Episode 13 Junior Bake Off

Welcome to the grand final of Junior Bake Off.

We've been on a mission to find Britain's best young baker.

From 2,000 applications, only four remain,

but today one will be crowned Junior Bake Off champion!

To get this far, Freya, Kieron, Saffron and Kai

have baked biscuits, bread, pastry and cakes.

Now the four finalists must bake like they've never baked before.

This is their last chance to wow the judges.

Queen of cakes, Mary Berry.

It's the final. It's the last day. Any of the four could win today.

And master baker, Paul Hollywood.

The four bakers we have are all talented, creative, passionate,

innovative and they're skilful.

There's no room for error in the final.

After the final challenge, they will decide

who will be crowned Junior Bake Off champion.

For the final challenge, they must create a sweet and savoury bake...

Yeah, that's cooked.

..for a tea party held in honour of their biggest fans,

-their friends and families.

-Don't scoff it!

But who will they choose? Saffron from Essex.

I feel really excited about the grand final but nervous at the same time.

Saffron impressed the judges with her advanced technical skill.

There's two gaps. Butter cream in one, ganache in the other.

Round the edges and on top is ganache and it's piled up with fruit.

But sometimes her speediness can cause her problems.

Oh my god!

Will she pace herself and produce a winning bake for the grand final?

I'm going to be making really exotic bakes to impress the judges.

Kai from the Wirral.

I'm feeling buzzing about the grand final.

There's a big adrenaline rush in my body.

I'm looking forward to what the judges say.

Having been baking for just a few months,

Kai astounded the judges with his experimental ideas.

It's strange. I never had a cake like it before. I like it.

He consistently turned his hand to new recipes with great results.

A perfect texture. Beautifully cooked.

-Just the right amount of cinnamon.

-But can he continue to impress?

I've got to look sharp, make some good presentations.

And make sure the judges get it.

Freya, from Newbury.

I'm really excited about being in the grand final.

I really want to do my inventive bakes.

Freya has proved she has real flair and imagination.

That is truly inspirational. Everything is ten out of ten.

'But, in her quest for perfection, she struggles with timing.'

Your time's up. That includes you.

'Will she be able to prove to the judges

'she deserves the title in the time allowed?'

The only thing I'm worried about is doing it in time but I'm sure I can.

Or Kieran from York.

Really, really tough competition today.

I'm going to try my hardest, the hardest I've ever tried before.

He impressed with his experimental flavours and consistent results.

They're very hot, but not too hot for me.

But in the first stage of the final, he struggled with decorating.

Can he prove he's got the baking edge?

I think the standard is going to be really high.

I think Mary and Paul will be really pleased with the turn out of today.

'But the time for talking is over. The final bake must begin.'

Bakers, this is your final challenge.

Your task is to bake for a very special party

held in honour for your friends and family.

Paul and Mary are looking for a delicious and impressive menu

of both the sweet and a savoury bake to bring together

your talents and the skills you've learned

during Junior Bake Off.

But please remember, these bakes could be the difference

between being a runner-up

and earning that title of Junior Bake Off champion.

-Are you ready?

-ALL: Yes.

On your marks, get set, bake.

'These guys know their way round a kitchen,

'so if you fancy baking, make sure you ask an adult.

'The pressure is well and truly on

'and our finalists will need to pull off something spectacular

'to become the first ever Junior Bake Off champion.

'It's crunch time.

'They're starting with their savoury bake, and with freedom to go wild,

'Kieran's taking bread-baking to a whole new level.'

Well, at the minute, I'm doing a goats cheese, mozzarella and parmesan

with fresh herbs focaccia bread and a tomato dipping sauce.

You've gone for bread and I've just realised it's Paul Hollywood,

so you've got to get this spot on.

Yeah, it's gone spot on pretty much all the time.

Touch wood and whistle.

Saffron is pushing the boat out with a chilli, crab and prawn tart.

Thought that it would be quite exotic to use seafood

cos you don't really see that at tea parties.

Sounds great - if you're a seafood fan!

-Little bird tells me you're allergic to the filling?!

-Yeah, yeah.

How's that going to affect, you know, what it tastes like?

I just have to be extra aware.

So I know what goes in it and what hasn't yet.

Yeah, OK, so instinct really.

