S03.E07: Sweet Dough

[Athena]

Quote

Facing three sweet dough challenges, the bakers start their campaign by creating their signature regional buns.

Paul Hollywood opens his recipe vault for the technical challenge of jam doughnuts and in a final bid to hang on to their place the bakers produce a showstopping enriched dough loaf fit for a glorious celebration.

But who will make it through to the quarter-finals and which two bakers will be saying goodbye for good?

[irisheyes]

Every time they do doughnuts on GBBO, I want to make some.  There’s nothing better than a fresh, homemade doughnut. ?

[rhys]

I've never heard of donut dollies (?). That was interesting. Why are women's contributions to history so lacking? Grrr.

[Kohola3]

I will miss Sarah Jane. I liked her demeanor. I am not surprised about Ryan as he was so inconsistent.

Glad that Danny finally made star baker!

Just now, rhys said:

I've never heard of donut dollies (?). That was interesting. Why are women's contributions to history so lacking? Grrr.

Sad, isn't it?  The Red Cross girls in Vietnam were also called Donut Dollies and three of them died there.  They made quite a difference to the troops and were often very close to the front lines.

Honestly none of the donuts looked good to me but then I get heartburn just thinking about eating a big lump of fried dough.

[irisheyes]

I will miss Sarah Jane.  She’s the reason I love GBBO, because you know she didn’t apply just to get famous. I think she was the one who earlier in the season said she felt guilty cause on a normal weekend she’d be washing school uniforms and helping with homework, and, instead, she was getting a chance to bake all weekend.  She was so sweet, and she and Cathryn really seemed to become good friends.  I hope they kept that up after the show was over, since they were both moms with young kids. 

[mjc570]

I thought all the buns looked delicious  and I can't lie = I probably could have eaten all the doughnuts.  There's no such thing as a bad doughnut - some are just better than others.  I wasn't really impressed by any of the show stoppers.

The right people were sent home - Sarah Jane was just out of her depth, and I felt really bad for her, it clearly was more stress and fun.  Ryan was so inconsistent, I am surprised he made it this far. 

I'm liking Cathryn more and more - she has a really funny sense of humor and doesn't seem to take herself too seriously.  I also like Brendan - whenever they ding him for his 70s bakes, he should tell them they're classics. 

[adhoc]

The humor in this episode was bun-tastic! Bunnalicious!  Sue was on a roll with the bun jokes. "I can't wait to sink my teeth into your buns!"  "You have 10 minutes to get your buns over here!" Or something like that.

And at one point I think even Paul said (to Cathryn, maybe?) "Tell me about your buns." Pretty sure I saw smirking.

New drinking game: every time someone says they're "gutted."

Edited July 28, 2018 by adhoc

[magdalene]

I am glad Dany finally won star baker. I felt she had been very consistent and very good with her flavors but underrated week after week.

The right people went home but I will miss darling Sarah-Jane and Ryan had made some beautiful bakes in previous episodes.  A lot of people apply to get on this show so being sent home this far in is nothing to sneeze at.

Oh, I really want a fresh baked Donut now.

[Mystery]

3 hours ago, rhys said:

I've never heard of donut dollies (?). That was interesting. Why are women's contributions to history so lacking? Grrr.

Me neither. I wondered if they were safe when they moved with the troops to Europe. 

SJ and Ryan could have gone last week, so I wasn't too surprised. I'll miss them. SJ said that Mary told her "there are still two competitions, don't worry" or something like that. I wish we'd seen that. 

Lardy cake, made with "leftover pig fat" -- yikes. 

[mlp]

I thought they were tasked with making Chelsea buns so I was confused when most of them made anything but.  There must have been something in the instructions that I didn't pick up on because Paul and Mary seemed OK with all the styles.

Most of the showstoppers were disappointing.  The only one that really met the definition IMO was Brandon's.  Danny's must have been very, very good.

[rhys]

8 minutes ago, Mystery said:

 

Lardy cake, made with "leftover pig fat" -- yikes. 

