The Semi-Final Junior Bake Off

It's the semifinals of Junior Bake Off.

After two tense and closely fought quarterfinals, six bakers remain.

Only four will face tomorrow's final.

Baking just got even more serious, because in the heats, it was

a little bit serious, and then the quarterfinals, it got a bit

more serious, and now it's the semifinals, it's really serious.

-Welcome... BOTH:

-To Junior Bake Off.

Today, Amari, Megan, Alice, join Euan, Freddie and Alyth to prove to

the judges, Graham and Allegra, that they deserve a place in the final.

The six semifinalists that we have,

they've got there through merit, but it's only going to get harder today.

They need to really show us

what they can do as the best young baker in the country.

Two baking challenges stand in their way.

First, a gruelling technical knowledge test.

Cherry...Cherry Bakewell.

Followed by show-stopping bread buns.

They look amazing.

Flavour-wise, this is a nice roll.

To get to the semifinal, Euan's impressed the judges

with his complex yet well-delivered creations.

Technically it's a great bake because you've managed to keep

all that moisture in and give us a crisp pie.

It feels amazing to be back here for the semifinals today.

My plan of attack is to bake and conquer.

Alyth has shown her ability to master sophisticated techniques.

Looks amazing.

The choux ring is very good.

Baking is taking over my life because I'm dreaming about baking,

I'm just baking every day and it's just so fun.

Freddie's risk-taking has made his bakes stand out.

To eat, it's the best pie I've tasted today.

In the past rounds I've impressed the judges by my flavours

and my presentation.

I'll try and do all the same things I've done in the past again today.

Amari has proved herself to be a visionary baker.

I've got an avocado and mango filling.

Wow!

I think the judges will have a lot higher expectations.

It's the semifinals, they will expect bigger flavours

and better designs.

Despite timing issues, Megan's perfectionism has seen her through.

You haven't completed it, but to look at, you have the best kisses.

Very important for me to keep on top of my time,

especially this being my one critique through the whole

of the competition, so I just hope that I can keep it under control.

Alice has consistently shown finesse in her finishing skills.

Very nice, gorgeous, what a set of mummies.

Now I'm in the semifinal, the final seems really close,

and it's going to be a tough battle to get through.

Bakers, welcome to the semifinal.

This is so exciting, but there's a lot more work to do yet.

And we're going to do things slightly differently today.

Yes, one by one we're going to ask you to come up to the judges' table

and have your baking knowledge put to the test.

So while we get set up for that,

could we ask you please to make your way outside?

We've seen that they can follow recipes,

but really we wanted to get a sense of their general baking knowledge.

At their age, I'm expecting them to know certain things.

Not everything, but if they do, all the better.

The bakers will face three very different challenges designed

to test their technical knowledge.

First, they must identify a series of bakes

and the pastry used to make them.

Starting with a traditional pork pie, which is

made using a strong, rigid hot water crust pastry.

First up is Amari.

This is a pork pie and I think it's hot water crust pastry.

That's a pork pie and it has hot water crust pastry.

Don't know what kind of pastry it is.

The pastry it has, was used is hot water crust.

I'm not too sure what that pastry is.

Pork pie and hot water crust.

Next is baklava, a sweet Middle Eastern delicacy which

requires paper-thin, light and layered filo pastry.

I don't know what these are called,

but I think it uses filo pastry.

That's baklava, and that's filo pastry.

This one, I'm not sure what it is,

but it looks like it's made with puff pastry.

I think this is rough puff.

And then this is just a guess, but I think it might be baklava.

I think this might be rough puff pastry.

Don't know what the name is.

Puff, pistachio...bites?

I don't know.

Chocolate eclairs are made with a strong but light

and airy choux pastry.

This is an eclair with choux pastry.

They're eclairs...

..so that's choux pastry.

This one's an eclair and it's made with choux pastry.

This is a chocolate eclair. Choux pastry.

That's an eclair and that's choux pastry.

