Ah, it's botanicals week, celebrating everything botanical -
flavours, spices and edible floral displays.
So, Noel, have a taste of that.
I'm not tasting that, it looks like it won first prize
at the Chelsea Flower Show.
Well, it's all edible.
The whole thing? The whole thing.
OK...
What are you doing?! What? You're not supposed to eat the plate!
SHE SIGHS
Welcome to The Great British Bake Off.
It's not bad actually. It's got a nice crunch.
Are you all right? I'm going to eat the table next.
Last time... We're off to a really good start.
...the bakers felt the pressure in pastry week.
Oh, no.
While Josh's sunflower shone...
I can't fault that. Thank you.
...it was Cristy who won Star Baker.
They're three very good pies.
Things were absolutely less fabulous for Rowan...
Look, it's broke. Oh, God.
...and Nicky... It's not risen, has it?
...and they became the latest bakers to leave the competition.
It was like a bag of pants this week.
Saying goodbye is the worst part about this.
Now...
Go, girl!
...it's botanicals week. Dandelion syrup.
...and the bakers spice up the Signature...
Come here. Yeah. Just lean on these buns. Come on.
...are living on borrowed time in the technical...
Out of sight, out of mind.
...and take on a blooming ambitious Showstopper.
This is crazy.
Who will come up smelling of roses?
It's absolutely heavenly.
And who will be rooted out of the competition?
That was t'wrong thing to do, weren't it?
Week six. I can't believe it.
There's only seven of us.
It's a big change, going from nine to seven.
Good luck, good luck, good luck.
Botanical week is quite different.
I had to ask Lara what botanicals was and then Google it, but...
Tsh, tsh, tsh, tsh.
Botanicals is sort of like flavours that have come from plants,
like flowers and the roots or the bark.
It's not something that I usually work with
because you can't go foraging really in London.
Because we're coming closer
and closer to the end, I'd like to get at least a handshake,
come first in Technical or Star Baker.
One of them and I'll be happy.
NOEL CHUCKLES
Welcome to botanicals week, everybody.
Now, this is a chance for you to get your botties out
and show us what they can do.
For your botty Signature Challenge,
the judges would love you to celebrate spice by making
a batch of 12 perfectly fragrant spiced buns.
You have two hours and 45 minutes before Prue
and Paul want to see your buns.
Paul already checked mine out this morning.
He did, didn't he? I saw him.
He was disappointed!
On your marks... Get set...
Bake!
Here we go.
I have made spiced buns at home,
but just got to get 'em identical today.
Bread week went well so I'm using what I know.
Oh, my God, I forgot the egg, hang on.
It's botanicals week and we're celebrating spice,
herbs and lots of floral hints.
In life, I would say I'm quite spicy. Probably not in baking.
So the Signature Challenge is 12 spiced buns.
Spice is the hero so we want to taste it.
Don't want it to be too much, do ya?
I don't want to offend them with it.
And you know what Paul is like -
they have to be absolutely identical.
It's about keeping it consistent,
to create 12 beautifully sweet, spiced, sticky buns.
Hello, Saku. Hello, hello.
Tell us all about your spiced buns.
I'm making Swedish cinnamon buns with lots of cardamon.
Saku... I'm not trying to confuse you!
Well, I'm confused because I'm so used to you bringing Sri Lanka into this.
Yes. Cinnamon and cardamon from Sri Lanka.
This is international affair.
Swedish bun with the Sri Lankan cinnamon and cardamon.
For her take on Swedish cinnamon buns,
Saku will add cardamon to both the dough
and cinnamon filling before creating its intricate shape.
I swirl it and then I shape it into a kind of little knot.
And they'll all be identical? Exactly?
I hope it will be identical. They will be.
Well, good luck, Saku, I think it sounds delicious.
Thank you very much. Good luck.
That's looking pretty groovy.
All the bakers are making an enriched bread dough.
It's got butter in it so it's got the extra fat.
Kind of soften it, just makes it a bit more flavourful as well.
Adding spices at this stage will not only boost the flavour of their cake...
Smells nice.
...but also lend it an enticing colour.
Saffron goes into the buns, gives 'em a nice yellow summery colour.
That's all the spice in, yeah,
so it's got, like, that gorgeous brown colour to it.
...or not.
That is disgusting. You're not putting this in your bake.
It's in there. When you add mulled wine to egg,
it just goes really grey.
That is absolutely vile, babes.
Thank you.
They may currently be grey,
but Tasha's hoping her buns will bring some festive cheer to the tent
with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in her fillings,
and mulled wine in her egg wash and glaze as well as her dough.
The mulled wine is the liquid that goes into the dough, is it?
So it replaces half the milk and water.
Quite a dangerous thing to do.
Thank you. Do you find that the dough can be quite tight?
No comment.
Paul, she's playing you at your own game. This is like poker!
I'm meant to say "no comment”, not you!
While Tasha tackles Christmas...
The flavours are always nice. Famous last words.
...Matty's embracing Easter.
I'm making a spiced hot cross bun.
I done a practice, but they weren't very good.
But I think I was trying to get 'em done before the West Ham game.
To ensure his flavours hit the back of the net,
as the only baker not to use
a filling, Matty is packing his dough with cinnamon,
nutmeg and ginger along with dried fruits he's soaked in ginger rum.
Hot cross buns, recently,
the bought ones, have got worse and worse.
Don't hold back, Prue!
You need to show the nation what a really good hot cross bun can be.
Don't put that pressure on me!
Looking forward to this, mate. Thank you, cheers. Thank you.
Good luck. Thank you.
The nation are dependent. I don't even like hot cross buns!
I reckon that looks lovely. I'm happy.
Looking for it to be really soft and smooth and stretchy,
ready for its first prove.
A bit tack, but Paul said to me in
the technical of bread week it was under proved.
You don't want to be told the same negative thing twice.
Flying. Here we go.
In the drawer.
With their dough rising...
Do you want me to open it? No, no, don't.
