I think we've nailed this. Hey, Paul check this out.
Listen, for biscuit week Noel and I
have created this digestive that you can keep dunking in your cuppa
and it don't break off! Look at that!
Incredible. We're taking it to Dragons' Den.
We've been doing this for 45 minutes
and it's still holding strong, innit?
That's amazing. But what's in it?
Oh, the usual - flour, sugar and a secret ingredient.
A very thin layer of concrete.
Oh, God!
Welcome to The Great British Bake Off.
Do you think we'll get a handshake?
I'm not so sure, let's go. Ruined.
Last time...
Why this is doing to me?
..our 12 new bakers went wild for cake...
I don't know if that's going to freak out the judges.
"Hi, Rowan, what have you made?" "A dead lobster."
..whilst Cristy and Abbi impressed.
You've done a really good job, Abbi.
Thank you very much.
Dan's family dog Bruno fetched him Star Baker...
Nice one, Bruno!
Here we go, Norman.
..and although Nicky and Tasha faced extinction...
I don't like that, Tasha.
I love it!
..it was Amos...
Piece of poo.
..who had to leave the tent.
This time...
Oh!
..the bakers battle biscuits...
Abbi, get a bit closer.
..with a nostalgic signature...
Marshmallow time.
..a tricky technical...
I'm probably doing it wrong.
..and show stopping illusion biscuit banquets.
Chuffing heck.
Everybody's is so realistic.
Who will bask in biscuit brilliance?
That is fantastic. It's so good!
And whose cookie...
Cristy?
..has finally crumbled?
Have you used my biscuit dough?
You have.
I'm well buzzing.
It's proper nice, innit, just to get back?
I saw those three peaks and I thought,
I'm happy I'm at home. It's nice.
Here we go again.
Last week was very stressful but it's a new week,
it's a new day, it's a new dawn.
Biscuits is completely different to cakes.
I make shortbread quite a lot.
It's one of those recipes where you get quite a lot of plaudits
compared to the amount of effort that you put in.
Good to see you, bakers. Welcome to Biscuit Week.
Now, for your Signature Challenge the judges would like you to make
a batch of 12 identical marshmallow biscuits.
Inspired by childhood favourites
like the tea cake or the Wagon Wheel,
the judges are looking for delicious biscuits
either topped or sandwiched with perfectly set marshmallow.
Now, you've probably noticed that these biscuits,
they're a lot smaller than they used to be when we were kids.
Well, this is your chance to right that wrong.
There's nothing stopping you from making your biscuit
absolutely massive, like Noel's head.
We're looking for dustbin lids, OK?
Now, the shape, the flavours and the design is entirely up to you.
You've got two and a half hours.
On your marks... Get set...
Bake!
Marshmallow biscuits isn't something I've had for a really long time.
There's only one marshmallow biscuit as far as I'm concerned
and it's a Tunnock's tea cake. Oh, my days.
PAUL: Marshmallow biscuits. Now, this goes back to our childhood.
For me, it was the Wagon Wheel. It was just the best thing ever.
Marshmallow is quite mild in flavour and sweet.
So you need something that lifts it, like citrusy jam
or something with a bit of acidity will help.
It's about decoration, as well,
because although it should be relatively simple
to create the biscuits and the marshmallow, it's about decoration.
It's got to look good, it's got to look shop made.
Good morning, Dana. Hello, good morning. How are you? Hello, Dana.
Dana, tell us about your signature marshmallow biscuit.
I am doing a speculoos.
Oh, lovely. Marshmallow biscuit
that's got a lot of ginger, cloves, mixed spice, a bit of everything.
Oh, lovely.
ALISON: Dana's love of spices comes from
the Indian dishes her mum Chhaya taught her growing up.
That's a lovely golden colour.
Almost burnt colour.
It's not burnt, Mum!
Sitting on top of her spiced biscuit,
Dana's vanilla marshmallow and speculoos biscuit buttercream
will be set in an intricate mould.
PRUE: Oh, they're beautiful.
It's been a bit of a challenge demoulding it. Yeah.
But as long as I've got enough time to get it in the fridge
for a good half hour.
It needs to be rock solid for me to get it out of the mould.
So that's what I'm hoping for.
I'm looking forward to this one.
Me, too! Can't wait to have one myself.
That's perfect. Right...
NOEL: Those who have chosen to make teacakes
will be using moulds to create the classic chocolate dome
which will hold the marshmallow.
Let me just wiggle them around.
The outside will be nice and smooth
because it's moulded into the dome shape, thankfully.
I'm probably a little bit envious
of the people who have got moulds, but hey-ho,
I made the decision to go for Wagon Wheels
and when I've made them at home people have liked it.
ALISON: Keith likes to doorstep his neighbours
looking for feedback on his bakes,
which has earned him the nickname Needy Ned.
That's delicious.
Phew! I'm relieved.
NOEL: Today he'll be recreating the all-American
peanut butter and jelly sandwich in Wagon Wheel form.
Now, a little birdy told me you was into stand-up.
I...I did a bit of stand-up for a few years about 20 years ago.
And was you good?
I wasn't good enough to go... to go full time.
Give me your best gag. Come on.
The best gag that you... You've got to get me rolling.
I can't. Because... Come on, everyone wants to hear Alison's laugh!
Then you might find out I'm funnier than Noel.
No, go on. And then what happens? Go on, go on. It doesn't work!
What you got? Come on!
Buk-buk-buk-buk-buk! Come on, you can...
BEEPING You've got something.
No. What's...what's the joke that used to get everyone straight away?
Shall I stop that, babe?
BEEPING STOPS #S
Um... What's that timer for?
You... Uh, that's time for the interview to end.
Morning Dan. Good morning. Hello, Dan. How we doing? Hello.
Reigning Star Baker.
Yes, indeed.
Tell us about your signature.
Yes, so it's my son's birthday tomorrow.
So these flavours are based on the three things
that he basically lives on every day,
which is chocolate, bananas and peanut butter. Wow.
What a healthy diet for a child! Perfect diet, yeah.
Can I help? You can do, mate, yeah. Yay!
ALISON: Four-year-old Sam and his older brother Rory
love to help Dad in the kitchen,
especially when there are bowls to be cleaned.
You've got it all down the front of you already.
Covered in dark chocolate, his peanut biscuits
will sandwich layers of peanut butter ganache
and banana marshmallow.
Have you practised this a lot?
Yeah, I've done it three times, yeah.
Where do you find the time?
Soon as the kids are in bed, that's when I start doing it. Really? Yeah.
And you want to bake, the kids'll never go to bed right?
No, they don't, no. No.
And they come in, especially going...
"Oh, can I help, dad?" "Yeah, of course you can, mate!"
And then just, like, knock a bowl over,
spill a load of flour all over the place and clear off.
Chimpanzees' tea party. Totally, yeah.
I'm making rose teacakes and these are for my nan.
My nanny June, she's not with us any more
but she loved roses
and so they're going to have, like, little roses painted into the shell.
NOEL: Nanny June might be the inspiration for Cristy's teacakes
but it's her youngest daughter Sienna
who's been helping Mum perfect the recipe.
Good girl. Keep going.
Cristy will layer rose water flavoured marshmallow
and a mixed berry jam atop a digestive biscuit,
all encased in a delicate floral white chocolate shell.
What do your kids think of these biscuits?
Do they like these ones? They're just like... Yeah, they do.