Well, that's an eclair and it's choux pastry.

Classic French patisserie millefeuille is made with flaky

and delicate layered puff pastry.

This tower is puff pastry.

I think those are petit fours and they are puff pastry.

Oh, they're rough puff, but I don't know what it is.

I think this one is flaky pastry,

I'm not sure what it is.

I think that might be flake pastry

and I've got no idea what the name is for that.

That's filo pastry, I think.

It's like a creme patissiere tower or stack.

And finally, a British classic -

Bakewell tart, which is made with crumbly and dense shortcrust pastry.

This one's Bakewell tart, shortcrust pastry?

This is a Bakewell tart and the pastry is shortcrust pastry.

This one just shortcrust pastry and it's a Bakewell tart.

I think this is a Bakewell tart, shortcrust pastry?

Cherry...Cherry Bakewell. It's sweet pastry.

For the second test, Graham has piped individual rosette

shapes onto a cake to create an intricate design.

The bakers must replicate this in under a minute.

On your marks, get set, pipe!

Almost got to the rosette stage. She's finished with a semi-rosette.

-What I liked about him was not only did he turn the plate...

-Yeah.

..but also he then went round for a second round at the end.

Not very neat, though.

No, it's not very neat.

But that never was Freddie's strong point.

Alice has got an attempt at a rose design here, you can see that,

it's almost the same.

What you do have to say about it is that she's the first

one of our bakers who's got that it's lots of individual

movements, not one long one.

He started off well. I thought he was going to start turning it,

he didn't.

Everything inside me was going, "Just turn it, Euan, turn it!"

She started off well, lifting off, saw that she had to turn.

Yeah, I mean you can see there are moments here that are lovely

and there are moments that are fairly disastrous.

She's got a full rosette. Good effort.

More than a good effort, I was really impressed.

For the final and last test, the bakers must spot

and suggest how to avoid the deliberate mistake in Allegra's

blueberry muffins, where the blueberries are all at the bottom.

To ensure an even distribution of fruit, you should coat

the blueberries in flour and layer the fruit into the mix.

What's wrong with it is the fruit has all sunk to the bottom.

I would probably chop up the fruit.

I think you've got too little liquid in there because it was quite

hard to swallow, and you add more liquid to make it better.

All the fruit's at the bottom, so chop them up a bit.

The blueberries have all sunk to the bottom and what I would do to

make it better is roll them in flour so that they don't sink.

I think the blueberries are supposed to be in it.

I would probably mix the blueberries in with the mixture.

Maybe just use the dried fruit rather than the compote

so it doesn't bleed through the muffin.

So, which bakers have proved their baking knowledge?

Here he is. Mark's on his way with the result. Hiya, mate.

-I look incredibly important.

-You really do!

All right. Bakers, the first baker in the top three is...

..Amari. Well done.

ALL CLAP

The second baker in the top three is...

..Euan.

Well done, Euan, well done.

And the third and final baker in the top three is...

-..Megan. Well done.

-Whey!

Well done, guys. That was a very, very, very difficult challenge.

But you've got your Showstopper still to come,

-and it is for a place in the final, OK?

-Yeah.

Best of luck. You didn't need that, did you?

I didn't, there was nothing on it.

Right, brilliant. ALL LAUGH

I am really, really happy that I got in the top three

cos I wasn't really expecting it.

Getting in the top three does actually make me feel a bit

more relaxed about going into the Showstopper.

Someone from the bottom three has to go through to the final.

You can't be in the top two all the time, the others have

to have a chance.

I don't think it's given me any more confidence than I had before,

just because this is the one I was worried about.

Hey, Mark, for your baking knowledge test, I want you to identify these.

-What's this?

-Chocolate eclair. Next.

-What's this?

-Some bread, next.

-What's this?

-A sausage bap, next.

What's the next Showstopper?

-Argentinian tango.

-Wrong show.

-Right.

SAM SIGHS Come on!

-Right, yeah.

-This way!

