5 weeks in and one thing was on everyone’s lips. No it wasn’t those gluten-free pittas, it was Ian. Could anyone take Ian’s Star Baker crown away from him? And more importantly what the hell is psyllium?! Before we start going into detail, can I just say I love the contestants on the show, they’re…
Tag: paul hollywood
My Thoughts on Dessert Week
Dessert Week of Bake Off was full of wobble, French meringue, Swiss meringue and more wobble! There was enough wobble for Sandy to start wobbling out of the tent all the way back home and Ian to launch into unprecedented Bake Off heights as he stood on the apple and tarragon layer of his cheesecake…
My Thoughts on Bread Week
Bread Week was the best in Bake Off history; better than 8-strand plait in Series Three and even better than Paul the Psychic Octopus tribute loaf in Series Four. This week had one of the best Signatures by the cast and the single most impressive showstopper EVER. Let’s start with the (for me) controversial Signature…
My Thoughts on Biscuit Week
Biscuit Week was full of ups, downs, Mary and Paul’s teeth scattered across the tent with the crunchy biscotti, collapsed biscuit boxes and the remaining pastry crumbs from the arlettes. Yep that’s a pastry in Biscuit Week. But more controversy later… The signature challenge this week is Biscotti, a twice baked Italian biscuit. The bakers…
GBBO Biscuit Week Challenge 2: Chocolate and Nut Biscotti
Biscotti are these dry twice-baked Italian biscuits, in fact the name itself originates from a word meaning “twice cooked/baked”. You’ll often see biscotti in coffee shops alongside an espresso or even as a dessert with vin santo, a Tuscan fortified wine. Some recipes for biscotti will make a very firm dough but this recipe is…
Guest Post: Star-topped Mince Pies by Rebecca Herd
I loved having Rebecca write posts for my blog so much so I asked her to write a couple more Christmas-inspired posts for me. You can check out Rebecca’s last post here: Ginger and Fudge Cupcakes After writing my last post, Andrew asked if I would mind writing a Christmas post for his blog. As…
GBBO 14 Episode 10 Review: The Final Week
So there we have it, Nancy Birtwhistle is the Champion of The Great British Bake Off. Best Bake: Nancy’s Red Windmill and Luis’ Village in Chocolate Signature Challenge: 24 Viennoiserie The traditional Danish pastries, which consist of either an enriched brioche-style bread dough or a laminated pastry, were the bakers’ first challenge of the Final. Taking normally…
GBBO 14 Episode 9 Review: Patisserie Week
What an amazing semi-final this week. Some of the trickiest challenges to date saw off one of the Bake Off’s flavour powerhouses in history. They faced Signature Baklavas (however you pronounce it), a Technical Schichttorte (a grilled German cake) and 24 Showstopping Entremets. Was there any favouritism from the judges this week however… find out…
GBBO 14 Episode 8 Review: Advanced Dough Week
The quarterfinal of the show did not disappoint with the bakers being tested with all manners of tricky enriched doughs. Chetna and Richard both had firsts ever on this week’s show and Nancy once again mesmerised with her use of technology. Find out my thoughts below. Eliminated: Martha My Elimination Prediction: Luis (see the rest of them…
GBBO 14 Episode 7 Review: Pastry Week
Mary and Paul had one of the toughest decisions in the history of Bake Off yet, having to choose between one to go in the best batch of bakers after facing Signature Savoury Parcels, a technical Kouign Amman (pronounced “Queen Amann”) and showstopping Eclairs. Eliminated: Kate My Elimination Prediction: Martha (see the rest of them here) Star…
GBBO 14 Episode 6 Review: European Cakes Week
Thanks to a huge selection of European accents, a phenomenal amount of sugar work in the showstopper and Mel and Sue being on top form, this has to be my favourite week thus far. But who went in this tricky and tense week Eliminated: Nobody My Elimination Prediction: Kate (see the rest of them here) Star Baker:…
Andrew in the Kitchen 