They're like, "Why can't we touch 'em?"
I'm like, "No, you can't touch 'em now!"
But, yeah, no, they do. They like 'em, yeah.
And have you explained to them, you know, about Bake Off
and how it's going and how exciting it is?
Hmm, the little ones don't know. But my eldest,
yeah, but she's just, like, living her life. She's like...
She's living her best life. Yeah. The thing is, when you're a mum,
you've got so much mummy guilt
and the kids ain't even bothered, are they? I know!
They're not bothered!
"Oh, mum's missing?" Yeah! "Who cares?"
Going to roll 'em out, aim to get even thickness.
It's a biscuit that I used to eat a lot when I played football.
It's a half-time biscuit, almost.
A well-known biscuit. I've kind of, like,
taken the theme of that biscuit and put it into a Wagon Wheel.
Sports mad Matty and his partner Lara
first locked eyes at the local gym.
Eight years later they're busy planning their wedding.
Which one are you thinking that actually looks nice?
I don't know. They all look the same.
He's chosen chocolate and orange flavours
for his sandwich style biscuit.
He'll be assembling in a mould for a sharp, elegant finish.
I like your tattoo. Thank you.
If you win, you've got to get another tattoo, right? OK.
If you win, we'll both get one. GBBO!
I'll get one of you on my chest.
Not on your back? Like that!
I've got one of Rahul on my bum.
Right, we're going in the oven.
The bakers will need to keep a close eye on their biscuits...
Ten minutes.
We'll check 'em at eight.
..as they can go from underbaked and soft
to overbaked and tough in a matter of minutes.
12 minutes. 12 minutes in the oven.
Calm exterior.
But I'm doing absolute somersaults inside, yeah.
But also, they need to make a start on any extra fillings,
curds or jams that will accompany the marshmallow.
I'm just heating up my cream for my ganache.
Raspberries, I'm making raspberry jam.
Look at the colour, see? It's beautiful.
So that's a rhubarb and ginger jam.
This is going to be the flavour kick to the marshmallow.
Smells amazing.
ALISON: Nicky and husband Rob are both retired
but like to keep active, whether it's out rambling
with the dogs Haggis and Bracken
or doing exercise classes together.
Phew!
THEY LAUGH
He's got bright red cheeks now!
Nicky's ginger and rhubarb jam
will be the main attraction in teacakes of pistachio shortbread
and vanilla marshmallow.
So you've got rhubarb and ginger as the hero flavours, really... Exactly.
..with a little hint of pistachio in the biscuit. Exactly.
Very good. Let's hope it works!
I'm doing Black Forest jam teacakes. Blackberries and blackcurrants
are my favourite fruits to make jam with.
And they just work really lovely together.
I love to bake with fruit and stuff off my garden
and I always want them to be the star of the show.
Green fingered Josh and his younger brother Jake
love growing their own fruit and vegetables.
They've even won prizes for their enormous marrows.
Sitting in between his vanilla marshmallow
and dried cherry biscuit base
will be Black Forest jam made from the spoils of his beloved garden.
Do you feel really relaxed there?
Yeah, I love it down there. Cos it's calm.
Yeah, I do rugby from September through till about now
and then we go switch and it's on to... Calm world.
All the gardening stuff. Yeah.
I think you're living the way that everyone wants to live.
Growing and then baking. Yeah.
Rugby, not so sure about. Just getting pounded in the cold!
Good luck. Thank you.
Thought I was your biggest fan?
Ha! That's good, that is!
Bakers... You are halfway through!
Taking these out now.
Oh, yes, they look nice. Very good.
Yeah, they look like they did at home, which is...a good thing.
I think it's all right.
Just a little brown,
so I'm happy with that.
Saku. Hello, how are you? How you doing? You all right?
Good, thank you very much. Yes, yes.
Now, do you bake biscuits often?
Not very often. Hmm. At least once a week.
That's often! If you're baking biscuits every single week...
Every day is often, I think.
Every week is really often. OK. Yes.
So you're good at biscuit making, then. I hope so!
Every Sri Lankan New Year, instead of baking biscuits,
Saku and her family celebrate by boiling over milk,
a tradition that symbolises prosperity.
It run everywhere!
Today she'll be serving up
an elegant sandwiched pistachio and raspberry jam marshmallow biscuit
inspired by a flavour she fell in love with in Sicily.
So whenever we go there I try pistachio granita.
Ah, it's heavenly! I love pistachio.
While Saku is bringing a taste of Sicily into the tent,
Tasha is taking us down under.
I'm making a malted chocolate biscuit.
Um, it's like a chocolate drink
that I used to have in Australia.
Was this called Milo? Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
I used to have that in South Africa. Can you get it here?
I can get... I need to know where.
Don't tell her. Don't tell her!
I'll tell you after.
Tasha moved to Australia with her mum and brother aged nine,
where she got a taste of the outdoors
and for the malted chocolate milk drink
she would enjoy at the end of every school day.
She'll be flavouring every element
of her elegantly decorated marshmallow biscuits
with this popular powdered drink.
he flavours are very much, like, childhood flavours
so I'll be very sad if they don't like it!
Tasha isn't the only baker...
Oopsie boopsie!
..who spent some of her childhood in sunnier climes.
I used to live in Tunisia
and we didn't...they don't have teacakes there
so they're not like a big childhood thing for me,
so I was like, I'll use the other thing from my childhood
that significantly impacted it, which was living in Tunisia.
Abbi spent seven years in Tunisia before returning
to rural Cumbria, where she took up a gravity defying fitness class.
Whee!
Her Tunisian inspired teacakes
will see a zesty orange curd
in between her pistachio and cardamom biscuit
and saffron marshmallow.
Why do you bake?
Why? Yeah.
I like it cos it's like a creative outlet.
Do you do other creative things?
I do aerial hoop. What's that?
It's like...it's like a...
..a hoop that hangs down from the ceiling
and you go, like, upside down in it and stuff. What?!
Where do they have these? Where does this happen?
Uh, it's in a barn on a farm.
What, so you drive to a barn...
I drive to a barn and then I get there...
You get in an aerial hoop.
And then I get in a hoop. Make shapes.
Yeah, and then I go home.
Rowan, good morning. Good morning. How are you?
Morning, Rowan. Right, Rowan,
tell us all about your marshmallow biscuits.
So I'm doing lemon and rosemary shortbread
with a Parma violet marshmallow.
Parma violet?
Yeah. My nan used to like Parma violets.
They are absolutely disgusting.
Oh, wonderful!
This is a vote of confidence.
Yorkshire lad Rowan loves to go for long walks in the Dales
with his dad John and mum Moira.
WATER FLOWS
That's making me want to wee, that noise!
THEY LAUGH
His flavour packed teacakes
will feature a lemon and rosemary shortbread
and raspberry gel to complement his Parma violet marshmallow.
But I don't know if you like Parma violet but I told...
Oh, I love it! Is it those purple sweets?
Yes! OK, someone likes it. I LOVE those sweets.
OK, so you love Parma violet. Yeah.
Paul and Prue do not. They said it's a bit vile, actually.
So I'm whipping up... What are you going to do?
Well, when life gives you lemons, Alison...
Make Parma violet. Make Parma violet, yeah!
Just make sure there's the right amount of air in these shoulder pads.
HE IMITATES AN AIR PUMP
Bakers, you have one hour left.
Marshmallow time.
