Lauren Jones
Bake Off is back again, and this week it was biscuit week. After last week’s episode ended with Janusz crowned as star baker and Will leaving the tent, biscuit week was set up to be an exciting watch. The 11 remaining bakers tackled a sensational signature bake and a tricky technical challenge. They created stunning showstopper masterpieces, following the traditional Bake Off format. This week we were spoiled with some incredible bakes — not to mention the first Hollywood handshakes of the series!
Deceptively Delicious
“no wonder Paul advised simplicity!”
This week’s signature challenge was to produce 12 illusionary macarons in a challengingly brief two hours (no wonder Paul advised simplicity!). As always with Bake Off’s challenges, the path to a perfect bake was fraught with pitfalls, including producing a mixture that was firm enough to hold its shape and produce a smooth, glossy finish, but thin enough to pipe easily.
From burgers to raccoons, the bakers produced an eclectic range of designs, although some were more intricate than others. Maxy’s daisy macarons were delicate and delicious, earning her one of the series’ first Hollywood handshakes. Dawn also bagged herself a much sought-after Hollywood handshake with her fun yoyo design, which was described as “absolutely perfect” by Paul and Prue. Maisam’s carrot macarons had great textures, but the design wasn’t detailed enough, while Carole’s macarons were criticised for their artificial flavour. James was praised for his imaginative raccoon design, while Paul described Syabira’s savoury satay macarons as “very surprising” — despite his feelings towards tofu!
A Tricky Technical
A fan favourite because of the inevitable drama it creates, the technical challenge this week was to create twelve garibaldi biscuits with additional chocolate feathering in a meagre hour-and-forty-five-minute time slot. Prue described the biscuits as an “absolute classic” and advised against creativity to be successful in the challenge. In order to produce great garibaldi biscuits, the bakers needed to roll their dough out thinly and dry off the soaked fruit properly: this would ensure crisp, delicious biscuits.
“some of the bakers didn’t read the recipe closely enough”
As always, some of the bakers didn’t read the recipe closely enough. Unlucky this week were Janusz, who initially made twenty-four biscuits, and Maxy, who mixed her fruit in with the biscuit dough and then had to play catch-up. Syabira misunderstood the instructions and placed a white chocolate feather on top of her garibaldis instead of the desired feathered chocolate design. Paul jokingly described this as “ridiculous”, and it unfortunately resulted in second-to-last place for Syabira. Abdul finished in last place due to difficulties with the chocolate and messy presentation. At the other end of the spectrum, Rebs finished in first place, James in second, and Sandro in third thanks to their tasty biscuits and neat presentation.
Showstopper Mask-erpieces
The final challenge of biscuit week was to create a 3D biscuit mask presented upright on a stand at the end of the challenge. The bakers had 4 hours to complete this high-stakes challenge, which really didn’t feel like it was enough for some of the ambitious plans and designs!
Each baker approached the task differently. Some, like Janusz and Abdul, focussed on exhibiting their skills through a variety of biscuits, while others. like Maisam, opted for a simpler mask and spent their time producing a highly decorated design. The bakers used a wide variety of biscuits, from gingerbread to brandy snaps and macarons, exhibiting exceptional ability and skill.
“it’s lovely to see the support among the bakers in the tent”
Maisam, who admitted that she was feeling very nervous about the challenge, finished well ahead of the time limit and said she was happy with what she’d produced. Rebs had a much more stressful experience when her first attempt didn’t go to plan and she decided to re-make her mask, putting her under a lot of pressure to finish her design. Carole had a nightmare when she put her mask upright on the stand at the end of the challenge and it crumbled, ruining the effect of the beautiful design that she had created. These emotional moments are hard and painful to watch — but it’s lovely to see the support among the bakers in the tent as they rally around each other, providing emotional support and helping where they can.
“the completed showstoppers were exquisite, and exhibited exceptional levels of imagination and creativity”
The completed showstoppers were exquisite, and exhibited exceptional levels of imagination and creativity. Janusz’s colourful cubist interpretation was very successful, and the overall visual effect of Abdul’s parrot mask was incredible. Paul and Prue praised both Janusz and Abdul for their flavours, and Sandro for his pretty and delicious creation. James also massively impressed the judges with his brandy snaps, as did Maxy with her well-planned carnival mask, Kevin with his fun design, and Syabira with her attention to detail.
Others fared less well in the judging process. Carole was unsurprisingly criticised for her collapsed mask, but was praised for her beautiful piping. Dawn was admired for her detailed design; however, Paul and Prue did suggest that her design would have been more effective if she’d cut eye holes in her mask. Rebs and Maisam were both told that they could have done slightly more with the allotted time, but were praised nonetheless for their charming and vibrant designs.
Star Baker and See You Later
There were a lot of contenders for star baker this week because of the high calibre of bakes and incredible imagination displayed in the signature and showstopper challenges. After a lengthy discussion, Paul and Prue selected Maxy as star baker, which was very well deserved. This week it was unfortunately Maisam’s turn to leave the tent, which was a difficult decision because all of the bakers performed well.
It’s always sad to see the bakers go, but it’s nice to have the opportunity to get to know the remaining bakers better next episode. Hold tight for bread week next episode…
Featured image courtesy of Mylene2401 on Pixabay. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Lauren Jones
Lauren is an Au Pair and a recent languages graduate. She is an aspiring journalist and is particularly interested in politics, social issues, and the arts.