The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show – Week 2 – Biscuit 2024

The old saying “They are dropping like flies” is appropriate for this week’s episode. I think that saying is a misnomer, however, because I’ve been trying to kill a fly for three weeks now – and it keeps coming back to haunt me. I think I got him and then just like Michael Myers in the Halloween movies – boom there he is. But I digress. During the technical, Jeff left as he stated he wasn’t feeling up to par yet again but I believe the pressure was getting to him. After the showstopper, Illiyin fainted but remained in the game and then Dylan took a tumble off his stool during the judging as he was reaching for his water. It was quite an adventure.

Signature bake: 12 Viennese whirls in 2 hours.

We have 43 indexed recipes for the cookies and 17 online recipes. Paul commented that the cookies were finicky – overbake them and they are too hard to eat, underbake and they fall apart.

The judging was mixed. Paul told Andy that his version was one of the best Viennese whirls he has had in a long time. Sumuyah made dainty beautiful swans that were perfect. Dylan was told that he had layers of deliciousness in his whirls. On the other end, Hazel had problems and they were not sweet and underbaked. She had redone them and forgot the sugar, it was determined.

Darcie: When something appears to be simple, it usually means there are actually a zillion things that can go sideways, as was shown here. Baking in a tent provides challenges due to temperature and humidity, and the timing element really throws a spanner (wrench) into the works. Chilling the dough was necessary to preserve the details, as Hazel discovered to her detriment. I thought Nelly’s dogs were cute, and she is shaping up to be the hilarious class clown with a heart of gold. I found Georgie’s powdered rhubarb to be an intriguing idea, but it didn’t pan out because it gave the biscuits a funky appearance.

Technical: Mint chocolate biscuits set by Prue Leith in 2 hours

The mint chocolate biscuits are based on the Lyon’s Viscount biscuits that Paul and Prue reminisced about.

This time the bakers were given a basic recipe to work with and the chocolate was everywhere! It was a mess. Dylan came in last with Andy following him. Sumuyah was in third, John took second and Mike took first.

Darcie: Judging by what was shown during the baking portion, I was actually surprised that so many of the end products were not a disaster; the producers really focused on the bakers who struggled. The process for tempering chocolate isn’t something that most home bakers have memorized and it showed, with some really struggling to get the proper snap and sheen. It’s not easy under the best conditions, much less in a tent with a time limit, so kudos to those who succeeded.

Jeff decided to bow out of the competition after continuing to feel unwell. I think the pressure in the tent got to him, although he did okay in the signature bake, delivering a strong coffee flavor in his Viennese whirls that Paul and Prue liked. He probably felt that there was no way he could compete if he wasn’t feeling 100 percent, so made the difficult decision to leave.

Showstopper: a cookie puppet theater in 4 hours.

Egads, what they expect from these bakers is mind boggling but then there are always several bakers that blow me away.

I loved Nelly’s story about including five stars representing the five babies she lost (her two children and husband were represented as well). She stated that even though in life there are many dark moments there is always a light at the end. She is turning into my favorite, her personality is great and the way she chases Noel is quite funny.

Hazel had loads of issues and was told her basic structure was wonky. Illiyin’s theater was brought up by Noel and was missing the cookies that were to represent her and her husband – she had tossed them before she fainted as she thought they were awful. Her shortbread was tender and had nice flavor.

Christiaan received a handshake and deservingly so – his moving theater had a lovely design, was charming and detailed. Dylan’s theater was also amazing – the cookies were tasty and the detail was beautiful. Sumayah’s theater was very artistic and her flavors were fantastic.

In the end, Sumayah was star baker and Hazel was sent home. I think the tent was a bit much for the seasoned baker.

Darcie: The building stuff out of biscuits/cookies is my least favorite part of the series, because it’s not something that anyone really does outside of gingerbread houses during the holidays, and because it’s extremely difficult to do in such a short time period. Despite the limitations, there are a few bakers who do amazingly well, and Sumayah really did a fantastic job. Three bakers we didn’t discuss much in our recap this week who are doing well but are not rising all the way to the top are Gill, Mike, and John. They are definitely ones to watch for in upcoming episodes.

Jane’s translation service: I imagine several viewers have the subtitles on for this series as there are so many regional accents. Tempering chocolate was described (accurately) as a faff – this means it’s difficult to do and often feels like more trouble than it is worth (though in this case it was important for shine and snap). And snooker was mentioned – the British equivalent of pool. I think gobsmacked may be known around the world but in case not, it literally means to be hit in the mouth but is used when you are amazed – as John was when he won technical and Christiaan was after the Hollywood Handshake.