Do you know what? before the competition
I've not made a great deal of it to be honest,
but it's a bit like a Swiss meringue, basically.
And then just with the addition of loads of gelatine to help it set.
Key to a marshmallow's pillowy but firm form
lies in the gelatine and sugar syrup.
I'm making the sugar syrup with the caster sugar and golden syrup.
Then I will add that to the egg whites
and get it whipped for a good ten minutes
and then it should get you creamy marshmallow fluff
just like, chef's kiss!
But bringing this mix to the right temperature is crucial.
So this has to get to 114 to 116 degrees C.
Oh, hurry up!
Too hot and their marshmallow will be tough and chewy.
Too cold and it won't set.
Here we go.
So now that gets poured into the egg whites.
And then gradually it will turn into a marshmallow fluff.
And for those adding flavours...
..there's an additional balance to be struck.
Going with some extract into the marshmallow.
Only, like, a cap. Extract can be quite offensive
if you use too much of it.
It was always going to be a couple of drops.
But now I've spoke to the judges
I think it's going to be maybe one drop, if that.
Might just do lemon. Sod it.
But while most have their marshmallows made, Keith...
BLEEP
..is struggling with his sugar syrup.
It's taking a little bit longer than I expected for the, um,
sugar to start to come up to temperature.
I'm a little bit concerned about the time
but we shall see.
Bakers, you've got 30 minutes left.
Time goes quick. That's gone really quick.
Right. And that's as good as it will do for me.
As Keith races to make his marshmallow...
Right, we're ready.
..the rest of the bakers have begun to build.
Smells very Parma violety.
I'm feeling stressed!
But with so much marshmallow,
it's essential the bakers' other elements
are able to punch through the sweetness.
Just putting the jam
on top of the biscuits.
Not too much. Just a wee layer that'll just sort of sit.
And while many of the bakers are relying on moulds
to achieve a flawless finish...
So now it'll set in the fridge until I demould it.
That's if I can get it demoulded.
..others are preparing for a freehand finish.
Oh, I'm going to have to get dipping. Time is against me now.
I just have to go really quickly.
Please work, please work, please work.
Bakers, you have ten minutes left.
I really wanted to take my time on this but... Whoopsy daisy!
So now I can start doing the marshmallow.
As Keith's biscuits finally start coming together,
for the teacake contingent, it's time to demould.
Moment of truth, here we go.
Once they come out, they're done.
But it's just getting them out that's the tricky bit.
I mean, they're coming out and they're not snapping.
I was expecting a breakage, with my luck today.
Right, that one's broken.
That was challenge, though, with this mould.
I need to get the chocolate round the edges
but you do have to be very delicate
and delicacy's not really in my skill set.
They're just so messy underneath. Going to trim round carefully.
Gentle, gentle, gentle...
I need to decorate the top...
..as best I can.
Yeah, just jazz it up a bit.
I'll put some peanuts on.
I can, like, hide a lot of stuff with glitter.
That's what I'm hoping for!
They're just sort of like dodgy alloy wheels from, like, the 1990s.
Oh, they look messy!
Ah, sorry, kangaroo. You're going to get a messy bum.
Perfect!
OK, bakers, your time is up.
Please step away from your biscuits.
We got 12. That's the main thing.
God. That was stressful.
They look beautiful. Thank you.
Mine looks a bag of BLEEP compared to everybody else's.
11 batches of marshmallow biscuits
now face the judgment of Prue and Paul.
PRUE: Did you drop three of them?
Um, I don't know what you're on about, Prue!
LAUGHTER
There's nothing there, there's nothing to see!
I mean, they look amazing bar these broken ones.
Let's have a look and see what it's like inside.
Thank you. It's a lovely interior. I think the balance
between the marshmallow and the biscuit is good.
Oh, it's delicious. Oh, thank you.
Very spicy.
The topping I like,
but it's totally overwhelmed by the biscuit.
It's so potent
that a delicate thing like a marshmallow's
never going to stand a chance. Mm-hm.
Do you know, I don't really agree
because, frankly, marshmallow deserves to be overridden. Mm-hm.
I think it works beautifully.
Thank you very much. That's OK. Thank you, thank you.
OK, let's have a look.
Oh, my goodness. That's neat as a pin, isn't it?
Um, the Parma violet,
I'm not getting too much of that,
which for me is a good thing. OK.
You do get that lemon coming through.
So you end up with a pretty decent marshmallow biscuit.
Do you know, I think it's amazing.
I think you've got so many flavours in there
but you get them one after another. It's perfect.
Oh, thank you.
Well done. I was so nervous. Thank you. Well done. Thank you.
Very pretty.
Yeah.
I baked a pistachio and vanilla marshmallow biscuit.
I think your flavours are really good.
The jam comes through, the biscuit, you do get that pistachio flavour.
My only comment would be
the biscuit needed a little bit longer in the oven.
Oh!
You could've spun the chocolate
a little bit neater than that, but I do like them.
I think they do look pretty nice.
Ooh. Oh, wow.
Ooh, hello.
I think your chocolate's a bit thick down at the bottom.
That should've been paper thin.
Your orange jam is delicious.
Yeah.
I think if, instead of putting a blob of jam in the middle,
you'd put a layer of jam... Yeah.
..then every mouthful would've been perfect.
Well, they all look neat as a pin
and they're certainly identical.
Let's cut one of these open.
Good crack on the chocolate.
Looks lovely inside, Josh.
Nice and thin. Chocolate's beautifully done.
I like the balance between the sweet and the tartness...
Yeah. ..which comes from the jam.
You've got the nice fruits coming through in there.
Pretty, pretty spot-on.
Well, your roses worked, didn't they? Yeah, they did. Perfect.
The rose flavour's definitely there.
But I don't think it's too much.
I think, yeah, I think you're right.
I think the rose level is about right.
The berry in there needed to be a little bit stronger and more of it,
but I think it's very neat and I think you've done a decent job.
They are a bit messy but I do think they're exciting and attractive.
Yeah, they look like crowns, don't they?
ABBI LAUGHS
There's a lot of orange in there.
Yes, I think probably a little bit too much.
The biscuit is lovely and crispy
but the orange is really punching.
And be careful to allow yourself time to finish off your bakes...
Yeah. ..with a little bit more finesse. Yeah.
Well, at first glance they look pretty good.
When you look a bit closer, they're a little bit messy.
Interesting inside. I mean, you've got a lot going on in there
when it comes to the layers.
These are a peanut biscuit with white chocolate
and peanut butter ganache and a banana marshmallow.
I don't quite know what I think about that
because I think technically it's perfect. Hmm.
Maybe I don't quite share your four-year-old's tastes.
Yeah, possibly so, yeah, yeah!
Texture wise it's spot-on.
And not a big thick layer of chocolate. Yeah.
It's paper thin and that's how it should be.
If you hadn't put the cartwheel on,
they would've looked ten times better. Yeah. I know.
Bit messy, aren't they?
Well, I knew they weren't gonna be
the most attractive offering in the tent.
I, I wasn't planning on them being quite so messy.
They're probably gonna taste amazing.
Keith, you're looking really worried.
Keith the truth is, it really is delicious.
The, erm, marshmallow's holding its shape.
The raspberry jam is terrific.
This is the nicest, crispest biscuit.
So is it ugly but nice?
It's beauty and the beast, that's what it is.
Beauty's on the inside. But look at it. I'll take that.