So, Saffron, if you do need someone to taste it, I'm here. OK.

Remember that...and I look like a prawn today as well.

She is unable to taste it because she has an allergy to crab,

-so why do you choose crab to do it?

-Exactly.

-You don't know what it's going to taste like.

-Tasting is so important.

So, Kieran and Saffron are taking huge risks to wow the judges,

but what has, mini Heston Blumenthal, Kai invented?

Erm, I'm making bacon, leek and cheese quiche.

So, what is it your bake's got that the other guys' haven't?

Well, my pastry should be crisp but soft

and the texture in the middle is just divine

cos it's nice and creamy and smooth.

Fantastic.

But will his mini quiches be enough to impress the judges?

Creative enough for me? No,

but he could be playing a safe game. I think if he nails that, fine,

but we just have to wait and see how his bake goes.

Meanwhile, Freya is getting to grips with her breakfast tarts.

She's going to attempt to squash a full English into a pastry base.

Let's hope her tea party guests are ready for the gut-buster!

I decided to make breakfast tarts

because you can get quite hungry in a tea party

and they're really, really good.

Ambitious? It's this all-in-one breakfast thing, in a tart.

I think it's a very clever idea, she's thought of it herself,

but she's got a lot going on.

I think she's poaching eggs and putting bacon in.

I hope she's not pushed for time, there's a lot to do.

We'll just have to see.

As time ticks away the pressure of the final starts to show.

Oh, my, I forgot the rosemary and thyme!

Doesn't matter, I'll just do it now.

-How are you doing, darling, are you all right?

-Yeah, I just...

I forgot to add the rosemary and thyme

and I think I'll overwork the pastry.

Ooh, OK.

With the clock ticking, Freya reworks her pastry,

will this set back throw her timings out?

Meanwhile, bread guru Paul

is intrigued by Kieran's funky focaccia.

-Can you tell us a bit about it?

-It's cream, eggs, four different herbs.

I think it's rosemary, basil, thyme and parsley.

-Hm, so, can that go on there now...the filling.

-Yes, yes.

And then that goes straight into the oven. It's almost quiche-like.

Good lad, I'm looking forward to this one.

-I am, very much so.

-Thank you.

'The idea of the topping is fascinating,'

I just hope it comes out for him cos almost pizza base like,

however, he's calling it a focaccia,

so I think we have to judge it based on a focaccia, not a pizza.

So Kieran's got to pull it out of the bag to impress Paul,

but at least he's running way ahead of schedule.

Bakers you've got 30 minutes to complete your first bake.

I think everything's on schedule, everything is looking good.

With the boys racing ahead,

Saffron faces a problem with the base of her tarts...

Oh, no, that one's risen.

Oh, no, one of them has gone, like, in.

..and it hasn't gone unnoticed by those hawk-eyed judges...

How much filling to base are we going to have? That's my concern.

I don't think there's going to be enough.

Saffron has no choice but to press on.

-OK, bakers, you've got 15 minutes to bake.

-Er...

With just 15 minutes left,

Freya needs to get her bakes into the oven.

-It's going to be touch and go.

-SHE MUMBLES

And while the others play the waiting game

speedy Kieran is on the home straight.

Oh, it's going really, really well,

I just need to check the bottom's cooked.

Yep, that's cooked.

Meanwhile, Paul cannot resist another inspection

of Kieran's focaccia.

He always comes up, he pushes you down and then he walks away.

You don't know why, it's a bit unnerving.

As Kieran begins to serve up his bake,

Freya's tarts are only just going in.

Has she blown her chances?

It's a tense waiting game now for Freya. Will she beat the clock?

They're done.

They are perfect.

You've got one minute to go!

Four, done.

Yeah, they're done, they'll have to do now.

OK, well done bakers, you've completed your first bake.

Your time is up. Step away from the worktops.

Just one left to go.

So, the first part of the grand final challenge is complete.

Freya finished just in the nick of time,

but is she pleased with her savoury bake offering?

I think my pastry was the worst pastry I've ever made

because I overworked it because I forgot to put the herbs in.

Kai kept it simple with his bacon cheese and leek quiches,

will he take more risks with his sweet bake to win the judges?

I definitely am going to go all-out today, to try and win,

because this is the final and I'm in it to win it.