Don't want to be responsible for lack of rise.
...the bakers can turn to their fillings.
This is the cinnamon. I know they like a punchy flavour, don't they?
I hope I get it just right.
As well as incorporating cinnamon into her pecan filling
and dough, Cristy's also adding it
to her glaze, which she'll drizzle on with maple syrup.
This is going to be good.
Can I just say something?
Go on. Star Baker. Handshake.
What the hell? No tears in this tent today, is there? No.
Let's be honest. I don't know, we've got to see how these go.
Go, girl!
While Cristy's supersizing her spice...
Might need a bit more cinnamon, you know.
...Dana is dialling hers down.
Last time I used cardamon, you said it was medicinal,
so I'm reining it back a bit.
How are you bringing these flavours into the bun?
The dough's plain and then the cardamon comes in in the filling.
With no flavouring in her dough,
Dana's relying on her other elements to pack a punch.
She's using cardamon, pistachio and orange in her fillings,
glazes and toppings.
And to finish, she'll sprinkle rose petals on her knotted creations.
Interesting shape. Lovely flavours.
I think it sounds really delicious.
It's about uniformity and it's about getting all those flavours through
as well. Yeah, I hope so. And getting the cardamon levels just right.
Um... Yes.
LAUGHTER
Just a tiny bit of maple. I don't want it to be over sweet.
Ensuring the perfect balance... More cardamon.
...with the spices dominant but not overwhelming...
Just fine-tuning.
...becomes even trickier when they're paired with other strong flavours.
Because it's going to be nice and spiced,
I wanted something else to just cut through that
so I'm going to inject a lemon curd into the centre of the buns.
In addition to his tangy lemon curd filling,
Josh is giving his cinnamon buns a further fruity frisson
with fresh and dried blueberries.
Are we going to think this is a lemon and blueberry bun or are we
going to think this is a spiced bun?
The dried ones |I've soaked in a cinnamon tea overnight.
Does it stop the blueberry being a blueberry?
No, no, it still holds the taste.
Paul's worried about blueberries, I can see it.
Good luck.
Dan is also adding fruity flavours to his spiced buns.
Lemon, I've got some orange, I'm going to top it with some figs.
These are the type of buns you'd like to eat outside
a Greek taverna with a lovely little mug of espresso.
To capture the spirit of the Aegean,
as well as his figs and citrus fruits,
Dan will use saffron, cinnamon
and star anise in his Chelsea bun-style creations.
Can't go wrong with buns, can you?
No, no, hopefully not, no.
I probably can, but...we shall see.
I feel like.
So sorry, darlings.
Who's this? It's my stalker. Don't worry.
The dame can appear anywhere.
It's like Rentaghost, she can just pop up anywhere. Yeah.
Occasionally when I wake up in the morning, she's there at the end of my bed. Is she, yeah?
That's...quite scary. That sounded weird, didn't it?
It did, pretty weird, yeah.
Suppose it's better than Paul being there, I suppose, isn't it?
Bakers, you are halfway through.
It's quite hot in there. I don't want them to over prove.
The extra fat in an enriched dough as well as
the addition of the fruit and spices can mean a slower rise.
Let me just check.
But if the bakers remove their dough before it's fully proved...
I've still got five more minutes.
Please, prove!
...they risk a tight texture in their finished buns.
I don't know. It's got another prove yet anyway so we'll go with it.
I'd say go a bit longer cos he always says it's not proved enough, remember? He does, yeah.
Just do it a little bit longer.
Watch him say it's over proved this week. Oh, don't say that!
If he says that, I'll just look the other way!
I'm just going to get it out.
It's huge.
Pretty good. Um, it's nice and proved. Perfect.
I'm just going to mix in all of this filling.
I don't think blueberry is that strong a fruit.
It's just a nice blend, I think.
Need to put a very thin layer.
I hope Paul loves these nuts, these fine nuts.
If I can make sure that they're even weight, it should mean that they end
up looking somewhat the same.
The judges are expecting 12 identical spiced buns...
It's always a bit thinner at one end, it's so annoying.
...but the more complicated the shape of the buns...
I'm cutting into 12 equal pieces then twisting.
...the trickier that will be to achieve.
Pinch it and roll.
One done. It looks quite pretty.
Silly me.
Measured in inches and then cut into centimetres.
These are quite big.
I've got a feeling they're just going to go Waah,
like Yorkshire puddings.
Looks identical in shape, isn't it? Happy, happy, happy.
Think a couple are a bit higher than the others,
but the second prove, they'll all sort of start joining together.
I'm happy with them. At the moment, they all look quite identical,
apart from that one. I'm hoping we'll have twins and not sisters.
Ready, in.
Bakers, you have half an hour left.
Prove is definitely done.
Think they look all right.
I'm just putting an egg wash on there so it'll get nice
and brown when baked.
It's like this grey sludge.
Don't know if this is good. It's very, very gloopy.
The figs are really nice on top
and I'm just going to baste it in some of the honey and butter.
Turns into jam, pretty much.
We're going in.
195, 20 minutes.
12 minutes, 200.
They're looking quite nice actually, yeah, nice and golden in colour.
Little bit longer.
Few more minutes.
They look beautiful, look at that. Are you happy?
I am happy. You don't look happy.
But, you know, it's sticking out.
Oh, it's all right. It's fine, it's fine. Come here.
Yeah. Just lean on these buns. Come on.
Lean on these buns, have a little sleep.
SAKU SNORES Let me rub your head.
I don't think the cross has worked. It's, like, really faint.
Bakers, you have ten minutes left.
Oh, flippin' heck. Ten minutes to get your buns out the oven.
Yeah, I'm quite impressed.
They're not identical at all.
All look very even.
Oh, these are not identical.
Pretty good. Nice and hollow.
I'm just going to give it a nice glaze.
Quite pleased with that colour.
Maybe just they're not quite identical.
Lemon curd in the middle.
I've got my mulled wine glaze
and it'll kind of melt into the pastry.