Thank you very much, Keith. Cheers.
So these are biscuit with ground pistachios,
rhubarb and ginger jam and then chocolate on the top.
Where's the, where's the ginger?
The jam. It was, it was there. Where is it?
I, I think it ran a wee bit.
Well, it ran out the tent that's what it's done.
There's nothing here. Never mind.
He's trying to find some. Oh, stop it!
ALISON: Oh, he's trying to see... Oh, no.
No. There's gotta be some somewhere.
There is. I just put a wee thin layer on.
Why? Why? Because I didn't want it to overpower it.
See, you've got a wee bit there.
Oh, dearie me, never mind.
It is, it is dearie me because otherwise it's nicely constructed.
The biscuit is beautiful, the chocolate's nice and thin.
You've done a good job but we needed the jam.
Well, they look very sophisticated and beautifully piped
and the spinning is just so thin and lovely.
My instinct is that the biscuits are too thick.
Because I think that's quite a mouthful.
I think they're, the biscuit, you think it's thick
but it's not because it crumbles
and it's so delicate,
and the chocolate comes through - not dark chocolate,
but it has a beautiful malted aftertaste in the mouth.
I think they're delicate,
I think they're pretty and I have to...
Oh, good for you. Yeah!
Thank you. Ah. I tell you what,
that pleases me as much as it pleases you.
Ooh, that's a handshake. I'll have two of those. Thanks.
I got a Hollywood handshake.
I was not expecting that at all.
Yes!
I'm so proud.
I don't think I could've got any better than that.
Because the judges aren't blind,
they could see that it looked like a flipping mess.
You can't be worried about these things cos it's done.
And I can't do anything about it.
And so, yeah, you've just got to enjoy the moment,
keep smiling cos that's what life's all about, isn't it?
While the bakers could practise their marshmallow biscuits
the next challenge is a mystery.
Hello, bakers, welcome back to the tent.
It's time for your Technical Challenge which today has been set
for you by the lovely Prue. Any words of wisdom?
I've only got one piece of advice for you guys,
and that is use your time wisely.
Now, as always, this challenge is gonna be judged blind
so, guys, off you go.
Off you pop and when we say go we mean go,
don't skulk back pretending to look for your phone charger.
OK, Prue would like you to make
a batch of 12 perfectly baked custard creams.
Your custard creams should be
made with a short buttery biscuit
and imprinted with that classic custard cream design
and they should be filled with a custard buttercream.
Sounds delicious. You've got one and a half hours for this.
That does not sound long enough. On your marks.
Get set. Bake!
Oh, my gosh.
I've never made custard creams. I've eaten them. But never made one.
It's good because you know what they look and taste like.
It's bad because you know what they look and taste like.
Custard creams. I have no idea.
I'm a huge fan of custard so I'm looking forward to all of this.
Huge custard man, yeah. I'm from the North, mate, have it for breakfast.
Custard creams, Prue, I think this is a great Technical Challenge.
But do you think it's too simple?
It's not that simple. It's actually easy to go wrong.
I think the most common problem will be people not chilling their
biscuit dough enough.
It needs to go into the oven really, really cold.
If it's a slightest bit warm,
the butter will start to melt and you'll lose the definition
and the shape and the next most common problem will be not getting
the creme au beurre properly chilled.
It's all about chilling and timing.
Choose your, uh, biscuit Prue. Hmm.
It holds together beautifully.
Beautiful custard flavour.
but there's a lovely snap to it as well in the mouth.
I tell you what these taste a whole heap better
than the ones in the packet.
First instruction - make biscuit dough, chill in freezer.
Just says make the biscuit dough. Which is really helpful.
Thanks, Prue.
I actually looked up a custard cream recipe last night. Shh.
You cream together your butter and sugar and then add in your egg
and then you add in your flour
and then I've put the custard powder in with the flour.
Hey, Dana. Hi, Alison.
You look like you're ahead.
Oh, don't say that. You're doing good.
Cos that's how it was last week and I came last, didn't I? But, erm...
Well, no, listen, don't put no pressure on yourself.
Yeah. Have you done this before?
No. It's just biscuit, isn't it? It's just, just biscuit.
It's just biscuit. It's not just biscuit, it's a custard cream.
Get it straight in the freezer.
I get the impression from how Prue was describing it that you
haven't got a great deal of time to mess around.
Whole thing about this is freezing
cos you've got a stamp and you wanna be able to stamp it
and see it, don't you? Cos if you don't, what's the point?
It's not a custard cream.
It's kind of amazing. I know I'd love that. Did you know that existed until today? No.
It, it's brilliant. No, me neither.
It's almost like a game. Where we've got to be the quickest to the button.
To the buzzer? Yeah.
Who's got the baking? Paul or Prue?
Paul.
Who's gonna win the Bake Off this year? Don't... Keith.
So step number two is for the custard buttercream, make
a sugar syrup in a small pan and boil to 121 Celsius.
Oh, it's getting very technical now.
Dissolve.
It's made like a French meringue buttercream
and I have made one already. So I know what I'm doing.
So this is gonna heat up and then I'm gonna pour it into my egg
yolks and whisk it until they're really big and fluffy.
Well, we've just zoomed past 121 so I'll just leave it there for a sec.
It's fine.
I've just got this to 121 degrees.
And I shall be plonking it in here now with the egg yolks.
I know you've gotta do this really slowly.
If you chuck it all in it will like split.
The eggs haven't whisked up,
the buttercream has all gone to pot and I need to start again.
So it's getting nice and thick. Which is what we want.
Sieve custard powder then whisk again.
Get as much of that as possible. And give it another whisk.
The buttercream's looking better. I'm still a lot behind though.
When ready, whisk the butter into the buttercream.
And once you incorporate the butter into it,
it will obviously increase in volume, thicken up.
I'm just gonna keep on whisking it and then it gets nice and fluffy.
If it's too loose it's just gonna splodge out the side everywhere.
Plaafff, it's never good.
This is pretty terrible.
I can see flecks of yellow but I can't get it to whisk any more.
I'm not sure about the consistency...
..but I will go with this.
Right, roll out the biscuit dough and chill in the freezer.
It's a lot of chilling. We need to make 12.
That is 24 biscuits. So it needs to be thin.
Custard creams, about three mil thick, I reckon.
We're rolling, it's looking all right, yeah, the dough's nice.
Cristy. Have you used my biscuit dough?
You have. Oh, my God, I'm so sorry.
That's my biscuit dough.
Ah!
Rowan! Ah, there you go. I'm so sorry, Rowan.
No, it's fine. I thought...
Are you swapping dough, you kids?
Rowan, what really happened?
I found my dough missing.
Sabotage? Sabotage, no. Cristy, you've done a great job.
Do you feel like you rolled his out better than you're doing yours?
Yeah, for sure. Oh, no, what's going on here?
Don't.
Feel like this is a bit sticky. Need a bit more of this. Sorry.
Before their dough is ready to be cut and stamped...
I think that'll do.
..it must be chilled thoroughly.
The longer it chills the better definition it'll be
but the less time it will have to bake and then cool down.
But it's a process that can't be rushed.
It's not working. Sticking. More time in the fridge.
You've got 45 minutes left, everyone, 45 minutes.
Please be ready, please be ready, please be ready.
So I'm hoping these are set
and they'll push out of this mould
but we're gonna find out in a moment, aren't we? Stamp.