Saffron went for chilli, crab and prawn tarts.

At the half-way point how is she feeling?

I'm, like, "Oh, my gosh!",

cos, like, you feel the pressure straight away

when you walk into the marquee.

And Kieran's focaccia bread raised a few eyebrows,

but has he made the most of his opportunity to impress the judges?

This bread is one of my special dishes

that I think I can bake the best

and I think it's gone really well.

No time to put their feet up, they've still got their sweet to do.

OK, guys, it's time for your second bake. Are you ready? Are you steady?

Let's bake!

So, the pressure is back on,

the final challenge is a sweet bake of their choice.

Today I'm making Earl Grey cupcakes.

These cupcakes could make the difference

of me becoming a runner-up or being the Junior Bake Off Champion.

I'm baking mango and passion fruit cupcakes.

I'm feeling quite pressurised as it's the last bake

and the last chance to impress the judges,

but I think I can pull it off.

So, cup cakes are a popular choice,

but I wonder what trick Saffron has up her sleeves.

I wanted to do a big gateaux, so I decided to make mini gateaux.

So, I'm doing one of them and then cut in half

and then I'll fill it with cream and put some sliced mango inside

and then put some double cream on top

and lay some nice exotic fruits on top.

Keeping it simple, eh, Saffron?

Meanwhile, Kieran, once again, is speeding ahead.

What are you baking?

I'm doing a chocolate roulade with a raspberry mint sauce.

See, I've had a Mary Berry chocolate roulade,

so I expect it to be like Mary Berry's.

-That's scary, isn't it?

-Yeah.

No pressure there then.

While Kieran has everything under control, Kai's experiencing

one or two problems with his cup cake mixture.

-I've run out of mix.

-How did you run out of mix?

-I think I put too much in others.

-How many do you need?

Er, 12, I've done nine.

So, you've got a bit of a task on your hands,

-to get all those right.

-Yep.

-Erm, good luck.

OK, bakers, you've got 30 minutes left to bake.

Deciding when to take their cakes out of the oven is crucial

and the bakers aren't leaving anything to chance in the final.

I think they just need about one more minute

because they are not quite bouncing up.

That's almost done, I'll give it one more minute

cos it's still sticking a bit.

My cakes are ready.

But in Saffron's haste disaster strikes.

Oh!

I need to wait for them to cool for a little bit.

So out comes the bakers towel!

And the last of the bakes are finally out of the oven.

They're looking pretty good.

Looking forward to icing them.

-As all the bakers' attentions turn to their decorations...

-Perfect.

..Kieran is preparing himself for the moment of truth -

will he be able to roll his roulade right?

Yes!

I think that's gone really well.

I'm really pleased with that.

OK, guys, you've got 15 minutes left,

you've got to make it count,

this is for the title of Junior Bake Off Champion.

-These need to be perfect.

-They do, they need to be spot on.

This is the last impression you're going to give the judges.

Yeah, it's going to be a good one.

Freya may have confidence in her final bakes,

but Kai is far from happy.

Erm, well, there's gaps in the icing, which I'm disappointed with.

They might not look good, but hopefully they'll taste good.

You've got one minute to go, this is the crucial time.

OK, guys, stop what you're doing, you're time is up.

You've done all you can, step away from the worktops.

Phew! I'm done.

Hard work.

Before the big tea party for their friends and family,

the bakers face Paul and Mary for the last time

knowing that only one of them can be Junior Bake Off Champion.

Congratulations, guys, on completing your LAST challenge.

Up first it's Freya.

For her savoury bake she did a breakfast tart,

complete with sausage, egg, bacon and tomato.

She struggled to get them done, will her rush have scuppered her chances?

They look great.

-There's some issues with the bake. We have some soggy bottoms.

-Hmm.

I really do like the idea.

It's certainly an all-in-one breakfast. Sausage, egg, the bacon.

The pastry doesn't overwhelm it either, does it?

It's just the bottom, where we've got this soggy pastry.

They're original, it was your idea and I like that.

For her sweet bake Freya got her timings spot on

and made mango and passion fruit cup cakes

with an inner layer of butter icing with intricate piping on top.

I think they look great, I like the detail that you've got.

