The Great British Bake Off / Baking Show Recap – Episode 3 – Bread Week

Darcie, Jane and I are back again for another recap. A reminder that narrative not labeled as Darcie or Jane was written or compiled by Jenny.

I don’t think I have laughed as much during an episode as I did this week. My only regret is that I wish I had thought of taking a shot each time a baker said “nightmare” or Paul said “under proofed” “under baked” or “over baked”. I am loving this group more with every passing week.

My favorite lines:

• Lizzie during the signature: “Stick to what you know when you don’t know nothing.”
• Lizzie during the technical: “We only put a condom on a cucumber in school, we didn’t grate them.” Which I found ironic because she had such difficulty getting her focaccia in the large proofing bag.
• Lizzie after the technical: “I wonder if they are drinking something stronger than tea to vote me 2nd place?”
• Freya during the technical: “Time to make the tz… whatever that is.”
• George during the technical while making the tzatziki: “If I screw this up I won’t be able to set foot back in Cyprus.”
• Maggie when being judged for her showstopper after Paul asked “Is this 4 1/2 hours worth of work?” “It was for me.”

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Signature: Focaccia in 2 hours and 45 minutes.

I’ve made focaccia before and now that I’ve watched this episode I want to make it again. I thought everyone’s flavor combinations sounded great even those with ingredients I am not fond of – red peppers, olives. Giuseppe received the first Paul Hollywood handshake of the season and well deserved it was. Over all, most everyone received nice comments save Jürgen who was told he needed more proof, less bake time.

Darcie: I’ve never been a big fan of focaccia, but after seeing this episode I think that is because I haven’t had any done properly. Now I’m determined to try again. This shaped up to be a battle of the Mediterranean with George and Giuseppe both feeling the pressure on breads that are close to home. I was impressed with Rochica’s floral design but her flavor fell flat, with too much garlic. Crystelle’s focaccia was “annoyingly thin” which is what has always happened to my focaccia as well. After two weeks on top, Jürgen’s star seems to be falling. I also laughed at Amanda’s quote (see Jane’s comment).

Jane: Amanda said that she loves picking at meze and added “Girls who are pickers wear big knickers”. Most Americans may know this but knickers are underwear. Lizzie talked about her family eating and drinking during Aintree. This is a big horse racing venue in Liverpool and where the Grand National is held. Freya mentioned faff again – something that takes more effort than seems justified.

Recipes:

• Lizzie’s Truffle Focaccia
• George’s Greek Inspired Focaccia

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Technical: 15 olive and cheese ciabatta breadsticks with tzatziki in 2 hours.

I loved Maggie’s attitude when it was pointed out that she failed to put her onions in the dough mixture. “Not going to worry”. It seems that many of the bakers had floppy breadsticks.

Darcie: As the weeks progress, I’m becoming more fond of Lizzie. This week I struggled to understand a few things she said – thank goodness for closed captioning! I admire her ability to roll with the punches while still being upbeat and witty, and I like her sense of humor. She did quite well in this technical – she’s one to watch. I sympathized with Crystelle who had a few bits of herbs and possibly dough in her hair – I usually have to shower and change clothes after a serious round of baking because I have ingredients clinging all over me.

Jane: Maggie said she would blag her way through – not quite proper use of “blag” here as it usually means getting something for free. Lizzie said the ciabatta dough she was kneading was like troll bogies – trolls I think we all know as monsters and bogies are nose slime.

Judging: 10th place went to Roicha, 9th to Crystelle, 8th to Maggie…..then we have Amanda in 3rd, Lizzie in 2nd and Guiseppe in 1st.

Recipes:

• Paul Hollywood’s ciabatta breadsticks with tzatziki

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Showstopper: A 3D milk bread display in 4 and 1/2 hours.

I noticed no mention of the cultural significance behind milk bread. From the NY Times: “Milk bread was developed in Japan in the 20th century, using tangzhong, a warm flour-and-water paste traditionally used in China to make buns with a soft, springy texture and tiny air bubbles.” From Bon Appetit: “Legend has it that milk bread may have been actually invented by British baker Robert Clarke, who opened Yokohama Bakery in Japan back in 1862.” We have 115 recipes in our EYB Library (online recipes) for milk bread.

Next week, Kristina Cho’s Mooncakes and Milk Bread will be released and I am completely smitten with this gorgeous book and would be an incredible addition to your baking library! A great section on milk bread is shared in this title.

Back to the showstoppers, Maggie, Freya, and Amanda had displays depicting sea creatures. Jürgen created a baby and toys. George worked on a koala. Crystelle depicted Sunday roast. Lizzie made a Tudor-inspired pig and vegetable display. Rochica created a birdcage however stated she wasn’t a fan of birds. Chig’s created a beautiful picnic basket. Last, but certainly not least, was Giuseppe and his fruit and vegetable display.

They were all very impressive except for Rochica’s leaning tower of bird cage display. I cried tears of laughter when Lizzie stated that her pet pig Sadie died but they didn’t eat it. Then while at judge’s table, she spoke of her beloved pig once again. “She slipped on the ice and we had to put her down.” Noel’s “never take a pig ice skating” was brilliant. I love all the bakers but Lizzie was hysterical this week.

Darcie: I agree with Jenny’s comments – Jürgen’s statement that milk bread was just bread made with milk instead of water completely misses the mark on what sets milk bread apart from regular soft bread. I also found the challenge puzzling because as Paul noted, milk bread is really soft and therefore doesn’t keep its shape well. So why make them shape it? In the end, simplicity was key for getting high marks from Paul and Prue. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Jürgen’s baby although he did execute it well (that really doesn’t sound right). I thought Amanda’s octopus was charming, and I laughed when Maggie admitted she made her first octopus with only six legs (maybe she should have changed hers to a spider instead). Overall the contestants did pretty well except for Rochica and Maggie.

Jane: I think everyone knows what Sunday roast is and probably all EYB members know Yorkshire puddings but in case not – they are like American popovers.

Recipes:

• Freya‘s Vegan Milk Bread
• Amanda’s Milk Bread Cinnamon Rolls

Star baker: Guisepppe
Sent home: Rochica (read her lovely good bye)