And it's not grey!
Glaze on, going to get it all in my nooks and crannies.
Lovely bakers, you have one minute left.
Finishing touches, I've just sprinkled some cinnamon.
I've never done that before so let's see how that one turns out.
Add a bit of glitter. I wanted the two-tone so you know they're lemon and blueberry.
So let's get 'em on, then.
Sprinkling some rose petals on the top.
After all, it is botanical week.
Oh, my word, two more to go. Not enough space.
Don't think it's going to fit on my tray.
I hope they live up to everyone's expectations.
Oh, mine are all misshapen.
Bakers, your time is up.
Step away-a from ya buns.
Stop.
Come on, let's have a group hug.
I don't want anyone to touch me.
You smashed it, guys. Well done.
The bakers' spiced buns will now be judged by Paul and Prue.
Hello, Tasha. Hello.
Hello, Tasha.
I like the colour. It's unusual. It's quite festive.
I think, if anything, they're a bit big.
But there's a lot of consistency there, which I quite like.
Wow, that's quite an open structure in there. Surprising.
Worth the risk.
It's Christmas. Phew.
I love the flavour. I like the texture.
It is beautifully balanced between all the flavours.
And you've created something that is really pleasant in the mouth.
Well done. Terrific, Tasha. Thank you. Thank you.
SHE EXHALES
I love the shine on them.
I think they look really tempting and delicious,
but they're very uneven.
They're dramatically uneven.
You do get the saffron, you get the spices coming through
and at a nice level as well. It's not overpowering.
My only big issue is the consistency and the shape and size. Yeah.
You know, what I think is the crowning glory
is the fresh figs on top. Yeah.
I think that's a real piece of genius, it's lovely.
It does work well. Thank you. Brilliant. That's great, thank you.
Thank you, darl. Thank you very much, nice one.
The issue is the consistency or inconsistency
of the shape and colour. Yeah.
There's not two alike. It's a shame.
Not a lot of cardamon. OK.
You get the orange and the pistachio.
Cardamon, barely getting that.
Actually get more of the rose coming in.
Oh, do you? Yeah. We'll just change the title of it!
They're rose buns. Yeah.
There we go. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I think they look very nice. I like the colour.
Bit of an unusual size difference.
My maths went wrong.
Don't you work in accountancy?
Shh! I will lose my job now!
Um, the knot works quite nicely.
Yes, yes, I love the twisting, it's lovely.
Quite a tight texture.
Mmm...
I think your balance of cardamon is just lovely.
The flavour combination between the cardamon
and the cinnamon is absolutely spot-on.
Well done, Saku. Thank you very much. Thank you.
Well, they look very unusual.
Looks like a cartoon character with the eyes, you know?
“Look into my eyes!"
Nice colour, it's got a lovely colour.
You don't get the blueberry.
The blueberry's become a carrier for the cinnamon. Yeah.
I actually quite like it.
It reminds me of an iced bun with the lemon running through it.
Iced buns are one of my favourite things ever.
I do think the bread is beautiful.
The glaze is beautiful and I like the look of them.
Wonderful. Thank you. So it's a pretty good bun.
I think they're pretty consistent, these.
Wow. They look impressive inside, I'll tell you that now.
Oh, good. To get that even all the way through.
You've rolled the dough really
thinly so that you get a lot of filling... Yeah. ..and I like that.
Flavour is lovely.
Maple syrup's there. It's not too sweet. Very nice. That's delicious.
It is absolutely delicious and I'm trying not to eat any more.
Thank you. Well done.
Well, I think they look lovely and shiny.
They're very even. You've managed the cross.
Cross looks good. I do like the colour.
There's some nice consistency there as well. What is it again?
Hot cross. Hot cross bun? Yeah.
I'll judge you as a hot cross bun.
If it's better, it's just a spiced bun.
LAUGHTER
Right answer!
It is too dense. OK.
I've had cakes that are more open than that.
I think it's just under proved. A little bit more proving just
would've opened that up a little bit. I'm not really getting the ginger. There's not enough of it.
You need more fruit. If you're going to put fruit in it, put fruit in it.
Yeah. I still think it's very delicious.
Thank you very much, Matty. Cheers, thank you. Ah, thanks, Matty.
Erm, Matty, I told you to prove it a bit longer, didn't I?
You did! Yeah...
I think I impressed Prue a little bit more than I did Paul.
I'm Team Prue for now!
I'm happy that the flavours worked.
Yeah. It's Christmas in a bun.
It could've gone better, but it's fine.
We've still got the technical to do
so hopefully I can just kind of smash that one out.
SCREECHES
The bakers could practice their spicy signature bakes,
but the Technical Challenge is a mystery.
It's time for your Technical Challenge.
This one has been set for you by the delightful Prue.
Prue, any words of wisdom?
Yes, be bold with the botanicals.
I actually found that quite moving.
Ah, you all right? Yeah, I'm all right, yeah.
Talking of moving, it's time for you guys to move on out. Thank you.
We're going to miss you guys. We are.
Prue would like you to make
a beautifully decorated lemon and thyme drizzle cake.
They're looking for a light moist sponge that is soaked
with lemon and thyme syrup,
and a sprinkling of crystalised lemon and thyme.
How much time have we got?
1 hour and 30.
On your marks... Get set...
Bake!
Oh, my God. Right.
Interesting cake!
I imagine it's going to take a bit of time, that. No pun intended.
Hey, this challenge will be right up your street - you've actually come as a lemon!
Ha!
I just want to point out at this moment in time
that you've come as thyme.
So, Prue, tell us all about your lemon and thyme drizzle cake.
It is just a cream sponge baked in a fancy tin,
but the difference is it has a lot of thyme in it.
What I'm worried about most is I think the bakers won't put enough in it.
If you only put a bit in, it'll just be a lemon drizzle cake.
I mean, obviously, they've got the tin.
If they don't grease it properly, Paul, as you know,
that cake will stick.
Come on, I'm dribbling now.