-Which... Yeah.

-Follow my voice!

-OK.

Welcome back. It is time for your Showstopper.

Graham and Allegra would like you to make animal bread buns.

Now, the 12 buns should be in the shape of three different animals,

could be any bread that you see fit, but it should contain yeast.

-You've got two hours. On your marks.

-Get set.

-BOTH:

-Bake!

The bakers start by mixing flour, water, salt and yeast.

They have to make the dough, they have to knead the dough,

they have to prove it, they then have to shape it,

then bake it, and they've only got two hours to make 12 animals.

This is tough.

You can overbake it, underbake it, overprove it, underprove it,

so there is quite a lot of things that you need

to get right for bread.

I'm making a hedgehog, an owl and a fish.

What the animals are is things that I have right outside my house

because an owl comes out at night, and hedgehogs,

they live in the woods.

Alyth's hedgehogs will be flavoured with cheese.

Her owls will have sunflower seeds as feathers and her fish,

pumpkin seed scales.

Afternoon, Alyth.

-Morning... Oh, yeah, afternoon.

-THEY LAUGH

What have you flavoured your fish with?

Sundried tomatoes and cranberry.

Wow, where do you get that combination from?

Well, I was just trying flavours, really,

and they went really well together, so I just used them.

Once all the ingredients are combined,

the dough has to be kneaded.

My technique for kneading dough is to grab it

and push it away from you,

making sure that it'll have a nice texture.

I stretch it out, then I fold it over,

and stretch it out again and keep stretching and folding.

I'm making under-the-sea animal bread buns,

and I'm making one basic dough. After it's proved,

I'm splitting it into three and adding three different flavours.

Freddie's buns include sundried tomato octopus,

beetroot turtles, starfish decorated with poppy seeds

and the flavours in his fish reflect his seaside theme.

Hey, Freddie, how we doing?

Fine, thanks.

I'm making fish, and that one's flavoured with anchovies and olives.

Great salty sea flavours, those, aren't they?

I really like salty things.

-Yeah, me too, yeah.

-Yay!

-Anchovies are fantastic.

-Doing all right?

-I'm not sure.

I don't want to, like, jinx it or anything.

For my Showstopper, I'm doing just one flavour.

I've been listening to what the other bakers are doing

and I think all of them are doing more than one flavour,

but hopefully my presentation will be nice.

Alice's dough will be flavoured with rosemary, thyme, parsley

and garlic to make her frogs, mice and hedgehogs.

They're a detailed construction, but she has a plan.

What's your chart about?

-It's just for all the extra bits.

-Right, OK.

I'm trying to make the main shape with the dough and then

I keep a bit and use it just to do the legs and feet and eyes.

Got you.

Well, I'm making a sundried tomato, feta and chilli bread.

They are going to be in the shape of caterpillars, butterflies

and ladybirds.

Amari's caterpillars will be topped with pesto.

Her ladybirds will have red pepper wings,

and the butterflies will be decorated with pepperoni.

You get the sundried tomato and then you get the kick of the chilli,

so they go really well together.

Bakers, you've had 30 minutes, you've got one hour and 30 minutes left.

After the dough's been kneaded, it's into the special proving drawer

which is warmed to a temperature that helps it rise.

My dough's in the proving drawer and the reason you do that is

because it has yeast, which is a living thing.

The oxygen in the dough takes out carbon dioxide,

which leave bubbles in.

Very technical.

I am making two different bread doughs,

fougasse and pide.

Inspired by his holidays, Euan's cheesy French fougasse

flatbreads will be shaped into peacocks.

His Turkish pide flatbreads will be turned into sesame seed

turtles, along with his Scottish haggis hedgehog buns.

-Hi, Euan.

-Hi.

-What you got there?

Oh, just before they go in, let's have a quick look.

These are my fougasse peacocks.

Yes, of course.

You say that like you do it every single day.

Of course they're your fougasse peacocks.

-What went into the dough?

-Lardons and thyme.