Is that what Ryan made? I figured that was sort of like using lard in pie crusts. My M-I-L used lard in pie crusts& hers were the best.

[Quilt Fairy]

It was obvious Sarah Jane would be going home but I was shocked - truly shocked -  when it was Ryan instead of John.  Ryan got a Paul Hollywood handshake in the first round!  (Apparently before they became famous.)   He was low in the technical but not last, so that should have evened things out.  That Cha Siu Bao he made must have been dreadful, because it seemed like James was mediocre for the signature and showstopper and only middle of the pack for the technical. 

If you haven't read the small talk thread, the estate where this season was filmed is up for sale.

 

Quote

I thought they were tasked with making Chelsea buns so I was confused when most of them made anything but.  There must have been something in the instructions that I didn't pick up on because Paul and Mary seemed OK with all the styles.

The challenge was sweet buns and apparently the British have a large variety of types.

Edited July 29, 2018 by Quilt Fairy
James and John are 2 different people

[GaT]

NOOOOO, not Ryan! I'm so surprised. Sarah Jane has been circling the drain for a while IMO, but I really thought Ryan would be there until the final.

I would kill for a jelly donut now.

3 hours ago, rhys said:

I've never heard of donut dollies (?). That was interesting. Why are women's contributions to history so lacking? Grrr.

 

3 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Sad, isn't it?  The Red Cross girls in Vietnam were also called Donut Dollies and three of them died there.  They made quite a difference to the troops and were often very close to the front lines.

I've never heard of them either, & it was really interesting, I bet their stories would make a great movie.

[dubbel zout]

11 hours ago, irisheyes said:

Every time they do doughnuts on GBBO, I want to make some.  There’s nothing better than a fresh, homemade doughnut. ?

Same here. Too bad deep frying can be such a mess. (Though I don't like jelly doughnuts.)

11 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I will miss Sarah Jane. I liked her demeanor. I am not surprised about Ryan as he was so inconsistent.

Sarah Jane was on borrowed time and she knew it. I think she needed three strong bakes to stay in, and she just couldn't produce those. And if Ryan's showstopper hadn't been underbaked, he probably could have squeaked by. But yeah, he was very inconsistent. (And also knew it.)

10 hours ago, mjc570 said:

I also like Brendan - whenever they ding him for his 70s bakes, he should tell them they're classics. 

He's very slyly started to tell them to shove it, and I am HERE for it.

7 hours ago, GaT said:

11 hours ago, rhys said:

I've never heard of donut dollies (?). That was interesting. Why are women's contributions to history so lacking? Grrr.

11 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Sad, isn't it?  The Red Cross girls in Vietnam were also called Donut Dollies and three of them died there.  They made quite a difference to the troops and were often very close to the front lines.

I've never heard of them either, & it was really interesting, I bet their stories would make a great movie.

Considering how little the women's contribution to any war effort is covered in general, it's sadly SOP that the doughnut dollies aren't common knowledge. 

[Sharpie66]

I first heard of doughnut dollies on the show China Beach, where Ricki Lake played one. That story on them was really interesting!

I called Ryan and Sarah-Jane going home after the technical, even with Ryan’s handshake, although John’s shaky performance put him on the bottom, as well. I was really rooting for Danny, whom I have liked since week 1, so yay for star baker! 

Forgot to add—yum on all the jelly (sorry, jam) doughnuts! They are my very favorite type. 

Edited July 28, 2018 by Sharpie66

[Kohola3]

14 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Considering how little the women's contribution to any war effort is covered in general, it's sadly SOP that the doughnut dollies aren't common knowledge. 

Absolutely.  It's criminal how women have been treated. In WWII, the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), 38 of whom were killed (one murdered) during their service, were denied military benefits until 1977.  In 2015 they were denied the right to be buried at Arlington.  The Women in Military Service for America Memorial wasn't built until 1997.  Disgraceful.

If anyone watched China Beach, it included characters who were Donut Dollies, one of whom was killed.