I need a bite. My goodness, that's a fair slice.
That big enough? Yes.
Ooh, yeah.
This is very moist from the drizzle, and the lemon
and thyme work beautifully well together.
It is absolutely lovely.
Mmm. For me, it's all going to come down to the flavour
and the balance between the thyme and the lemon.
Are they going to get it right?
Got to have lots of thyme.
What's ironic is we've only given them an hour-and-a-half.
I know!
Instruction number one, "Make the cake mixture." Fabulous.
It's been so long since I've made a sponge cake.
I haven't made one in yonks.
I'm creaming the butter
and the sugar together, adding the lemon.
Self-raising flour.
Get that mixed in. I'm going to do that on a low speed.
Think this'll be enough.
It's a light, fluffy sponge.
Have you ever made one of these before?
I've made lemon drizzle cake. You have?
But not with thyme. Do you know what I mean?
Yeah, thyme for roast, not for the cake. It's normally in food,
isn't it? It's not normally in a bake.
Maybe it will taste like roast dinner.
They've told us how much lemon to use, but they just haven't told us
how much thyme to use.
What I would normally do is just add only a little.
Baker's instinct.
Prue said be bold. Prue, I'm with you, sister.
Try and get the thyme really in there, you know.
Couple of heaped tablespoons.
I did not measure the amount of thyme I was putting in. Risky.
It does smell strong.
I can't smell anything.
Bit more thyme.
Just preparing the cake tin with some butter so it doesn't stick.
Really hard to do.
There's a risk of things catching
so obviously you want it to come out.
I'm going to give it a little dusting with some flour.
I've put more thyme into it.
You can easily see all the green specks so I'm hoping it'll be fine.
Slap it down so it gets into all those crevices.
Get it in.
Has she been kind with the method and everything?
No. Not really. Oh, just, "Bake."
Oh, my gosh. "Just bake it!"
It's going to take a while in the oven, that. It's quite a big cake.
It's definitely 40 minutes.
I'm going to set a timer for 40 minutes.
Bakers, you are halfway through.
HE HUMS CIRCUS MUSIC
Oh, God.
Need to get a move on.
Make the lemon and thyme syrup.
Juice of two lemons, sugar and thyme, right.
This is where Prue was also saying, "Be bold."
I'm going to give her thyme.
I'm just going to let that infuse.
Feel like that's ready to rock and roll.
Number four, we crystallise the lemon peel and thyme.
There's an egg white in it?
Eggwhite, dip the thyme leaves in
and then just covering it all in sugar.
Why is there an egg white in it?!
It looks crystallised.
I'm just going to put enough sugar onto it and then get it to dry out.
Oh...
Honestly, I haven't a clue if I'm doing this the right way.
What the hell is this?
What is that?
LAUGHTER
Somehow it's going to crystallise!
Is that in the recipe?
Out of sight, out of mind.
Saku? Yes.
How many keepy-uppies can you do with a lemon?
None. None? None.
Look, one - boom.
Ugh!
LAUGHTER
Any good? Amazing. See?
Do you reckon I could hit one of those saucepans, look, with this lemon?
No!
SHATTERING
BLEEP
It's fine, nothing broke.
Never a dull moment in here, is there?
BOTH: Bakers, you have 15 minutes left.
Oh, my goodness me.
Nervous, I'm nervous. I'm not doing it.
Skewer's coming out clean, so...
Just going to go for it.
I hope it is ready.
Smells nice. Can't smell any thyme, but...
It's definitely baked.
Ah! OK, yeah, it's coming out.
Er, little bit overdone, but it's better to overbake it
and then cover any problems with the syrup.
The problem is turning it upside down.
Oh, I'm so scared.
Flippin' heck.
Worst thing would be for it not to come out.
Phew!
Bad, bad, bad, really bad.
Trying to find the good side.
It looks OK. It's come out neat.
Ahh! The bottom is ugly.
Oh, flippin' heck.
Bakers, you have five minutes left.
Come on, Josh. Come on.
Number five, soak the cake with syrup.
Just going to give it little holes.
Right, just get that in.
There's not too much dripping off
so that indicates that it is actually going in.
Oh, that smells like thyme.
I think. Maybe too much.
Made my icing.
Drizzly consistency.
Just could've done with it being a bit thicker.
Control, control.
I just don't know what it's supposed to look like, that's the thing.
Bakers, you've got one minute left.
Last bit. All right, let's make this look pretty.
Lemon and thyme.
Oh, come on!
Going to use this very sparingly.
Just going to try and make it look nice.
It's not that pretty, but it's fine.
Quite rustic. That seems to be my kind of thing.
OK, bakers, your time is up.
Please bring your lemon and thyme drizzle cakes
up to the gingham table
and place them behind your pictures.
My word! It was a race.
It's judgment time for
the bakers' lemon and thyme drizzle cakes.
Prue and Paul are looking for a light,
moist, aromatic cake decorated with glace icing
and crystallised lemon and thyme.
And they have no idea whose is whose.
PAUL: Interesting array.
The definition on this one is pretty good.
It's got a strong colour. Very good.
Icing could've been a little thicker or not allowed to run right off.
The crystallising looks OK, doesn't it? Yeah.
There's a lot of drizzle.
The texture's very good because it's very light.
It's not got enough thyme in it.
Moving on, little bit weird with the colouring on this one.
See how light, dark, it's...
...it's like it hasn't been mixed properly.
Quite an open-looking cake.
Far more lemon than thyme.
Which I don't mind.
I quite like the sharpness of the lemon against the hint of thyme.
Hmm, yeah. I think I'd have put
a little bit more crystallised lemon and thyme on top,
but it's very nice. Yeah, it is.
I like the decoration of this. This is a thicker icing.
There's a few little marks here, like it's caught. It's stuck.
Half the cake's probably been left on the mould.
I can tell you now there's not enough thyme in there.
Not a lot of lemon or thyme.
I think that texture's a bit coarse too.
