There is drama in a result of them working hard, but in no way was it manufactured personal drama. Now that the show is S7, I think the show has to set a couple more obscure challenges to keep it interesting. They have used most of the common baking items. Next week is batter week which requires actually very little baking. The definition of what constitutes a "bake" has had to expand.

There are a lot baked items which require longer time and preparation as well. TPTB tries to avoid since the filming schedule is already as long as it is for the bakers on the weekends. They have had a couple of challenges where they come back the next day to work on it, but it's probably more difficult for the production schedule to arrange.

[3 is enough]

On a shallow note, I noticed this week that Rav has such a beautiful smile.  Great teeth!

I am liking all the contestants, but have a soft spot for Andrew.  Hope Candice sticks around so we can see what lipstick colour comes next.  

[Pallida]

I was a bit confused by some of the choices for the Signature round.  A voiceover mentioned they all chose enriched dough, but I didn't catch any indication that they had to be yeast breads.  Could someone have chosen a quick bread?  Obviously, it could be a gamble since the lack of kneading could be seen as too simple, but simple worked out for Alvin when he made pineapple upside down cake in the past.  

I haven't found Paul Hollywood to be particularly smug in the past, and I thought how he reacted to Candice saying she was embarrassed was appropriate for a mentor.  Sure he pokes a bit when they're in the process of baking, but I find his actual judging to be very constructive.  

I think my favorite moment was Tom saying he wouldn't be led to naughty talk.  

[Schweedie]

11 hours ago, Pallida said:

I think my favorite moment was Tom saying he wouldn't be led to naughty talk.  

I cracked up at that, too. "I'm not being led. My mum's gonna watch this." I quite like Tom, actually. He seems pretty knowledgeable about baking in general in a quiet sort of way (same as Jane, who I also like) and just keeps doing his thing. And with Paul's stat about the winner of bread week always being in the final? Interesting. But like Paul said, when he fails he FAILS, so we'll see.

I was so frustrated with them all during the signature. Surely you would've realised practising at home that the time was an issue with those fillings and rich doughs? Surely you actually practise it timed? Apparently not.

Poor Rav during the technical judging. He was on the verge of tears. He made me laugh afterwards, though, when he said he'd been terrified that Paul was going to throw his raw dough at someone - I thought the exact same thing at that moment! Also, as noted above, he's adorable when he smiles. He always looks so surprised and relieved when they like his bake.

I haven't quite warmed to Kate, for some reason (she's so cutesey somehow), but I loved her moment with Sue during the technical, when Sue pointed out how calm she was. "Well I don't know what I'm doing, so if it goes horribly it doesn't really matter, because these will always be the best dampfnudels I've ever made."

Did not see Michael being the one to go. I was sure it'd be Candice. I'm not sure it shouldn't have been, even though I really like her. She messed up big time this week. Fingers crossed she can bounce back.

[PepperMonkey]

I lurve this show, but NONE of the showstoppers WERE.

[trow125]

15 hours ago, Schweedie said:

Did not see Michael being the one to go. I was sure it'd be Candice. I'm not sure it shouldn't have been, even though I really like her. She messed up big time this week. Fingers crossed she can bounce back.

I think Candice was saved by virtue of coming in 3rd in the technical. I find myself rooting for her because I think if I were on the show, I'd react similarly when I screwed up, so I have a lot of compassion for her, and hope she does better in the future. 

Plus, she has an adorable pug and according to her Instagram, she fed him a dampfnudel!!!

[tenativelyyours]

On 9/10/2016 at 5:55 PM, PepperMonkey said:

I lurve this show, but NONE of the showstoppers WERE.

I do agree. I think Val's second elephant didn't go off in a tiff but actually was sitting right there in the tent.  Tom's plaiting was nice, but it was a flat duo of braided bread for me and that was it.  And Mel might have been trying to get a funny moment for the cameras but I could a nice percentage of people taking one look at the hammer and thinking penis.    In fact I took a screen shot and showed some friends and they all wondered if someone wasn't trying to do a male female genitalia piece -- to which, thankfully, the rest hooted and said penis? maybe.  But if that is supposed to be female genitalia, then it is from someone who never saw any.

I think if Andrew had done a better job even on the appearance of his basket to match his handle, he might have won star baker this week.  I think his slightly off bake and the loose weave of the basket just docked him enough.

I'm waiting for the one food blog that taps in London's baking scene to weigh in since they hate when Paul tries to be definitive about something that he is either wrong about or that he can only see one way when there are an accepted multitude (even if that is a multitude of two).  I so want to know what other bakers just as professional apt if not even more so, think about the whole babka thing. 