I noticed when you were putting the mixture into the cases,

you had a very professional hand.

You've got them all fairly even.

You certainly got a better bake on this than you did with the tarts!

I can see in the middle, here,

that you've got that butter icing coming down,

which is going to make them, I hope, very moist.

You've got a lovely light sponge, which is baked well, however,

there is no flavour of passion fruit at all.

Thank you very much, Freya.

Kieran's savoury bake is a focaccia with a difference,

with goat's cheese, mozzarella and parmesan

served with a tomato dipping sauce,

but will this novel recipe win over the judges?

The idea of using a focaccia base

and building something on top of it is, for me, unique.

It looks great.

I like it.

I think that the sides are underbaked slightly.

You can see when you press it and it looks like raw dough.

A couple of minutes away. I think you've managed to pull it off.

And for his sweet bake Kieran made a chocolate roulade

with cream and chocolate filling with a raspberry and mint sauce,

but will it meet the judge's high standards?

I watched you making it.

It does look a pretty good roll

and raspberries and chocolate go very well.

That's gorgeous.

Very tasty.

You've taken something here,

specifically to show us your skills

in making something that's very tricky

and you showed us that you can do it.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much, Kieran.

-Thank you.

Facing the judges next is Saffron,

who baked Thai-infused chilli, prawn and crab tarts,

despite being allergic to shellfish.

Will the fact she hasn't tasted them affect her chances?

They look attractive.

You're pastry, we noticed earlier on that it was quite thick

and it had ballooned up a bit. Slightly soggy underneath.

They're quite raw.

-Erm, you can see the, sort of, raw dough.

-I like the Thai flavours.

-I think you're flavour of your filling is delicious.

-Mmm.

It has got that raw bit through the middle

and that's down to the fact that it's too thick.

Saffron's sweet bakes are mini gateaux,

with a mango and cream filling topped with exotic fruits.

Will they have what the judges want?

-They look so pretty.

-Mmm.

-They look inviting.

They're a small exquisite cake.

I think they're a bit rough around the edges

and what I mean by that is, the angles are all fairly odd.

I'm getting that flavour of all those fruits.

They look as though they are for a special party,

that's what the idea was about. BOTH: Well done, Saffron.

And finally Kai,

for his savoury bake he has made leek, cheese and bacon mini quiches,

but has he played it too safe?

Very dinky, very safe.

I think you baked it well

cos it is actually quite thin, you've done a good job.

-What seasoning did you use for this?

-Salt and pepper is the seasoning.

Erm, it's too salty.

For his sweet bake Kai has made Earl Grey cupcakes with a lemon icing,

but will their flavours make for Kai's disappoint with his icing?

-What's underneath here?

-The other ones.

-A little bit of a surprise.

Oh, I see, you put all the good ones on the outside.

I would have done exactly the same to be honest!

It's a lovely sponge, I don't find any Earl Grey.

There is no specific flavour in there

because the lemon overwhelms it.

Well, well, well,

you've done everything you can to impress the judges, guys,

but they do have to go away now to deliberate.

They've got a very, very tough decision

on just who they are going to award the title

of Junior Bake Off Champion. Good luck.

With the final challenge over,

Mary and Paul face the final deliberation.

Taking into consideration each of the bakers' performances

over all the challenges in the final a decision must be made.

Let's start with Freya. She got it spot on in the other challenges

with her attention to detail and expert baking knowledge...

I think it's really nice, really nice.

..she's had a tough time today...

That's have to do now.

..but has she done enough?

I thought the taste of Freya's tarts was superb

and the texture of that pastry was inspired.

I know that she failed on her pastry, it wasn't done in the middle,

it still tasted absolutely beautiful

and a huge change from the normal quiche.

I think when you look at a sweet and the decoration on that is fantastic.

She spent time doing the detail work.

Her ideas are very powerful

AND she can execute them and pull them off as well.

You feel as though she's been a baker for ages,

she's got very good technique.

I'm feeling really nervous and really excited for the tea party

and I can't wait for the judges to announce who's won.

Let's talk about Kieran. In the first challenge

-Kieran was out of his comfort zone with his decorating...

-Oh!

..but he made up for it with his spicy chorizo pizzas,

will his inventive focaccia bread and roulade

be enough to sway the judges?