Hmm. A bit dark, this one.
It's almost overflowed on the top. Overflowed.
And I really think the icing is a bit clumsy.
Definitely getting the thyme and the lemon.
A lot more thyme.
I do think it's slightly over baked.
The icing on this is quite neat into the grooves as well.
Quite clever because the baker has put thyme in one
and lemon in the other. Yeah.
It's very neat.
Hmm, definitely getting the thyme and the lemon, nice balance.
I think it's very good.
Moving on to this one, bit irregular on colour. Hmm.
Darker on one side than it is on another.
It's broken a bit here in the mould.
The lemon isn't properly crystallised. No. It's very raw.
I got more thyme than I did lemon.
Moving on to the last one. I like the look of this.
Pretty neat on the baking as well.
I like the way the icing is confined to small ribbons down the runnels.
I can see the thyme, but I can't really taste it.
It could have a bit more. It could have a bit more.
The lemon's tangy enough and the bake's good.
The lemon and thyme drizzle cakes will now be ranked from last
to first place.
In seventh place, we have this one.
Tasha, bit clumsy on the icing and you had trouble with it,
getting out of a tin, didn't you?
In sixth spot, we have this one.
This is very irregular with the colours.
Inside, it's too pale.
I don't know whether you had problems with it sticking
to the tin or was it the bake?
No, I don't know! Hmm.
Saku is in fifth place,
Matty is fourth and Dan comes third.
In second, we have this one. Whose is this?
Very nice, Josh. I like the icing, I like the decoration,
I love the colour.
It needed a little bit more thyme, but it's a nice one.
Which means...
...Cristy, I loved your decoration, it's very elegant.
Lots of thyme, lots of lemon - perfect. Thank you.
Well done! Well done.
Well done, bakers.
You've done so well. Go home, have a little rest
and we'll see you tomorrow for the Showstopper. Well done, kids.
I genuinely never thought I'd get first in the Technical,
so, yeah, I'm over the moon! Ah!
I was hoping for a good technical, but second to last, it's not last.
SHE SIGHS
That was really bad.
Yeah, I can't lie, I feel a bit sick about tomorrow.
I'm not ready to go home.
It's botanicals week so did anybody really shine?
I think Cristy's in a very strong position
for Star Baker again this week.
What about Tasha?
She did not do a good Technical,
but she did a tremendously good Signature. She did.
Josh is doing quite well again, isn't he?
Josh has done all right, which puts him in line with Cristy,
but the likes of Dana, Matty are in worse trouble than the rest.
Matty, why did he do so bad in the Signature?
A bit boring. There was not enough fruit in it. OK.
I didn't like Dana's signature.
The shapes were all wrong.
We wanted consistency and we just didn't get it.
You've got to look at all of it - texture, appearance, flavour,
technical prowess.
Any mistakes, you could go home.
Hello, bakers, welcome back to the tent.
It's time for your Showstopper Challenge.
The judges would like you to bake a beautiful
and imaginative floral dessert.
You can choose any style of dessert,
but it must include a significant baked element
and you should celebrate florals through your flavours and design.
Floral really is the key word. It is.
Something you could serve at a picnic or wear as
a headdress at Glastonbury.
You have four-and-a-half hours.
On your marks... Get set...
Bake!
Experimenting with different floral flavours,
not really my comfort zone.
Anything that I can mess up on, I tend to stay clear.
When you put elderflower in, it sounds quite, like, potiony,
know what I mean? Harry Potter.
So we're asking the bakers for a layered dessert.
We're talking jellies, ganaches, bavarois,
mousse, biscuits, anything they wish,
but we want it all to be beautifully holding together.
Ah, stressful.
The overall flavour is floral.
The trouble with flowers is one second, there's not enough flavour
and then you go over the top and then they taste like soap.
Dandelion syrup.
It should taste incredible
and, of course, look like a Bake Off Showstopper.
Hello, Dan. Good morning. Tell us about your floral Showstopper.
It's a wild-flower meadow theme
and then I'm doing an opera-style floral dessert.
When you say opera, how many layers are you using there? Seven?
No, four layers of joconde.
So it's opera-style. Right. Are you using chocolate at the top?
No, I'm putting, meadowsweet butter.
When you say opera... Yeah.
It's a layered dessert, how's that? Yeah, that's it, that's better!
Dan's wild-flower meadow layered dessert will include joconde sponges
flavoured with elderflower,
a dandelion jelly pond
with choux swans and meadowsweet butter cream.
Meadowsweet. |I've never heard of that. Yeah, it's just like a local
foraged plant, sort of grows around bogs, marshes. So you made this?
I've made that, yeah, yeah. You made this? Oh, it's recognisable.
Yeah, it is, yeah. Like cat pee.
Yeah, that's the one, yeah.
I'm very impressed that you guys know what cat pee tastes like.
Matty's taking his inspiration not from wildlife...
I've got one of those shot things,
I don't know why I didn't think to bring it. ..but nightlife.
More of a drink, innit?
When you put elderflower in prosecco or something like that
with some blackberries in it,
it's a real masculine drink I find as well,
so people look scared when you're drinking it.
"I'll leave him alone."
Taking his cue from his favourite summer tipple,
Matty's adding elderflower into nearly every element
of his dessert, including his blackberry mousse,
lemon cremeux, Genoise sponge and blackberry mirror glaze.
Is it true about blackberries?
Being? The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice? Is it true?
Is it true?
You tell me!
It's true.
Whatever complementary flavours the bakers are using...
I am making cheesecake base with ginger biscuit.
...their florals need to be the star of the show.
Floral flavours are quite subtle
so I will use more hibiscus to bring hibiscus flavour.
Want to get that tangy thing.
Hibiscus will flavour the mousse and butter cream
of Saku's Earl Grey cheesecake, which will sit on
a ginger biscuit base
and be topped with an intricate 3D jelly flower.
I'm really worried about the jelly art. I don't have artistic skills.
You say that. You are really artistic.