On one hand I am excited about next week.  On the other, along with this week, I'm a little concerned over the mentality of doing something that has never been done, more for the sake of making what they think is good television than expanding to include what is already part of the natural range of baking that has just not been explored before.  I know I am probably in the minority here, but stuff like this is what I can look back in other shows and realize the motorboat engine is being warmed up and the shark has been released from its cage. 

I think the nature of the show actually works more when you have a group that is almost all on the same playing field when it comes to the challenges, but talent and skill in each plus the slight shift the contest itself puts on each makes for a compelling show.  I was not impressed with Ian's chocolate well or his carrot cake last season, but all three finalists last season had shown to be strong.  Flora and Paul had also shown themselves to have some real strengths as well before they left the tent.  I do realize that it is a television show but I have also loved how much it has avoided what so many others fail or don't even bother to try to avoid in terms of being contrived or playing for drama.  This was still a wonderful episode of a wonderful show.  But between Paul being the Bread God and the overall lackluster "bakes" (I'm going on record that I think the technical pushed the boundaries of baking a bit farther than usual and I could do with it and next week being the last even though chocolate week always sees at least one contestant not actually "bake" in my opinion -- again probably a peeve no one else shares).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

BREEEEEEEEEAAAAAAD! (yell it like "KHAAAAAAAAN!") I learned my lesson several seasons ago so if I know what the challenge will be ahead of time, I try to have something similar ready for me to eat while watching. Thankfully, bread week is one of the easier episodes to satisfy that so I had two kinds of bread on hand for this episode.

I LOVE chocolate so I was excited about the chocolate bread challenge. Unfortunately, the kind of bread I had at home while watching this was not in any way chocolate so it made me want to melt a chocolate bar and just slather it on top of some bread.

I think the problem with bread showstoppers is that in the end, you're usually just looking at a big loaf of bread. I like bread, but making a loaf look huge and fancy is definitely a challenge. Kate's had really impressive plaiting - it was obviously complicated and she also managed to keep the strands looking distinct (rather than all melding together as the bread baked).

I don't mind Paul Hollywood, but he was a very pedantic when he kept saying it was a coronne. Babkas are often made that way. Blah.

This kind of thing is exactly why I DO mind Paul Hollywood. He has very specific ideas about things and rarely bends on those things, but it's even more pronounced during bread week. It annoys me even more when he applies that attitude toward flavor combinations that aren't as traditional because I feel like it shows a combination of his ignorance and his stubborn nature. If you're in the food world, you need to at least be aware of the trends. You don't have to jump on the bandwagon or anything, but you need to know that it's being done. I still remember him sounding surprised (aka appalled) when someone made a sweet/savory dessert with bacon and chocolate several years after the trend was everywhere. He said he'd never heard of that combination which frankly made him sound like an uninformed yokel with his head up his ass. Same thing when he didn't know about yuzu. I remember many MANY seasons ago on Top Chef when everyone was using yuzu. Again, I'm not saying that Paul has to start making chocolate bacon yuzu muffins or anything, but he needs to at least pay attention to what is popular in food culture.

What about mantou or bao? Or some other steamed bread.

Mmmmm, bao. That would have been awesome!

[Athena]

4 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

This kind of thing is exactly why I DO mind Paul Hollywood. He has very specific ideas about things and rarely bends on those things, but it's even more pronounced during bread week.

I generally don't take Paul's usual pedantry on the show seriously. I'm not as bothered about it and I feel like Paul is not even as close minded as he actually appears about flavours or techniques. I think he does his job of being the more critical and doubtful judge. Time and time again, he's been proven wrong when he likes something. Even in this episode, Andrew did well with his one proof and Rav's small loaf won out. He is sometimes too harsh with his judging comments, but that's separate from his fastidiousness when evaluating others. I don't think he is the best baker in the world nor would I necessarily be friends with him (however, Mary, Mel and Sue can call me), but I'm more amused by Paul's trolling. I think it's from a good place, similar to how he was fair to tell Candice how she had nothing to be embarrassed about. He and the rest of the show are clear that at the end of the day, this is just a baking competition.

[Christina]

I wanted to post a link to Lynn Allingham's miniature for this episode. If it works correctly, I think you should be able to click on the photo and go to the blog post with more photos. 