Sorry for the rant.  Back on topic.  In what season did the "handshake from Paul" become a thing?  Or was that a big deal from the beginning?

Edited July 28, 2018 by Kohola3
Sharpie66 reminded me that Ricki Lake as a Donut Dolly.

[dubbel zout]

7 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

In what season did the "handshake from Paul" become a thing?  Or was that a big deal from the beginning?

I think Paul always gave them out sparingly, but it took later seasons for it to get remarked up and become a thing. I can't tell you what season that happened in, though.

[Winter Rose]

It was nice to see Danny finally get some recognition. She's been very quietly consistent and was at the top in all three challenges this week.

Sarah Jane was definitely the obvious one to send home but it was sad watching her and Cathryn hug each other goodbye. They seemed to have struck up a real friendship.

I think the other one could've been a toss up between Ryan and John but by the looks of it, Ryan's showstopper really let him down. I wonder if he's the first person to get a handshake and get eliminated in the same episode. I also wonder if John's finger was still bothering him but good for him for hanging on.

This is the second time I had an episode with the history segment. Although I'd rather hear about doughnuts than eel pies but unfortunately, while I liked doughnuts as a kid, I don't like them anymore.

Edited July 28, 2018 by Winter Rose

[Mabinogia]

Yay Danny got Star Baker!!!!! I am very happy for her. I have liked her from the start and I think she earned it. Her bakes looked great.

Those donuts had me drooling, some of them. Ryan's buns looked great and they are made from lard so they probably tasted good too. Lard, so bad for you, but it makes everything so yummy. 

Loved the story about the Donut Dollies. I knew some of it, but not that they followed the soldiers to war zones. I always assumed they were off in some safe area where they guys would head off to get away from the front lines. They need to make a movie about them. 

I appreciate that there aren't any big surprises with the eliminations. It was really obvious Sarah Jane was going, even she knew it, which kind of softens the blow. And Ryan has been circling the drain behind her for a while now so that wasn't a shock either. I mean, his show stopper was a very bland, pale looking block of dough. I know the show stoppers back then weren't as flashy as in later series, but he didn't even try.

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

11 hours ago, mjc570 said:

I also like Brendan - whenever they ding him for his 70s bakes, he should tell them they're classics. 

He's very slyly started to tell them to shove it, and I am HERE for it.

This is why I love Brendan. He is a bit light a naughty schoolboy. He listens and takes their critique but finds a way to put a little zinger in there with a sly little smile. lol

[Jordan Baker]

39 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

Loved the story about the Donut Dollies. I knew some of it, but not that they followed the soldiers to war zones. I always assumed they were off in some safe area where they guys would head off to get away from the front lines. They need to make a movie about them. 

Or at least an episode of Drunk History.

I was sorry to see SJ go, even though it was her time.  

I'm not sure I have a favorite (in truth, I like everyone), but I think my top three would be Brendan, Danny, and James. But I like Catherine and John, too. I'm trying to remember any other competition reality show where that was the case.

If the estate is up for sale, what'll happen to the show? And how 'bout the fat sheep? I love those fat sheep.

[Rinaldo]

53 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

I appreciate that there aren't any big surprises with the eliminations. It was really obvious Sarah Jane was going, even she knew it, which kind of softens the blow. And Ryan has been circling the drain behind her for a while now so that wasn't a shock either.

If I remember right, this is the only week that the eliminations didn't include a long pause with the camera alternating among the faces of the possible eliminees. That seemed to acknowledge that, this one time, there wasn't really any mystery about it, so no point drawing it out. Just a short breath, and simply say "Sarah-Jane, and Ryan."

10 minutes ago, Jordan Baker said:

If the estate is up for sale, what'll happen to the show? 

It's not the only estate in England, and not the only one they've used. In Series 1 (not yet shown in the US), they moved to a new location (some of them quite public) each week. Subsequently, they stayed in one place for a whole competition, but they've moved that place several times. This particular estate was used in Series 3 and 4, so it hasn't been associated with TGBBO since 2013.