Thank you very much. Baking's art. Are you artistic?
Of course you are.
Who's your favourite artist?
Do you know Banksy? Yes, the one who is painting, uh, buildings.
He sent me a letter once.
Really? Hmm. You're joking.
It just said "stop"” in it. Just "stop™.
One baker who doesn't know when
to curb their artistic ambitions is Tasha.
Hello, Tash. Hi, Tash.
Tell us all about your floral Showstopper.
OK.
Ten layers. Ten.
Right, that's a bit ambitious.
OK. Here we go.
Amongst Tasha's ten layers will be a palet Breton biscuit,
a bavarois, two sponges,
three different jellies and a ruby chocolate mousse,
all flavoured with hibiscus or elderflower.
These will be wrapped in a hibiscus joconde sponge
and topped with jelly art.
Tasha, this is crazy.
Have you practised this?
If you pull it off, it will be fantastic.
I'm really looking forward to this.
Yeah. Thank you.
Amongst their layers must be a substantial baked element.
I'm going to rattle through four joconde sponges.
And the bakers won't be able
to begin assembling their spectacular Showstoppers...
Oh, come on, Josh.
...until their sponges and biscuits are baked and completely cool.
It's like the flipping Baking Olympics today.
Trying to get the ginger biscuit base sorted.
These are going in.
That's good and spongy so I'm happy with that.
This is a really nice, light trifle sponge.
So I am doing a russe, like Charlotte russe,
so it's going to have sponge fingers round the outside
and it's going to have two sponge layers in the actual cake as well.
As well as his sponges, Josh's russe will contain
a compote, jellies and two bavarois,
flavoured with combinations of
raspberry, rhubarb and hibiscus.
Hibiscus is one of those flowers that I used to grow with my nan.
We used to do competitions actually.
We'd have hibiscus plants in our conservatories
and we'd see who could grow the most hibiscus flowers on there.
Usually, she'd get up to 12 or 15 all on at once. It's amazing.
Dana's also using hibiscus,
but is pairing it with floral powerhouse, rose.
Rose has actually got quite a strong taste to it.
I just want the full-on flavour.
I don't want any criticism that they can't taste the components.
Rose will feature in her raspberry bavarois
and white chocolate mousse, which she'll complement with
a hibiscus jelly and coconut sponge.
Her finished dessert will sit inside an ambitious sugar work box.
I am just layering this up with edible flowers
and then I'm putting isomalt over the top.
I do like this. Do ya? Yeah, I love it.
I actually went out with a girl who put flowers in resin. Yeah.
It's reminding me of that. Well, that's kind of like the inspiration
I went off. You know when you see so many videos on TikTok
of it all going through? Yeah. So are you endlessly watching baking?
Do you know what? I start off watching baking stuff
and then somehow I've ended up
watching, like, shark attacks or something like that.
I get loads of shark stuff! Do you?
What is it about me and you that they went... what is it?
..."These guys are going to love shark attacks"? Yeah!
One baker who could be heading into deep water is Cristy,
who's the only one to use an intricate mould
for her floral dessert.
So this is my mould.
It's risky cos it's very textured.
If I get it right, the pay-off, I think, will be nice.
It's so effective.
Cristy's moulded entremets will contain lemon
and elderflower Genoise sponge,
creme diplomat and two jellies -
strawberry and elderflower,
and rhubarb and basil -
all encased in a
white chocolate ganache.
White chocolate? Yeah.
Does it work? You look worried.
It's quite warm today.
It's really hot. And you're using a white chocolate ganache... Yeah.
...moulded on the top. If you get that chocolate ganache out of
the mould intact, it'll look very pretty. I think it sounds good.
Good. Good luck. Thank you! Good luck, Cristy.
Bakers, you are halfway through this mamm-ooth challenge.
Beautiful. No messing around.
SHE SIGHS
Let me just check.
I'll take it out. Looks all right.
Sponge fingers.
Yeah, they're good. Very good.
Ow.
BLEEP
Ahh...
That was t'wrong thing to do, weren't it?
Now it's going to the fridge.
With their baked elements cooling...
Shouldn't be tough. If it's tough, it's game over.
...or being remade...
I love making things twice, yeah.
...the bakers can finish making the other elements of their dessert.
I've got my strawberry jelly started.
But whether they're making jellies...
My pond jelly, that needs two gelatine leaves going in.
...mousses...
Hibiscus mousse. It needs lots of setting.
...or custards...
This is the elderflower cremeux.
...the amount of setting agent will be crucial to ensure
a melt-in-the-mouth texture and clearly defined layers.
Just mixed in my gelatine.
Don't want it to taste unpleasant, like rubber.
It could act as a bouncy ball.
Some of the layers are going to be a little bit looser than
the rest, but as well, at the same time, I want everything,
when you cut into it, nothing's oozing out.
I feel like you need another seven benches
with all these ingredients. What's going on?
Why have you created something so elaborate?
I'm the person that I shout at when I watch it on TV.
As we were.
I might do another one actually!
Bakers, you have one hour left.
SHE SIGHS
Going to start building.
Supposed to look like an entremet so, like, layers
so there's a lot of setting.
Building their floral masterpieces...
I just need a really thin layer.
Oh, sugar!
Right, happy with that.
...will require expert use of the fridge and freezer.
Might have to break this mould. It's just set so firm.
Too long at low temperatures
and their delicate sponges could dry out.
Think it's frozen solid.
But not enough time chilling, and their jellies and creams
could fail to set, resulting in a sloppy mess.
Oh, I don't want to make a mess for everybody.
Just basically leaked.
That looks amazing. Yes, well...
What are you going to do with that? Put it in the freezer?
You just pop that baby in the freezer.
Not a baby. No-one puts baby in the freezer!
That's a joke for Patrick Swayze fans.
Bakers, you have half an hour left.
Just half an hour.
Oh, man.
Half an hour, hopefully might just make it.
Right, next step, next step. Fab.
Nice and even layers.