I don't know how hard to push.
Am I gonna go all the way through? See, look, it's getting stuck.
Is this happening for other people?
I'm probably doing it wrong.
Give it a bit of welly.
Yeah, looks all right.
Come on, out you come. It is a pretty little pattern.
It's quite sweet, I think.
It's not a uniform custard cream but she's the first,
it's like the first pancake.
It's always the worst one but we go uphill from here.
They're not looking too bad at the moment.
Can I press the button?
You can do.
Hey, presto.
So I'm gonna go as far
and say that was the best one.
Some of us have just got the touch.
You do. It won't stop sticking so it's go back in the freezer
with a layer of flour.
Nightmare, aren't they? After you. Thank you.
It's sticking to the... Agh! ..cutter.
Ah, not at all neat.
I'm very concerned about this.
This dough has gone too soft to manipulate. Freezer.
Bakers, you've got half an hour left.
Ah. Running out of time.
That's not very long. I need to get mine in the oven.
It just says bake. 13 to start with.
Eight minutes.
So I'm gonna go for about 12 minutes.
They're quite pale, aren't they?
Quite insipid actually, like me in the winter.
Come on, custard cream.
Abbi, get a bit closer.
It's already melting.
I think the design's just gonna be lost.
I didn't chill them long enough, I know I didn't.
So I've put a batch of 12 in.
It's gonna be tough to go again.
I had timing issues this morning.
Bakers, you've got ten minutes left, ten minutes.
I don't know when they're gonna be ready.
Oh, I don't know, I don't know. It's hard to call, isn't it?
As soon as I start seeing them getting brown then they're coming out.
I love a custard cream
and I'm gonna be mentally scarred by them now, aren't I, forever?
I'm never gonna be able to eat one again, am I?
I'm coming out. Mine look a bit ropey.
But they're coming out whatever.
They're looking all right I think actually, yeah. Looking custard cream-ish.
That one's nice.
This one's gonna be a top.
This one's gonna be a bottom. I'm a man with a plan.
I'm gonna take these out cos they've gotta cool down.
I will put it in the freezer.
Ah...
I dropped.
Rowan, what you doing? I'm warming my cream. Rowan.
I don't think my buttercream's as nice as I would like.
I've probably overfilled them but it doesn't matter.
I'm shaking. This is ridiculous. I can't do it.
Bakers, you've got one minute left.
If I can't get 12 out at least I'm-a get six out.
I don't know what they're gonna say.
They don't look perfect to me.
So ugly.
OK, bakers, your time is up.
Please come and bring your bakes
and place them behind your beautiful photos.
They are so ugly. They look absolutely...
..rubbish. I've got custard on my trainers.
On your meggings? On my megging?
Yeah. What's that? Your megging, trainers.
OK, bakers, let's welcome back our judges.
We missed you guys.
Paul and Prue are looking for 12 identical custard creams
with their iconic pattern well defined and filled
with a smooth custard buttercream
and they have no idea whose are whose.
Not very easy, but you seem to have more or less managed it.
More or less!
Shall we start over here, Prue?
They look a bit pale, is my first thought.
They do look a bit pale.
There is a bit of definition there... Yes, it's good.
..and they are pretty neat.
And they're not overfilled.
Nice snap.
That biscuit just needs a bit longer in the oven.
It's got a slightly floury taste.
Moving on to number two.
Now these lost a little bit of definition here.
The filling inside is a bit sparse.
Also it's not quite set. Mm-hm.
Still very soft. And so's the biscuit actually.
Not much snap to that.
Again, I think it needs a little longer in the oven. Yeah, it does.
This one unfortunately has very little definition.
You can't read "custard cream" on it. Yeah.
Well, filled though. Difference in thickness and thin.
They're just not rolled enough because the dough was quite soft.
The custard is better than the biscuit.
Yeah, it is.
This has got a bit of colour to it, which I quite like.
We expect a little bit more definition, but it's not bad.
The piping's pretty good. Yeah. Mm-mm.
And tastes properly baked. Mm-hm.
Moving on. Lovely colour, pretty even on the top and bottom.
Very, very good. Well filled. Mm-hm.
Needed a little bit longer in the oven.
It's a pity because, apart from that,
I would've said that's pretty faultless. They look wonderful.
Now, this one's got a little bit more colour on it.
There's a bit of definition here,
although it's washed out on a few of them. Well filled.
The custard comes through really nicely in it. Good flavour.
Same old problem. A little bit underbaked.
THUNDER RUMBLES
Lost a bit of definition in places.
Yeah, and a little unevenly filled. Yeah.
There is actually a little bit of a crunch to that.
It's not bad, but it's a bit...thick.
This one, a lot of them, are misshapen.
That one's thin at one end and fat at the other.
That one there's got no definition on it at all.
That custard actually curdled.
It's a shame.
This has got nice definition. Beautiful. Nice and equal.
Colour's right. It's got the slight brown hue to it.
That looks really good. Nice and thin.
Yeah, mm-hm. Now you're talking, really crispy.
That's a custard cream. In fact that's a lot better
than a commercial custard cream. Very, very good.
These are a bit messy. Uneven, no definition, the dough
was obviously very soft, very difficult to cut.
It's like rubber. Not a success, sadly. Mm-hm.
Hmm. Now these look great. Don't they look good?
Even, they look very professional.
Sadly, slightly underbaked. You know why, it's cos they're too thick.
Mm-hm, another couple of minutes that would've been perfect.
It's a real shame.
ALISON: Paul and Prue will now rank the custard creams
from worst to best.
In 11th place, we have this one.
Keith, they're a bit of a mess. Bit misshapen.
They look like they were done in a rush.
In 10th spot, we have this one.
Saku, a real mess and too soft, slightly underbaked.
In ninth place, we have this one.
Cristy, they're a bit uneven.
And so, you don't get the definition.
NOEL: Tasha's in eighth place,
Dana seventh,
Josh sixth,
Matty fifth
and Nicky in fourth.
And in third place, we have this one.
Rowan, they're really nice,
they're just a little bit soft.
In second, we have this one.
Whose is this?
To be honest, these were pretty good,
just not as good as number one.
Well done.
Which means the winner is this one.
Abbi! Pretty well perfect custard creams, well done.
Oh, I'm just so, so relieved!
I mean, "Better than a commercial custard cream."
That's high praise. I'm really pleased about that.
I pulled that out the bag, didn't I, really.
That is so much better than last week when I came 12th.
I can have a drink tonight now!
Seventh place!
Just the Showstopper remains before Paul and Prue decide
who will be leaving the tent
and who will be crowned this week's Star Baker.
I'm really enjoying biscuit week.
For me, highlight, Tasha's handshake. That was incredible.
I missed it. It was my first one, it was amazing. Well deserved.
It was well deserved. She dropped a little bit in the Tech.
I'd like to see her do really well in the Showstopper. Yes.
So who do you think is in danger of going? I think Keith is in trouble.
The actual marshmallow biscuit he created looked awful.
I mean, really big lumps of nuts on the top.
But the taste was very good.
I think Dana is in a little bit of trouble.
Struggled in the Sig and she was seventh in the Technical.
What about No Jam Nicky? That was the funniest.
No Jam Nicky! She had literally no jam whatsoever.
She picked two flavours, rhubarb and ginger, which really bring a flavour.
Beautiful flavours and then hardly put them in.
Who is in line for Star Baker at the moment?