[Mabinogia]

46 minutes ago, Jordan Baker said:

And how 'bout the fat sheep? I love those fat sheep.

Embarrassing confession here. Every time they show those adorable fat sheep I try to make a "baaaa" noise. I also squeal "cute bunny!" every time they showed the little bunny this ep. I LOVE the nature shots. They camera crew on this show are amazing. Between the food porn and the English Countryside porn, this show is a joy to behold, even without the sweetest contestants on any competition show ever. 

[carrps]

Ha! I always enjoy watching the squirrel shots that House Hunters usually show when they come back from commerical. I yell "squirrel!" to  my boy dog.

I was wondering how it sounds to a Brit when we say "jelly doughnuts," considering what "Jelly" means in the UK. :-)

[carrps]

Meant to add that I loved doughnuts from Big Donut when I was a kid. They were a chain in SoCal with the gigantic concrete doughnuts on the roof (the only one left is a Randy's Donuts that's been used a lot in identifying shots of L.A.). They had the BEST doughnuts. Their orange glazed ones actually had orange peel in the glaze. Winchells doughnuts all tasted undifferentiatedly the same -- sweet. There was the brown sweet ones and the orange sweet ones and the pink sweet ones, but none of them had that great chocolate, strawberry or orange flavors that Big Donut's had.

When my brother had a paper route as a kid, he and his buds would go over after delivering all their papers. You'd get a free half dozen doughnuts if there was a red star on the receipt, and they figured out that it would usually show up around 4:00. They would each order one doughnut at a time until they hit the star. They got it almost every day. Young boy metabolisms!

Then, when he had a high school job at BofA, he'd walk by the Winchells where one of my younger sister's friends worked. She's just hand him a big box of a dozen or so doughnuts that he'd take home. It's funny, because he's waaaaay into cycling now and skinny as a rail. Not me, sadly.

[dubbel zout]

39 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

a new location (some of them quite public)

In last night's ep, I noticed there were people walking around in the background (outside the tent) in some shots. I was really curious if they were crew, estate people, or random members of the public.

[rhys]

I thought it was quite noisy in last night 's episode. Lots of people milling a about i suppose but it was really distracting. Maybe they were having an "open house" or whatever it's called in the UK when an estate is for sale.

[AZChristian]

4 minutes ago, rhys said:

I thought it was quite noisy in last night 's episode. Lots of people milling a about i suppose but it was really distracting. Maybe they were having an "open house" or whatever it's called in the UK when an estate is for sale.

Not unless they also had it on the market in 2011 or 2012.  That's when this season was filmed.  The estate went on the market in September of 2017.

[meep.meep]

Loved Ryan's pure joy over coming next to last, instead of last place in the technical.

I have always heard them referred to as USO girls not donut dollies.  I grew up on army bases so not new to me.

Neither Mary or Paul commented on James' alcoholic jellies.

[rhys]

Sorry AZ, I was trying to be clever/funny. I totally missed the mark.

[AZChristian]

Just now, rhys said:

Sorry AZ, I was trying to be clever/funny. I totally missed the mark.

No prob.  I'm short.  Lots of things go right over my head.  LOL.

[nowornever]

Cathryn seems to be gaining confidence-in the first few episodes, she was electric with anxiety and was almost painful to watch.  She's now standing up for herself and essentially told Paul to quit eroding her confidence because she had done her research.  That was funny to watch.  I've liked him less with each episode, and now he seems downright cantankerous.  

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, nowornever said:

I've liked him less with each episode, and now he seems downright cantankerous.  

Except that in this case, he seemed to genuinely enjoy the outcome of the exchange -- that she'd done her homework, and that Cathryn had gained enough confidence to give it right back to him. 

[DHDancer]

17 hours ago, GaT said:

Re Doughnut Dollies -- I bet their stories would make a great movie.