[BusyOctober]

While I wouldn't ever consider myself a baker to the degree these folks are, I have made a few enriched breads in my day.  So as soon as they announced 2.5 hours for the Signature, I was shocked how many chose an enriched dough recipe!  Two of my go to favorites are a cinnamon swirl bread & "quick" cinnamon buns.  The cinnamon swirl takes at least 5 hours from start to finish (but oh-so worth it!).  The buns are a bit faster to turn out, but still take closer to 3 hours on a good day.  And both of these recipes have only ONE filling.  Putting chocolate, fruit & nuts in their bakes was a yummy idea, but not practical for the allotted time; those loaves would never be baked through with only 20-30 min to spare for time in the oven.  I knew Paul would be squishing his thumb into a lot of under cooked dough.

No one in my family likes rye and we aren't too fond of savory breads.  Needless to say, none of the show stoppers made us hungry (but many of them looked beautiful).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Recipes from this episode:

Paul's dampfnudel
Tom's chocolate orange swirl bread
Andrew's chocolate barmbrack bread
Kate's cobbled loaf
Rav's chocolate, cardamom and hazelnut babka
 

[Kohola3]

I call foul on the German dumpling thingies.  First of all, they looked just vile.  Second, I don't consider steaming and poaching to be baking.  Technically I may be incorrect but still.  

Apparently cardamom is taking over where fennel left off.  My sister got me an apron that says "Keep your calm and fennel on" after the series where everyone was fenneling up a storm.

Sorry, just cannot bring myself to like the lipstick lady.  And when she's unhappy and purses those lips - yow!  Not a good look.

Some of those signature breads sounded just yummy.  Unfair to give them too little time knowing many of them would fail.

[Primetimer]

It's Paul's specialty, so he's a bitch about it, but with this much raw dough it's hard to blame him.

View the full article

[LittleIggy]

On 9/9/2016 at 3:47 PM, Pallida said:

 

I haven't found Paul Hollywood to be particularly smug in the past, and I thought how he reacted to Candice saying she was embarrassed was appropriate for a mentor.  Sure he pokes a bit when they're in the process of baking, but I find his actual judging to be very constructive.  

 

I haven't found him smug either. I love when the bakers ask him a question, and he just smiles and gives them that look. ::fans self:: OMG, what a hottie!

I think Andrew and Tom are adorable.

I bet that tent smelled heavenly with all that bread baking.

[hendersonrocks]

I ADORE Benjamina. She is a delight. Selasi is hot like fire, and Andrew is the sweetest thing. So was Michael, but it also seemed like his time to go...and I hope he can take pride in being a 19 year old who has a lot of talent already.

This is my first ever season - I stumbled upon the American version that aired around the holidays and wanted to see what the original was like, given all the rave reviews I'd read over the years. I am so tickled by the OG and am just happy to have six old seasons I can go back and watch when this one is done.

[GaT]

Most of the breads in the SIgnature Bake weren’t fully baked, I find that very strange, These are supposed to be experienced bakers, knowing when something is baked seems like baking 101 to me.

The steamed buns were really interesting looking, I would like to try them someday.

Interesting when Paul said that the Star Baker from bread week always goes to the finals, we’ll have to see if it’s true, but I thought Andrew (who is becoming my favorite) should have gotten it, not Tom. IMO, Andrew was the only one who made an actual showstopper.

OH God, when Mel was talking to Tom about the shape of his plaited bread “I won’t be led, my mum’s going to watch this” LMAO

[J-Man]

My PBS station decided this week to turn off the closed-captioning. Did anyone else have the problem? I made it through the episode without it, but I know I missed a lot of words. 

[2727]

Doughy failure after failure this week, which was a bit unpleasant/stressful to watch.

It's not Candice's fault she has such pronounced bow lips, but it is her decision to play them up with intense lipstick colors. I'm having trouble seeing past it to the person.

[Eliza422]

2 hours ago, 2727 said:

Doughy failure after failure this week, which was a bit unpleasant/stressful to watch.

It's not Candice's fault she has such pronounced bow lips, but it is her decision to play them up with intense lipstick colors. I'm having trouble seeing past it to the person.

I think the thing is she is wearing very matte, very dark colors - and she has no other color on her face. It's not balanced at all.

[adam807]

9 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I call foul on the German dumpling thingies.  First of all, they looked just vile.  Second, I don't consider steaming and poaching to be baking.  Technically I may be incorrect but still.  

Technically you're right but it's come to mean anything doughy/bready/desserty. I suppose an ice cream challenge would be too far. They're frying next week, so brace yourself!