Rowan. Tash.
I can't call it. I can't call it, can you call it? Nobody can.
Not even the god of baking, Paul Hollywood!
No, not even Paul Hollywood.
Morning, bakers.
For your Showstopper challenge,
Prue and Paul would like you to make an amazing illusion biscuit display,
which is depicting your favourite meal.
What if their favourite meal is a plate of biscuits?
You didn't think about that, did you, Paul?
Now, you can choose any style of biscuit. It's completely up to you.
But it's got a taste amazing and look visually realistic.
You have four hours, which seems a hell of a lot of time.
On your marks. Get set. Bake.
I'm looking forward to the challenge today. It's a bit different, isn't it?
It's like something you never think of doing basically, so it's pretty cool.
I feel like I'm a very creative person,
so I love coming up with new ideas.
So it's kind of like my way, I can finally get inventive.
I'm very excited, I really am.
We've asked them to make a meal or a banquet scene out of biscuits.
It could be burgers, it could be pizzas, it could be anything. Mine personally? Pizza.
They really have to be a little bit artistic with this
and certainly a little bit of sculpting knowledge would be useful.
Nearly all the biscuits they bake are going to have to be a very
specific shape, so there is a real danger of overworking the dough.
And we all know that if you overwork the dough it gets tough
and loses its crumbly texture and its crack.
We want the biscuits to taste good, look good,
but look like something else.
I want it to really have that wow factor
because it is the Showstopper
and certainly for one baker it's their last bake.
Hello, Josh. Hello. Hello, Josh. Right, Josh, illusion bake.
What are you doing? I am doing burger and fries.
I've got five different types of biscuit.
I've got a gingerbread for the chopping board
and then the burger is going to be a Florentine.
Florentine, that's a very good idea. It looks so realistic as well.
Josh's gingerbread board will display his orange shortbread fries
and his towering burger complete with his Florentine patties,
almond flavoured burger buns
and salad made from strawberry flavoured sugar biscuits.
I love this idea. You've thought this through really well.
Do you know what would really help you?
If you get a real burger and chips and put it to the side,
just so we've got something to look at the difference between the two.
Shall we order it now? Yes. You might lose it though.
It might disappear down Paul's neck! See you, Josh. Well done.
Josh isn't the only baker recreating their favourite fast food feast.
So I am making pizza.
It was an absolute no-brainer.
I literally probably have pizza every Friday night.
Dana's gravity defined pizza
will comprise a maple pecan shortbread base,
date rolled stuffed crust and a tuile pepperoni.
What happened in the Signature? Paul said he did like it.
He literally said those words. What about Prue? Prue liked it.
It's not enough though, is it? It was very good cop, bad cop.
You need blue eyes to like it, don't you? Are you slightly angry?
Livid.
First batch in.
With multiple batches to bake
in various shapes, sizes, thicknesses and doughs...
That's going to go in the oven for 36 minutes.
..the bakers will need to work as efficiently as possible...
Right, behave yourselves.
..if they are to keep their biscuit production line running smoothly.
There is just so much to do.
I've selected things and done them at the right thickness,
so the oven temperature doesn't really need to change much at all throughout the whole bake.
I bake these, then they come out. Then I bake my steamer basket.
Then I bake the other half of my steamer basket.
Then I bake my dumplings. Then I bake my other dumplings.
Then I do the batter ones towards the end.
Just got to tick everything off to make sure I don't miss anything.
I'm going to do like a cheeseboard.
I've made marzipan to go on top of the biscotti to give you the cured meat illusion.
What's happening here? Is that bacon?
I knew it looked like bacon, but it's not. What is it? It's supposed to be Parma ham.
Oh, yeah, that's fine. Yeah, it does look like Parma ham. Does it? Yeah.
Alongside her marzipan ham covered biscotti,
Cristy's grazing board will feature fondant-topped ginger biscuits
masquerading as slices of cheese,
and chorizo and orange and pistachio biscuits
that will be stacked to make an array of cheeses.
Oh, look at the bacon!
It's Parma ham.
It's Parma ham. It's not bacon.
Same thing, innit? That's what I said!
It does look like bacon. All right, don't laugh at me.
Cristy's not the only baker counting on cured meat
to make an impression.
This is sugar cookie prosciutto.
I love a charcuterie night with my mates.
It's quite nice to get everyone around the dinner table,
and you can just kind of chill out, talk to people,
eat some really smelly cheese,
and gorge on crackers and down the wine. It's great.
Featuring prosciutto sugar biscuits, and slices of bread
and cheese made from Polish gingerbread,
Rowan's attempting a recreation of his favourite student night in.
So you've got a cupboard full of pinot
and a load of charcuterie in the fridge? Yeah.
And that's your university life?
That's me, yeah. Question, how do you afford all this?
This is like... You're at university.
I'm at uni. Yet you're having one of these boards?
You don't want to see my overdraft, Alison. You don't. I don't.
The battle of the grazing boards has a third contender.
It's like a cheese board is what I'm going for.
There's going to be a brie, camembert, Swiss,
some crackers. Yeah, I've got tonnes to do.
Yeah, maybe too much. We'll see.
Matty's ambitious cheese board will be made up
of six different biscuits, including two shortbreads,
macaron grapes, and garibaldi crackers.
Who do you think your toughest
competition is? Anyone you're scared of?
Abbi. Abbi. It's so nerve-racking being behind
Abbi as well, cos I can see everything she's doing.
This is my steamer basket.
This is the lattice part of it.
So for my Showstopper, I am making a dim sum brunch
because I love Chinese food.
And I like cooking it a lot,
it's like my favourite thing to cook.
So I thought, you know what, I'll give it a go,
make it out of biscuit.
Abbi's dim sum feast will see marzipan
and cherry-filled brandy snap spring rolls,
alongside a lemon and Earl Grey biscuit steamer
and apricot and pistachio filled biscuit dumplings.
And I'm also making fortune cookies, which aren't technically an illusion
but it feels like it wouldn't be complete without fortune cookies.
So, I've written some little fortunes.
One says - Watch out, things are getting "in tents".
Cos we're in a tent.
Also trying to impress with an East Asian theme is Tasha.
I'm making a Japanese katsu.
When my friends and I go to
a new Japanese restaurant we always kind of base
our judgment of the restaurant on how well they do the katsu.
Tasha's biscuity take on her benchmark meal will see orange
and almond biscotti chicken,
an intricately painted Palet Breton biscuit bowl
and matcha Viennese cups.
You had an up and down day yesterday.
I think in the technical you did OK,
but in the signature you smashed it out the park.
I expect today to be as good as your signature.
No pressure. No pressure. See you later, Tash. Thank you.
Oh, my God.
While Tasha toils to recreate yesterday's success,
one baker is hoping history won't be repeating itself today.
I'm hoping to present you with something that looks
a bit better than the two dog's breakfasts
that I presented you with yesterday.
Well, they tasted great.
I've called it my Lee on Solent lunchtime meal deal.
I work from home and I live near the seaside,
so quite often when I make my lunch, I'll go down to
the seaside and sit on the beach for half an hour. Ah, that's lovely.
And eat your meal deal. See the waves coming in, eat my meal deal.
And if I've been a good boy
and I've worked hard in the morning, I treat myself to
a pink and white squirty ice cream.