What's the difference between a normal peacock

and the ones that you're doing?

-Normal peacocks have feathers.

-Right.

And these peacocks have cheese.

-Afternoon, Megan.

-Hello.

What are you doing?

I'm doing four different flavours and four different animals.

Smoked paprika, onion seed and poppy seed, chilli powder and basil pesto.

Mmm!

Megan's poppy and onion seeds will go into her wholemeal turtle

and hedgehog buns, and her white dough will be shaped into frogs

and snails, flavoured with pesto and chilli.

My proving is going OK. I haven't got anything to do now cos

all my flavours don't need to be cooked or anything, just added.

My thing is time management, so I've just got to stand,

I can't do anything.

-What are you doing?

-TIMER BEEPS

I'm getting my things out the proving drawer.

This is a momentous occasion.

SHE EXHALES That's huge!

That's touching the top almost.

Your bench smells amazing. I can smell the pesto,

cos you're making fresh pesto, aren't you?

It's going as stripes on the caterpillar, and it's also being

served at the side so the judges can dip the bread into the pesto.

-Beautiful.

-I like that.

Hey, Amari, PROVE to us that you can do it.

Prove?

Yeah!

Yeah? OK, she got it, she got it, she got it.

Once the dough is proved, it's time to shape the animals

and add the toppings.

The bakers can choose to glaze the bread with egg or

milk for a shiny finish.

I am just sprinkling them with my cheese,

and then I'm just about to eggwash them.

It's to make sure they turn out golden brown.

If you're going to bake, make sure an adult knows what you're up to.

Starfish are in the oven. I'm making my beetroot

and cheese turtles. My fish are going to go into the proving

drawer very soon, and everything is going OK.

Ooh.

Yeah, I've got a spare bit.

Did you do that especially for us?

No, I did it for me.

Right, OK. Fair enough, that's fair enough.

What's next?

I need to get the rest of my dough proved.

OK.

What's happening, you don't seem as confident as you did earlier?

My drawer isn't proving as fast as I wanted it to.

-Right, OK.

-I need to get them in the oven in at least ten minutes.

Kneaded, proved and shaped,

the bakers move onto getting their next batch into the oven.

SHE GASPS

I forgot to put the egg white on them.

It just doesn't have a nice shine to it.

But hopefully, it will taste good.

-What do you think those are?

-Snakes.

No.

That is a good bread, though.

Cos you've got that thing in the bread, what is it?

Try it.

Mmm. That's nice.

Bakers, you have just ten minutes left.

I've got ten minutes left and my timer says 12 minutes.

So...

Hopefully these will cook faster.

I'm going to leave those in there for about another two minutes

cos I don't think they're quite ready.

I'm just going to take them out in six seconds.

Five, four, three...two, one.

Let's take them out.

They're not ready, so...

-60 seconds, 60 seconds left...

-60 seconds, 60 seconds.

..before we eat bread. I mean, look at bread.

You've got 30 seconds now.

Bakers, that's it - time is up. Step away from your bread.

SHE EXHALES

Graham and Allegra are looking for flavoursome,

well-risen breads with imaginative designs.

-They look amazing.

-Oh, thank you.

And they're on time.

Flavour-wise, this is a nice roll.

Could have done with a bit more proving, as we said,

a bit more air, but I didn't know about black onion seeds

as a flavour till I was in my 20s, and you're 12 years old and you're

putting them in your dough, so I really like the flavour of that.

Thank you.

It's under. I've got to cut it.

You see as I cut it it's still quite doughy.

If I put my finger into it, you see it holds.

It's a shame, cos that haggis is really quite nice.

You've got some good breads here, just a shame you ran out of time.

Yeah.

A little soft.

I forgot to put my egg white on.

Your imagination is shown again

and your personality through what you've given us.

-I just think they could have been slightly cooked better.

-OK.

Great idea, great flavours, just not enough baking.

OK.

I'm interested to taste the cranberry.