6 hours ago, GaT said:

Most of the breads in the SIgnature Bake weren’t fully baked, I find that very strange, These are supposed to be experienced bakers, knowing when something is baked seems like baking 101 to me.

Yes but in baking 101 you don't have an artificial time limit imposed on you. They knew it wasn't baked but they didn't have a choice. They had to make a calculation with their total time between rising (proofing) time and baking time. They basically had to choose to cut one or the other short and some of them chose wrong. In real life, they'd be able to leave it in the oven until it was done!

[LateJuliet]

Not sure where - or if - I should post this but the entire season is up on the PBS channel on my Roku.  I don't know if it's just a mistake on their end  that hasn't been caught yet or what but I'm at E8.

I hope I'm not spoiling anything but those who are impatient like me might want to check it out.

[AZChristian]

3 minutes ago, LateJuliet said:

Not sure where - or if - I should post this but the entire season is up on the PBS channel on my Roku.  I don't know if it's just a mistake on their end  that hasn't been caught yet or what but I'm at E8.

I hope I'm not spoiling anything but those who are impatient like me might want to check it out.

Not sure how Roku works (I'm old), but since this season has already aired in the UK, maybe it's the UK feed that's up there.  

[wonderwoman]

1 hour ago, adam807 said:

Yes but in baking 101 you don't have an artificial time limit imposed on you. They knew it wasn't baked but they didn't have a choice. They had to make a calculation with their total time between rising (proofing) time and baking time. They basically had to choose to cut one or the other short and some of them chose wrong. In real life, they'd be able to leave it in the oven until it was done!

Exactly! And how long a dough takes to fully proof is beyond the control of the baker. Having to decide whether to allow the dough to fully proof, or fully bake is no reflection on the skill of the baker.

 

ETA: And since this show is not designed to undermine the bakers, the fact that so few of the bakes were both fully proofed and baked suggests that the whoever decided the allotted time (? the producers) miscalculated the time.

Edited June 24, 2017 by wonderwoman

[LateJuliet]

I don't think so - usually PBS gets their shows up the day after they air but this one apparently dropped all at once.  I discovered it because I'd missed the first two and wanted to catch up.

[irisheyes]

4 hours ago, LateJuliet said:

Not sure where - or if - I should post this but the entire season is up on the PBS channel on my Roku.  I don't know if it's just a mistake on their end  that hasn't been caught yet or what but I'm at E8.

I hope I'm not spoiling anything but those who are impatient like me might want to check it out.

PBS said they were going to drop the whole season for their viewers who donate at least $5 a month.  I guess they're getting into the "binge" craze. 

[meep.meep]

16 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I call foul on the German dumpling thingies.  First of all, they looked just vile.  Second, I don't consider steaming and poaching to be baking.  Technically I may be incorrect but still.  

 

For a significant portion of people on earth, steamed bread is the only bread they get because no one has ovens.  I think it's legit.

[Jesse]

7 hours ago, wonderwoman said:

ETA: And since this show is not designed to undermine the bakers, the fact that so few of the bakes were both fully proofed and baked suggests that the whoever decided the allotted time (? the producers) miscalculated the time.

They were all close on time, though. I can imagine moving forward with a recipe that took 2 hours and 31 minutes at home, and then needing 2 hours 35 minutes on the day, when you'd be safer bringing something that took 2 hours 15 minutes at home. 

[Kohola3]

Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of bake:

transitive verb

1:  to cook by dry heat especially in an oven bake a cake bake bread baked potatoesbaking [=roasting] a chicken

2:  to dry or harden by subjecting to heat

From the Good Housekeeping Dictionary of Cooking:

Bake: To cook food in an oven, surrounded with dry heat; called roasting when applied to meat or poultry.

Sorry, Mary and Paul.  You have crossed the line....

[Mumbles]

So glad the show is back. Andrew reminds me of Eddie Redmayne. I thought I was not going to like Candice but she is so scrappy but seems full of self-doubt, I am now rooting for her. Kate reminds me of a contestant a few years ago - Frances - who focused mostly on presentation. But I am looking toward to spending more weeks with them all.

[LittleIggy]

7 hours ago, meep.meep said:

For a significant portion of people on earth, steamed bread is the only bread they get because no one has ovens.  I think it's legit.

They reminded me of Chinese buns.

[MerBearStare]

12 hours ago, Mumbles said:

I thought I was not going to like Candice but she is so scrappy but seems full of self-doubt, I am now rooting for her.