Watch the excellent TV series China Beach: that was the first time I was introduced to these unsung heroes.  I believe one of the episodes was about the ones who died.

edited to add: should have finished all the posts as this info was already shared.  Glad I'm not the only one old enough to have watched CB!

Edited July 28, 2018 by DHDancer

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, DHDancer said:

Glad I'm not the only one old enough to have watched CB!

Me, too!  I was absolutely addicted to it.  But that was my "era" with my friends heading off to war.  What an awful time.

Spoiler

Cherry was the Donut Dolly who was killed early on.  Their story line was a big part of that series.

I was afraid that Kathryn was going to be another Ruby at first but she has really come into her own. I love her sense of humor.

[jcbrown]

8 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

Embarrassing confession here. Every time they show those adorable fat sheep I try to make a "baaaa" noise. I also squeal "cute bunny!" every time they showed the little bunny this ep. I LOVE the nature shots. They camera crew on this show are amazing. Between the food porn and the English Countryside porn, this show is a joy to behold, even without the sweetest contestants on any competition show ever. 

 

8 hours ago, carrps said:

Ha! I always enjoy watching the squirrel shots that House Hunters usually show when they come back from commerical. I yell "squirrel!" to  my boy dog.

Glad I am not the only one who goes all Dr. Dolittle and talks to the animals when they are featured on this show. I agree, the camera work is really terrific and gives it such a pastoral vibe, whose relaxing nature is added to by the very nice people doing hard things and supporting each other. *sigh*

[Rinaldo]

I noticed that on this episode Cathryn used a favorite British "substitute oath" -- "Oh, my g-iddy aunt" in place of "Oh, my G-od." I find it so endearing somehow.

[sum]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

Me, too!  I was absolutely addicted to it.  But that was my "era" with my friends heading off to war.  What an awful time.

  Hide contents

Cherry was the Donut Dolly who was killed early on.  Their story line was a big part of that series.

I was afraid that Kathryn was going to be another Ruby at first but she has really come into her own. I love her sense of humor.

There was a reason why Ruby was such a controversial figure while her series was on (and it continued for a while afterwards with her occasional barbed tweets). The audience had never seen a contestant of her character.
 

46 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

Glad I am not the only one who goes all Dr. Dolittle and talks to the animals when they are featured on this show. I agree, the camera work is really terrific and gives it such a pastoral vibe, whose relaxing nature is added to by the very nice people doing hard things and supporting each other. *sigh*

Obligatory posting of the infamous GBBO squirrel incident.

*Caution: The link in Athena's post in a few comments below has Series 2 spoiler. If you don't want to click it,

Spoiler

 

It still gets mentioned as one of the most scandalous moments of the whole series. ;)

Edited July 29, 2018 by sum

[Quilt Fairy]

9 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

Between the food porn and the English Countryside porn, this show is a joy to behold, even without the sweetest contestants on any competition show ever. 

What about the music?  I LOVE the incidental music for this show!

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

It was obvious Sarah Jane would be going home but I was shocked - truly shocked -  when it was Ryan instead of James.  Ryan got a Paul Hollywood handshake in the first round!  (Apparently before they became famous.)   He was low in the technical but not last, so that should have evened things out.  That Cha Siu Bao he made must have been dreadful, because it seemed like James was mediocre for the signature and showstopper and only middle of the pack for the technical.

Do you mean John? James won the technical and (adorably) felt a little guilty since he's made donuts so many times it felt unfair to the other bakers. I get them confused too - John of the bloody glove is studying to be a lawyer, James of the glasses and funky flavors is studying to be a doctor.

I fervently hope Sarah-Jane and Cathryn are BFFs all these years later, and Brendan is still finding ways to fight the power and bake what he loves and how he loves it. 

[dargosmydaddy]

13 minutes ago, hendersonrocks said:

I fervently hope Sarah-Jane and Cathryn are BFFs all these years later, and Brendan is still finding ways to fight the power and bake what he loves and how he loves it. 