-This interested you a lot, Paul.

-I thought that the base was unusual,

I've never had a base that's a cross between a pizza,

focaccia and a quiche.

I still can't identify what it is, but I like it.

-The flavours were great.

-I mean, I think it's great for a party.

And I thought the roulade he did today

was one of the most interesting bakes he's done.

Quite bold for a tea party.

It is a very tricky thing to make a roulade, as I know.

He hasn't got a tight roll, but he's got a very, very good flavour.

He, technically, is a good baker.

Everyone is SUCH a high standard today it's ridiculous

and I think it's just going to be so hard to find a winner

out of all of us.

OK, so let's go over to Saffron.

Saffron wasn't happy with the first challenge...

Oh, I think I've, sort of, got to buck up my ideas.

..and struggled in the knowledge test.

She was on her way to the answer, but then fell short.

She didn't know her bread.

Today all her skills came together

as she blew the judges away with both her bakes,

will that be enough to claim the title?

The crab, prawn tarts. Great idea, Thai-infused flavours.

Well thought out, that's Saffron's strength.

However, she can slip up.

Sadly, the pastry was too thick, it wasn't up the side,

we hadn't enough filling, but the filling tasted superb.

Then we move on to her little Victoria sandwiches

and when you taste them they are absolutely delicious.

She's proved herself in being very full of style.

It's that little bit of attention to detail at the end

that let Saffron down.

Seeing everybody else's dishes today,

I thought their dishes were absolutely amazing,

but I thought mine were too

and I thought mine just stepped over their line, just a little bit.

Finally, let's talk about Kai.

Despite problems with his shortbread,

Kai pulled it back and delivered fantastic results...

The shortbread biscuits were the highlight, they were perfect!

..but he wasn't so strong in the knowledge test.

Most important of all,

he didn't notice that there was no salt whatsoever in that.

Have his Earl Grey cupcakes

and leek, bacon and cheese quiches given him the edge?

He made these very smart looking little tarts.

Erm, not very creative.

Slightly over-seasoned, you've got salt coming from the bacon.

The Earl Grey cupcake with the lemon frosting, it looks great,

it looks like it should be in a shop window, the way it's been laid out.

When we popped the massive cup open

we saw a few flaws with the frosting.

The Earl Grey didn't come through as strong as I expected it to.

But he was trying to be original.

Kai goes through the method and he gets it bang on most of the time.

I've done all I can and I've tried me hardest, so that's the best,

sort of thing, that I can do and I'm hoping that the judges pick me.

So, as the judges try to reach that all important decision,

the four finalists welcome their friends and family

to the Junior Bake Off tea party.

MUSIC: "10/10" by Paulo Nutini

'To get to the final is absolutely amazing,'

but to win would be, like, my dream.

'I'm hoping that they pick me'

because if they did then it would mean the world to me.

I'm a bit nervous, erm, to see who the judges announce the winner.

Even if I don't win I know that I've got good comments

and I'm really pleased with them.

Don't scoff it!

I'm really nervous, but really excited

and I really want to know who's won.

I really hope it's me.

Junior bakers, congratulations on being our four finalists,

you should be extremely proud of your achievement.

You truly have impressed our judges Paul and Mary today...

but they have made their final decision.

Can you please step forward, bakers.

Guys, I can reveal...

..that the winner of Junior Bake Off 2011 is...

Freya.

APPLAUSE

Thank you.

Freya, you are the worthy winner, well done.

I can't really believe I've won.

It means everything to me to be the Junior Bake Off Champion...

and I'm still taking it in.

'All four brought something to the table,'

it was just amazing, blew me away.

Being part of Junior Bake Off is almost like winning it.

You get a sense of happiness when someone else wins.

I got this far, but then it doesn't matter if I won or not

because I still tried my best all the way along.

I'm really pleased to have taken part in Bake Off,

it's been such a great experience

and to get through to the final is still good

and I'm really, really happy for Freya.

The standard between all four has been exceedingly high,

but Freya just tipped it.

We set out to find a champion baker and we found one in Freya.

She was creative, she was innovative,

she was passionate and she was fantastic at baking.

What can I say?

I never thought I'd win when I wrote that application form.

I'm really proud of myself to become the Junior Bake Off Champion.

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