Candice has grown on me too. I think she kind of looks like Leslie Mann (but with darker hair, obvs) and I really like Leslie Mann, so that might have something to do with it. I felt bad when she told Paul that she was embarrassed and I thought he handled that well.

I was hoping they would put Val out of her misery, and mine, this week. I'm sure she's a great baker at home, without the limitations of a competition, but for me it's uncomfortable to watch her struggle every week. I'm glad she did well in the technical challenge, though.

[Rinaldo]

As an unabashed Anglophile, I get such joy just from hearing the characteristic idioms. Like Paul to Michael as his signature prep starts to look very unappealing: "You're makin' a right pig's ear of that."

[MerBearHou]

I like Candice fine (her voice reminds me of the cute woman in Love Actually who falls for the Prime Minister) but I never, ever like the tears and solicitations of "I'm so embarrassed" to the judges.  Seems like manipulation and it worked.  Saved her this week.

Loved Sue going through the little math problem with Candice and turning to the camera, kind of exhausted, and said that it was the most compelling thing we would see on tv this week.  Gosh, I'm going to miss the subtle wit of Mel and Sue.

This week none of the bakes wowed me.  Closest was Andrew's basket.  

[RealityCheck]

On 6/23/2017 at 10:52 PM, Kohola3 said:

I call foul on the German dumpling thingies.  First of all, they looked just vile.  Second, I don't consider steaming and poaching to be baking.  Technically I may be incorrect but still.

Although the show is entitled "The Great British Bake Off", they have had challenges that required poaching (season 4, dessert technical: Floating Islands) griddling (season 4 Bread technical: English muffin), & deep frying (season 5 Advanced Dough showstopper: doughnuts) so I don't think the bake in Bake Off should be taken literally.

[adam807]

On 6/24/2017 at 9:35 AM, LateJuliet said:

I don't think so - usually PBS gets their shows up the day after they air but this one apparently dropped all at once.  I discovered it because I'd missed the first two and wanted to catch up.

In many markets, the show is airing on Fridays, and they ran two episodes the first week. This is what we're basing our podcast schedule on. But here in New York they only showed one the first week, so we're behind. And it's on Sunday afternoons. Of course it's online and the whole thing aired in Britain already, but it's all very confusing. 

[LateJuliet]

5 minutes ago, adam807 said:

In many markets, the show is airing on Fridays, and they ran two episodes the first week. This is what we're basing our podcast schedule on. But here in New York they only showed one the first week, so we're behind. And it's on Sunday afternoons. Of course it's online and the whole thing aired in Britain already, but it's all very confusing. 

It is confusing and apparently it IS a PBS member perk to have the whole thing now.  I have a friend in the DC market who is done with it because he got it all - he had no idea why but there the full season was on his Roku, same as happened to me.  I'm in Houston and am on the finale.

[2727]

I always enjoy seeing what the contestants come up with for their savory fillings and sides -- it's a reminder that these folks are excellent cooks as well as bakers. If any of them invited me for dinner, dessert wouldn't even be the thing I'd be most looking forward to!

[Rinaldo]

4 hours ago, RealityCheck said:

Although the show is entitled "The Great British Bake Off", they have had challenges that required poaching (season 4, dessert technical: Floating Islands) griddling (season 4 Bread technical: English muffin), & deep frying (season 5 Advanced Dough showstopper: doughnuts) so I don't think the bake in Bake Off should be taken literally.

Agreed. The "baker" in a kitchen team would, I believe, be expected to be the supplier of all these sorts of items, so I think they're fair game.

[larapu2000]

On 6/23/2017 at 10:52 PM, Kohola3 said:

 

Sorry, just cannot bring myself to like the lipstick lady.  And when she's unhappy and purses those lips - yow!  Not a good look.

 

I don't really notice the contestant's looks, because I'm too busy focusing on the quality of their bakes and enjoying the quirks of their personalities.  

Loved Kate's sculpture, that was really gorgeous, a real showstopper.  I waffle on Tom, sometimes I think he's annoying and doing "out there" flavors to come off as edgy, and then other times, they are a success, like with the seaweed.  

I'm beyond astonished that everyone's breads were underproved and underbaked.  You get to practice, dummies!!!!  But the way that Paul chastised the 3 successful bakes, you would have thought he would have expected them to accomplish the challenge with bigger bakes, which CLEARLY didn't work.  

[MortysCleaningLady]

Can I trade in a portion of dampfnoodle for a double portion of that Corn Maiden?  

If I were ever on this show, for fear of underbaking, I would be making nothing larger than a loaf pan.   (My showstopper would be a tribute to Jenga.)