We weren't sure about your sundried tomato and cranberry.

But I'm smiling.

I like your sundried and cranberry.

We like your bread, Alyth.

Thank you very much.

Very well-flavoured pieces of bread.

Thank you.

That's very imaginative, very nicely done.

I like all the detailing you've got here.

If I turn it upside down, I can see four feet, I see two legs.

I would've liked a bit more of your flavour in the middle.

Yeah, a bit of a heavier hand with the herbs,

maybe if you'd used a few more of them inside it.

Needs more impact, maybe roasted garlic through the mix.

-I'd have liked to have seen you go a little bit further.

-Yeah.

That was ambitious, wasn't it?

There was a lot to do there, Freddie.

Great imagination as always with you.

Crisp on the outside here, but on the actual main body,

it's a completely different sound, yeah?

Mm-hmm, I was going to cook it for longer but just didn't have time.

You just ran out of time, mate. Flavour-wise it's really nice.

Yeah, it is really, really nice.

That's very good. It just would have been...

It just needed more time in the oven.

Bakers, when you come back,

Graham and Allegra will pick their four finalists.

You've all done absolutely brilliant.

All you can do now is take a little break. Off you go.

Wow, judges, you turned it up a notch today, didn't you,

semifinal day?

In the piping test this morning, the best person for us was Megan.

Who did best in your muffin test?

Most of them picked out the fact that all the fruit

was at the bottom, but it was only Euan who gave us

a good answer as to how we could correct that.

Moving into the afternoon...

Euan's bread was a bread too far in terms of timings,

execution of a fougasse and cooking.

I mean, it was slightly raw but the flavour delivery is really,

-really quite good.

-Yeah. What about Megan?

She showed that she can be organised,

she has delivered a good product,

albeit she may have rushed slightly because, you know, she could

have done with an extra five minutes in the prover on some of her bakes.

Amari.

She has a vision, and then she tries to make it,

and it doesn't always work out.

When I looked at her bread this afternoon,

that butterfly and that ladybird, they didn't quite come off,

but they are an interesting and original vision.

What about Alice?

I think that you cannot stretch yourself enough

if you then deliver a 100% knockout, amazing product to us.

With Alice, for the simplicity, it's not absolutely on the money.

Moving onto Alyth.

-Best bread on the table.

-Yeah?

-Wow.

It's got the best structure, it's well-cooked, the flavours are nice.

The sundried tomato and cranberry, who'd have thought? Brilliant.

Yeah. Freddie.

Freddie's an all-heart baker.

Today, he's tried to do four different sizes of bread.

Under pressure, it just hasn't paid off.

If you do four different sizes, you've got to understand

that those four different sizes will take different times to cook.

He hasn't accounted for that.

So, judges, I know it's a difficult question, but do you have any idea

which four are making our Junior Bake Off final?

Well, there's some people at either end,

and there's a whole lot in the middle. Does that help you?

-No.

-THEY LAUGH

But I like your honesty.

Bakers.

On behalf of all of us, thank you for all your hard work over

the past few weeks. We really do appreciate the amount of time

and effort you've put into all your bakes.

But this is the semifinal and we are looking for our four finalists.

Our first baker going through to the final is...

..Megan. Yay!

ALL CLAP

Our second finalist is...

..Euan.

ALL CLAP

Our third finalist is...

..Amari.

ALL CLAP

And our final baker going through to the final is...

..Alyth.

ALL CLAP

I'm going through to the final, I'm going through to the final!

Awesome, awesome.

I didn't think I would get this far,

and I can't wait to get back into the tent and bake my socks off.

-Such a tough job today.

-You did brilliantly.

The trophy's obviously in sight

cos we're in the final now, which is amazing, but, yeah,

I think everyone's going for it, it's just who gets there first.

Bring the final on!

In the final, the bakers have extra mouths to feed.

One of the biggest bands in Britain.

Oh, my God.

And the toughest pastry challenge so far.

I've got no idea how to do it.

I need help.