I don't want to go searching now as I am trying to remain spoiler-free on how the season ends and don't want to stumble upon anything, but I think I remember reading somewhere that 

 

Spoiler

Sarah-Jane and Cathryn end up going into (presumably baking-related) business together?

(Put the above in spoilers just in case, but it's related to their lives, not the show. Though I'm not looking forward to this season being over, I am looking forward to being able to Google/ Instragram-stalk/etc. all the lovely contestants!)

Edited July 29, 2018 by dargosmydaddy

[Mystery]

4 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

I noticed that on this episode Cathryn used a favorite British "substitute oath" -- "Oh, my g-iddy aunt" in place of "Oh, my G-od." I find it so endearing somehow.

She's said that before; I really like her. I was glad to see what I think/hope was her husband in a shot from this last episode; I've been wondering if she was a single mom with those two very young children. 

I liked that she stood up to Paul and said that "burned" was too harsh a term (I think it was). 

I won't read the spoilers til the season is done, but I hope she and SJ still remain friendly! 

[GoldaVining]

I am sad to see Sarah Jane gone from my TV. I really like her a lot. I also enjoy Cathryn and I believe (although it goes by so fast I can hardly catch it) that twice now she has said, "Pants!" as a curse. Love that so much! I regularly use "bloody" like a Brit, but that's a fairly common usage in Canada.

[dleighg]

10 hours ago, Mystery said:

I was glad to see what I think/hope was her husband in a shot from this last episode; I've been wondering if she was a single mom with those two very young children. 

I assumed she was (and still is) married; isn't she a stay-at-home-mom? I think they said she dropped out of school to raise her kids.

 

On 7/27/2018 at 11:59 PM, adhoc said:

The humor in this episode was bun-tastic! Bunnalicious!  Sue was on a roll with the bun jokes. "I can't wait to sink my teeth into your buns!"  "You have 10 minutes to get your buns over here!" Or something like that.

And wasn't there a "Mary's hot, firm, buns" which got a snicker out of most everyone, even the preacher's wife :)

[dargosmydaddy]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

And wasn't there a "Mary's hot, firm, buns" which got a snicker out of most everyone, even the preacher's wife :)

John looked kind of scandalized at that one :)

[Quilt Fairy]

15 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

Do you mean John? James won the technical

Thanks. Yes, I did mean I was shocked that John didn't go home.

[dleighg]

^I have (almost) face blindness and I can't tell these two apart. I mean, I know they look different, but they are both young, brown-haired men, going to graduate school (one law, one med). And with names like John and James, what's a person to do!

[Rinaldo]

I had a similar difficulty on another series between Mat and Ian: both tall, skinny, narrow-faced quiet-but-humorous men with "typically English" ruddy faces. I finally went to the PBS "Meet the Bakers" page and looked at their headshots, and learned 3 or 4 ways I could be sure which one I was seeing. If you care about doing likewise with John & James (and it's OK not to care, but it does make things confusing, I found), one could go to

https://www.pbs.org/food/features/great-british-baking-show-season-5-meet-bakers/

where John and James are adjacent, and it would only take half a minute. Glasses would be most helpful, but there's no guarantee James will invariably have them on. Hair could do the trick: John cultivates a suggestion of sideburns, and brushes his very straight hair forward, where John's is more wavy and somewhat parted. Or maybe something else.

[illdoc]

I not only had trouble with Mat v Ian, but also Becca v Frances in their season. If they are in the same shot, I can tell them apart, but if they are separate, I have a lot of trouble remembering who is who! I do not have trouble with John v James, since James wears glasses.

[Kohola3]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

And with names like John and James, what's a person to do!

I do wish they would just embroider the names on the aprons.  That would help a lot. I learned the contestants on the Great Canadian Baking Show by the second week.

[Kohola3]

Ran into a rerun and because once is never enough, I watched again.

It was just delightful to see the lovely smile on Danny's face in the background and her thumbs up to Ryan when Paul was complimenting his Signature Bake buns.  She was truly happy for him and that's what sets these apart from the cutthroat shows.  Of course, we know how it all ended....