Keith's Viennese biscuit
and raspberry buttercream ice cream cone will sit beside his shortbread
ham and tomato sandwich with a spiced biscuit crust,
and a portion of almond tuile crisps contained within their cylindrical
gingerbread packaging.
I'm creating the two halves of my Pringles tube.
But of course as soon as the heat hits it,
it all flops down to the bottom of the oven,
so I've got to really watch them.
So that goes in.
There's two things I've got to put on - the timer and glasses.
So I can see what's going on.
I'm just going to brush the garibaldi with some egg white.
I think it gives it a glaze.
That I'm then going to hide with fondant. So why are we bothering?
These are the burger buns. They've kept their shape really nicely.
While it's important the bakers' biscuits showcase
a variety of tastes and textures...
Biscotti in.
This is the burger
and it's a Florentine burger,
so I've got walnuts, pecans and almonds in there.
..Paul and Prue are expecting convincing illusion biscuits...
These are the gingerbread cups.
..so the bakers need to get creative with their moulds.
This is the steamer basket.
This basically is just
to hold everything in place while it bakes.
And hope their choice of biscuit is robust enough.
Trying to make a bowl. This is the Palet Breton.
It's really strong. I tried different doughs
and they just kind of melted in the oven.
And Keith's gingerbread crisp tubes...
BLEEP.
..have done just that.
I can't believe the state of this.
The two halves of the cylinder, they've both slid off.
Yeah, a bit panicky.
I made sure I made plenty of gingerbread
for fear of this happening.
But I can't afford to get it wrong twice.
Bakers, you have halfway left.
Halfway left?
You're halfway left.
Halfway there.
I've got my next try at the gingerbread cylinder.
I would say it's slightly better. I just...
I'm really desperate for this to happen.
As Keith's crisp tube takes a second shot in the oven,
the other bakers' illusions are starting to take shape.
Now I'm just assembling the little pizza and the stuffed crust.
This is the camembert.
This is one of my two different shapes of dumplings,
and I'm just filling it with apricot and pistachio filling.
I've got my tomato rings with the strawberry biscuit.
I've put some crushed boiled sweets,
into there and they're going to melt,
and they'll form the watery bit inside a tomato.
Saku, is that real onions? Yeah, that's real onion.
But you're not supposed to do real onions, babe.
You're supposed to make it look like onion. It is a side dish.
But it's real onions?
Really?
Alongside Saku's onions will be a biscuit rendering of
a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast, featuring coconut
and cardamom biscuit hoppers,
rotis of cheddar, rosemary and black pepper,
and a chocolate and coffee biscuit chicken curry.
Sri Lankan breakfast is very filling.
So you can hold on for the whole day until dinner time,
maybe lunch time for me, after having that breakfast.
Of course Sri Lankan food is the best in the world!
Without a doubt.
Saku might be trying to recreate
a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast,
but Nicky has some traditions of her own.
I'm just sandwiching the biscuits together now
to sort of resemble a wee bit of steak.
So I'm doing a steak pie
because even now when I go home,
Mum always cooks a steak pie.
Beneath her shortbread pie crust,
Nicky's chocolate steak biscuits will be sandwiched with
a hazelnut and orange ganache.
Rosehip marzipan peas and shortbread chips will sit alongside on
a plate of decorated gingerbread.
I believe Dan is doing a pie as well.
No pressure again. Just seems
to be all I ever do is get under pressure, doesn't it?
Yeah, cos Dan's pretty good.
So, I don't know how I'll get on.
So I am doing a cheese and onion pie.
When I shout from the kitchen, "What pie do you
"want for tea this weekend?", it's always cheese
and onion pie. Yeah, so it's a firm favourite.
Sat on gingerbread plates,
Dan's shortbread pie pastry will be sliced
to reveal pistachio shortbread onions
and an orange curd cheese sauce.
Nestled next to his pie will be
a generous portion of shortbread peas and vanilla biscuit chips.
Quite a mess, your work station. It's giving me a panic attack.
I know. I'm in the process of clearing my decks at the moment.
You know who loves that? Paul Hollywood.
Like, this would freak him out.
Yeah, I know. He'd just be like, "Argh!" That's why he
was just like tutting and shaking his head walking past me before.
Have you ever seen one of his work stations?
No. Denim.
Starched denim.
Bakers, you have one hour left.
It's so exciting, just one hour.
Ooh. Cannot begin to tell you how relieved I am with that.
Ah!
With his crisp tube trauma in the past, Keith is free
to finish his final batches...
I'm making these things called tuile biscuits
to represent crisps.
..and the rest of the bakers can start bringing their illusions
to life with decoration.
So, yeah, I love this bit.
I'm just painting up the gingerbread plate.
It's quite hard cos the icing's not set.
This is what makes it look like bamboo.
Doing some lattice work here to achieve the red
and white chequered parchment you usually get your burger served on.
Cut this, cut this.
Chuffing heck. I'm looking around
and everybody's is so good and realistic.
This is shocking.
Bakers, you have 30 minutes left.
I'm putting melted chocolate onto these florentines just
to make them look like the burgers.
Is there anything I can do to help you? No.
Do you want to get on my shoulders?
No. OK, maybe later.
But thank you.
This is royal icing which is the tomato sauce.
My favourite bit actually is the tomato rings.
They look really, really pretty.
This is meant to represent the seeds of the tomato.
The top of the camembert, I've just torched it.
This is white chocolate
and this is creating the cheese pull for the pizza.
Just got to make the brie look like the brie.
Yeah, we're getting there now, aren't we?
Bakers, you have five minutes left.
Scissors, scissors, scissors!
Get some chips on, let's see how they look.
I do like my chips on the darker side.
Just piping the grapes and the olives.
How long do we have?
Bakers, you have one minute left.
Tuile pepperoni.
Taking it to the wire.
They're little gherkins.
Right.
Bakers, that is time up.
Please step away from your Showstoppers.
It's so bad.
First time in three things I haven't had an absolutely mad panic.
Have I forgotten anything?
Josh's is BLEEP outrageous.
Yeah, that's sick, innit?
It's judgment time for the bakers' biscuit illusion banquets.
Tasha, would you like to bring up your Showstopper, please?
I think it looks good.
Thank you.
It's very pretty.
It does give the illusion of being a chicken katsu.
Um, I'll take a little bit of the...
It is a Palet Breton lemon-flavoured bowl.
Hmm. Mm. Good, isn't it?
That biscuit is nice and sharp with flavour.
Limoncello comes through nicely.
Let's have some of the chicken.
This one is an orange and almond biscotti coated in white chocolate.
That biscotti's delicious.
Oh.
I love the crunch, the flavour.
The texture's spot on. Really good.
Both of those biscuits are perfect.
You have set a bar that's a little bit high.
Well done.
Thank you so much.
Well, I think that it looks wonderful.
Let's have a look at this. That's the ginger.
Ginger's got a good flavour, nice and warm.
Is this a biscotti? Yeah.
Almond and dried cherry.
Biscotti's very nice, it's nice and tangy.
I think you've done well.
It's smart, it's neat. Well done.
Thank you, guys.
We'll start... We'll have a look at these.
These are...
It's a spiced black pepper gingerbread type thing.
Good flavour.
Texture's softened slightly,
uh, because of the topping on it.
The illusion bit doesn't work all that well.
After a while, you realise that's maybe salami on top.
Is that right? Yeah.
But I do like the flavours, your flavours are good.
Yeah.