It's set. I mean, I could probably leave it in for longer.
I don't know why I'm not.
Could you just hold it steady while I just peel off this?
Yeah, course I can. Thank you. I just need to peel this.
Jelly just basically leaked. It's going to crack.
Got my cream sorted for my choux buns.
This is the cooled-down mirror glaze
so it just covers it a bit better.
I don't know if it's set enough.
I can feel something not good.
Really? SHE SIGHS
Breathe. Trust your instincts.
I sound like Obi-Wan now. I'm Yoda.
It is lifting off. Hmm, trust your instincts, young Jedi!
Oh! Yes?
It's broken. It's broken? It's broken. You can fix that, can't you?
I'm going to... No, it's broken everywhere.
Oh, my gosh.
I'm going to have to redo it.
I mean, literally, freeze it and remake it. You can do it.
I'm just going to have to.
Oh, I'm going to cry my eyes out.
OK, just breathe.
Oh, bless her.
Babes, don't worry.
Babe, you've got Star Baker.
I just... Hello? I'm really hot,
I'm really hot. I know.
All right, cool down, cool down.
I'm really upset.
Bakers, you have 15 minutes left.
I'll be all right.
All right, do you need any help?
No, no, no, I'm all right. Thank you, Dan.
All right. I'm fine, I'm fine. SHE SNIFFS
Now, the next nervous task is the jelly domes.
I'm going to do my jelly art in these.
They're actually crystallisation dishes that I'd have in
the chemistry lab.
I'm super nervous for this.
Choux swans haven't turned out as choux swans unfortunately.
Come on.
Oh, it's wobbling, just like jelly.
SHE GASPS
I don't know if it's right.
Something might be right with the mixture.
Oh, my gosh, I can't even look at that.
When I did this in practice, it collapsed.
SHE GASPS
I screwed up the first jelly so I need to do another one.
This is not good.
Wouldn't really imagine that I'd be standing here talking
to you while you make delicate pink rose flowers.
No, at the turn of the year,
I didn't think this would be a thing either.
Nothing's going to set...
It's just not...
It's just too... It's just too, erm... Oh...
I'm just trying to think of this gap. Yeah. Is that stuck on already?
Oh. See, now that's cracked. Yeah.
SHE GASPS
Holy mackerel. Oh, my God.
I'm going to take the top off.
This is such a disaster. Oh...
How long have we got left?
BOTH: Bakers, you have five minutes left.
Need to dig deep now, gear six.
Oh, my goodness me, perfection.
Can't have 'em eating this. They can't...
HE SIGHS Right, I'm going to slide it.
Gentle, gentle movements.
This is where you could with being
artistic and I am far from.
Just going to have to risk it, aren't we?
Please don't split, please don't split, please don't split.
Oh, my God.
Don't know if it's going to slide.
Oh, dear.
I don't have steady hands.
Oh, I broke it.
SHE MOANS
Bakers, you have one minute left. One minute.
I'm just going to try... Don't break.
I just can't believe it.
SHE EXHALES
I've got something out.
That's great! You did it!
It's better than it was, isn't it?
Come on, Josh.
Oh, I just feel like the top looks a bit cack.
OK, just breathe.
I feel like if it moves, it's going to break.
I don't know what I could do.
Anything I do now'd just look random.
It looks beautiful, but I broke a little bit.
Oh, my God.
Bakers, your time is up.
Please step away from your Showstoppers.
Just don't think...
It just looks a bit like... I don't know.
The whole thing bloody cracked
and I got it done in, like, two minutes to go. No, it's fine.
It's time for the bakers' show-stopping floral desserts
to face judgment.
Tasha, would you like to bring up your Showstopper, please?
I love the look of this. It's so professional,
I love the jelly on the top.
The line down there's not the best thing,
but you're always going to get that
and there's always going to be a break.
And there's occasionally a bit of jelly runs out. A bit of leakage.
Yeah.
That jelly looks lovely. It doesn't look too rubbery.
It looks really as if it's collapsing, which is lovely.
Wow.
Hmm, it's absolutely heavenly.
Raspberry and hibiscus - you know, that is the most delicious flavour.
Really good elderflower.
The bitterness that you initially get probably from
the hibiscus balances beautifully with everything else.
If you can manage to fit it all in your mouth -
and fortunately I have a large mouth - it means you get all
the flavours together, which is what you wanted to achieve,
and you end up with something that's beautiful so well done.
It's a triumph. Well done, Tasha.
Thank you.
It's very pretty.
It's very Bake Off in the sense of it's very pastel,
which suits the tent beautifully.
Your flowers and your jelly work is really beautiful.
Distinctive lines, distinctive colour.
Very good texture.
Just set, which is what you want.
Thank you.
The ginger is the overwhelming flavour.
I'm not getting much flavour in anything else.
I mean, I'm hunting for anything.
Is this raspberry?
That is hibiscus.
Hmm. Hmm.
It's so mild. You need to carry a big punch in this
to make it work. OK.
All your textures are spot-on, but your flavours are lacking.
I'm so sorry.
Thank you, Saku. Thank you, Saku.
It's certainly imaginative!
It left the edges exposed, which I quite like cos that...
Oh, do you? I think that's where you are, like an opera cake.
Very nice, even layers.
I never thought I'd say this,
but I think there's actually too much floral.
OK. It's very perfumed.
It's mostly elderflower that's the strongest, isn't it? Yeah.
Hmm, that's really sharp.
Probably too sharp for what this is.
I get the meadowsweet as well.
It's a bit like freshly cut grass, you know? Yeah.
It's got that flavour.
There is certainly a strong botanical feel to this,
which is what we wanted. Very good choux too.
Yeah, well done. Overall, I think you've done a decent job.
Brilliant, thank you. Thank you.
Thank you very much, cheers. Well done, Dan.
Whether it's a Showstopper, I'm not sure.
Yeah. I'm not so sure.
The flowers actually would've been better if you'd done
a pile and then sort of cascaded it down.
Yeah, they're a little like soldiers in a row.
Let's have a look and see what it's like inside.
Aha.
Ooh!
You've got your layers nicely separated.
Yeah, the lemon, has that got elderflower with it as well?
Yeah. It's not very strong.
It doesn't quite meet the botanical brief.
One feels it's a lemon cake.
I think your custard layer is too stodgy and a bit rubbery.
It's very rubbery.
It is delicious, but it isn't a Showstopper.
Thank you. Thank you. Cheers.
Well done, Matty. Well done, Matty. Thank you.
It's beautiful. It looks great.
Oh, thank you. It has split, that's the only thing on the outside.
It does look very pretty.
I love the work here on the top.
Very skilful injecting.
Come on, come on. Wobble, wobble.
Look at that.
The setting of this is spot-on.
You've managed to get each of the layers there without too much
rubber in each layer so they've held together, just about.
The flavours are spot-on.
And I think the compote is beautiful.
Great flavours, great textures, great overall look.
Shame it's split, but... Just needed a ribbon.
I think, overall, you've done a great job. Well done.
Lovely. Thank you.
Well, Dana, you've certainly got something of
a Showstopper just in the box.
It looks amazing. All those flowers are beautifully done,
but the main thing is the dessert.
Let's have a quick look inside this.
Oh, wow.
Wow, look at those.
Pretty stark colours, them.
I'm not sure I'm getting the floral.
OK. Not getting the rose. A bit of a hibiscus. Hmm.
The raspberry comes through more than the hibiscus.
Hibiscus. Yeah.
The sponge has dried out like it's been sitting there for three days...
Mm-hm. ..because you've been putting that in the fridge for so long.
The cake is pretty solid and the layers are too thick.
Overall, your appearance is exceptional,
but is it style above substance?
Thank you.
Be honest, I... It was all going well, everything was set...
Stop. OK.
I think it's quite effective. I like the colour.
These are quite nice. There's a couple of little splodges.
Obviously you've had issues with it.
I am getting strong strawberry
and I am getting a decent amount of tang coming from the elderflower,
which is your saving grace because then it makes it floral.
The sponge is all right as well.
Setting, it's just a little bit messy, that's all. OK.
I feel really sorry for you
because you were obviously nearly into something perfect,
but I think with your second attempt,
your chocolate ganache is too much and too thick,
and the layers are a bit all over the place,
but it's still very delicious.
Thank God, it's over!
I've seen people throw stuff in the bin before.
I was determined I wasn't going to be one of 'em!
I'm relieved.
I'll take that any day over what could've been an absolute nightmare.
I do think I'm in the bottom side of things,
but even if some of the inside fillings weren't
the best, I'm beyond proud of it.
I fell right at the last hurdle in terms of making it look like
the Showstopper it was meant to be.
They couldn't taste anything.
Look at my face for the last time - I'm going home tonight.
So, Prue and Paul,
botanicals week - how do you think it went?
Surprisingly well. It's actually been quite successful.
I think the bakes have all been pretty good
so when it comes to judging, it comes down to little things.
Who were the stand-out people for you?
Josh - the textures were right, the flavours were terrific, the whole
thing was quite imaginative and it was beautifully executed. Hmm.
I have to say, I was blown away by Tasha.
I think Tasha started well this week actually.
She didn't do too well in the technical,
she was seventh, but she has bounced back in a big way today
so it puts her in line for Star Baker as well.
And then you look at Cristy - she had a bit of a mess-up with this,
but, nevertheless, it did taste good and it looked good.
At least she carried on.
Exactly, she never gave up. I love that.
I think three people struggled.
I think Matty struggled.
It wasn't quite polished enough and finished,
and a little bit simple, but then you look at Dana.
I mean, the box was OK...
I thought it was amazing.
It was a Showstopper, but then the dessert inside had to be perfect.
Is what it was all about, yeah.
The cake was too thick, a bit dry.
Yeah. And then Saku.
Hardly any flavour. Such a shame, isn't it? Oh, heartbreaking.
But that's not like her either, which is strange. No. No.
No. I think it's going to be really tight,
whoever we choose to go home today.
It's only one today though, isn't it?
Yeah, only one today.
Paul wants to send three people home!
LAUGHTER
Well done, bakers. You did fantastic in botanicals week.
I've got the great job this week of announcing Star Baker.
And this week's Star Baker is...
.Josh.
And unfortunately, I've got the job that no-one wants
and I've got to say,
this has been one of the hardest decisions of the competition so far.
So, the baker leaving the tent today is...
...Dana.
Thank you.
Sorry, Dana. No, it's OK. It was not your week.
I feel like I've smashed it. Week six.
Dana, you've been amazing. Oh, thanks, pal.
I'm going to miss you so much.
I'm just kind of thinking of all the fun that I've had throughout
the whole six weeks and that's what I'm going to be remembering.
Oh, my God, Josh, well done.
You did so, so well,
I don't even know what to say. It's incredible.
Yeah. I can't wait to tell my mum.
Well done, pal. You deserve that.
You've been knocking on the door for it. Crazy.
Well done, pal. Well done.
I've got some news to share with you. Yeah?
I'm Star Baker for this week.
Yes!
SHE CHEERS AND LAUGHS
Oh, thank you so much.
Through, yeah.
Probably a little bit by the skin of the teeth...but through.
Phew.
And now I'm going to have to ask for annual leave from my manager.
That's my worry!
Tomorrow morning, email, "Charlotte, I want more time off."
Charlotte will climb walls!
Next time, it's dessert week...
I'm pooing myself. ..and the bakers face a wobbly Signature Bake...
It's jiggly. She's jiggly.
...the sloppiest technical the tent has ever seen...
My gosh, they can't eat this. They're going to get ill.
...and it's bombs away in the Showstopper.
It lives up to its name of a bomb.
Who will be the queen or the king of puddings?
That is a proper dessert inside.
And who will get their just deserts?
Oh, my gosh, what have I done?
This is a car crash!
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