It's a terrific illusion. I mean, as soon as you look at it,
it really looks like a cheeseboard.
These sort of crackers, this is the one I want to try.
I saw you making these.
Yeah, they looked as if they were stuffed with cranberries.
Very crumbly shortbread.
It's lovely. Yeah.
Well done, Matty. Thank you, Matty.
Thank you, cheers.
I think it's clever.
I'm not quite sure I've seen many tomatoes...
..like that. No.
They're from the south coast. We...
We have very good...
We have very good growing conditions,
and you get that redness. That's amazing.
I do like the way you've done the bread. Oh, dear.
It's very soft.
Great flavour.
Your flavours are always good.
The issue is, I shouldn't be able to push my finger in like that. No.
It's too soft.
The ham slice in the middle, is that the same?
Yes.
That is much better baked.
Right, the ice cream.
It's vanilla-flavoured Viennese and raspberry buttercream.
Slightly raw inside the biscuit.
You struggled on this one a bit, Keith.
I have to say, I've never seen a pizza that deep.
Neither have I, to be honest!
But that's the dream.
So, the bottom two are the shortbread,
and the top is just a vanilla biscuit with the date filling.
Well, I enjoyed all that a lot.
You've done a really good job with that.
I think the flavours and textures are clever.
And it's so original.
I mean, I love the date-stuffed crust.
Thank you, Dana. Thank you.
I like the look of this, this is clever.
Love the steam basket. Very nice, steamer basket, it's beautiful.
Absolutely perfect.
And what's in these?
So, it's an apricot, pistachio and thyme filling.
Filling is very strong, but it's delicious.
And the biscuit is crisp and flavoursome.
It looks like a dim sum. This looks lovely.
So, I think you've done a decent job with this.
The illusion works.
Thank you very much. Thank you. Well done.
These are the rotis? Very delicious.
That is fantastic. They're so good.
That in its own right should be a well-known Sri Lankan delicacy.
OK. Let's try a hopper.
The spices in there are good,
but I think you could've done more with that.
Perhaps if you'd have made the egg a little bigger
and done it with spring onion, a bit of chilli,
so that it looked more colourful. Yes.
It's just beautiful. Amazing.
Are these chips shortbread?
Uh, just vanilla, like a sable biscuit.
They taste nice, but they are a little bit burnt.
Let's have a look at this pie.
What is the biscuit here? This is...
It's, like, a pistachio shortbread in there, as well.
Do you know, I think it's absolutely delicious. It is.
I think it's a triumph, I really do.
I think you've done a great job on the biscuits,
except for the overbaking slightly.
And the filling is wonderful.
Well done. Excellent. Well done, Dan.
Thank you very much. Thanks.
It's a good looking thing. I mean, it's...
It's neat. It's quite well detailed, and it is neat.
Right, let's try the shortbread.
To be honest, your chips do look more like shortbread fingers
than chips. LAUGHING: They do, don't they?
They do, don't they?
What is the beef?
The beef is a chocolate biscuit with chocolate ganache,
with orange and hazelnuts through it.
The chocolate and hazelnut are beautiful.
The texture falls apart in the mouth.
And the ganache just tops it off.
It's a good sandwich biscuit. Mm.
And what's the bowl made of?
Gingerbread.
Gingerbread. Gingerbread.
The flavour of the ginger's very gingery. It's too thick and underbaked.
Just needed longer in the oven... Yeah.
..and thinner, and it would've been better. Yeah.
Josh, it is so neat,
and so clearly what it is.
I think it's a little triumph.
I think it's a big triumph.
This is the orange shortbread, isn't it? Yeah.
That's beautiful. Beautiful.
Delicate. Light.
Hmm.
Oh, look at that. Look at that tomato.
Look at that tomato. Let me hold it up. That's clever.
You can see through it.
Isn't that amazing?
Let's try this chocolate one.
There's walnuts, pecans and almonds in there,
and then some currants and some cherries, as well.
It's chewy, it's crispy, it's zingy,
it's full of flavour.
I think overall you've created... something a little bit special.
You don't often get illusion stuff that tastes
and looks as good as that. Thank you.
That's amazing, mate. Yeah, well done. Cheers, thank you. Well done.
That was incredible, wasn't it?
Wasn't expecting that at all.
Know what, mate?
Oh, come on.
I'll come to you. Oh, thank you. Oh, wow.
That was amazing. Honestly, it was seriously good.
Amazing.
I think Josh has pipped Star Baker.
But that's fine.
Another time.
I was...
..touching distance, and then it was gone.
I'm actually quite good at making a real steak pie,
but maybe not so much out of biscuit.
So, I've got a right to be a bit concerned, I think.
It's decision time for Paul and Prue.
Who will be crowned Star Baker
and who will be leaving the tent?
What a Showstopper. You got your handshake out.
Ah. Yeah, it was delayed.
It was, because I was so full of biscuit.
It... Everything was numb.
And then, eventually, it hit me, and I went,
"Hang on a minute, I owe him a handshake." That was so good.
Josh is definitely in the running for Star Baker. Yeah.
I mean, he was sort midway, but he's just escalated himself
into the position of challenging for Star Baker.
I'm really thrilled about Tash, cos I think she's up there, too.
I agree. I mean, she's hardly put a foot wrong.
Who do you think's in danger of going?
Keith. Yeah, Keith.
The thing is with Keith, he's got flavour, he's delivering good taste.
Nicky has struggled a bit, as well.
I mean, when you look at her bakes and look at everybody else's,
you think, "Oh, hang on a minute.
"It's not as good as we initially thought it was."
Well, I'm glad I'm not in your shoes, judges.
We'd quite like to have eaten 70 biscuits.
Bakers, well done, it's been an amazing week
and it was a fabulous show stopper.
Fortunately, I've got the great job of announcing which one of you
will be Star Baker this week.
And the person who is Star Baker this week is...
..Tasha.
Now, sadly, I have the job of letting go of one baker.
And with just getting to knowing you all,
we're absolutely adoring you.
But the baker leaving today is...
..Keith.
Sorry, Keith. That's all right.
I feel fine. There's nothing sad about this moment.
Thank you very much. It's been so lovely to meet you, Prue.
I've had the most fantastic time.
I said to somebody, the first weekend there was bruises
up and down my arms where I was pinching myself every half hour.
So, I don't know how many hours I'm going to spend in the rest
of my life banging on about this.
Very happy to still be here.
So, yes, happy.
But sad at the same time, because Keith's gone.
Well done.
Tasha's such a deserving Star Baker this week, because her signature
yesterday - and I tasted her signature - it was incredible.
So, it was well worth Star Baker for the week on its own.
The handshake, I'll remember that for a long time.
Well done.
It's the weirdest feeling,
because you put all this time and this energy and...
At the end of the day, it's biscuit, or it's cake,
or it's something that you eat.
But...
..it means so much.
And, yeah...
Yeah, it's... it's a really good feeling.
Next time - it's bread week...
I'm really nervous. You're nervous about this one?
I just don't want him to not like it.
It's all about Paul? Yeah.
..as the bakers take on a classic cottage loaf signature.
Oh! It's enormous. Oh, my God.
A traditional technical...
..that leaves some hot under the collar.
Cool those balls!
And a plaited show stopper...
Help me, Lord.
..that has them tied up in knots.
Stressful.
GLASS BREAKS
Oh!
Chuffing heck. You just want an easy life.
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