The Semi-Final Junior Bake Off

The investigation into who might be Britain's best young amateur baker

is in its final stage.

We've narrowed down the culprits from 40 bakers to five suspects.

This individual is aged between 9-12,

could be male, could be female.

And can be clearly identified by their cake-stained aprons

and flour in their hair.

Welcome to the semifinal of...

-BOTH:

-Junior Bake Off!

-I'm nervous!

-Me too, I've got butterflies.

The five semifinalists are about to do baking battle.

Here we go!

With Francesca falling ill, it's down to Nikki,

Tyrese, Macy,

Lottie and Jenna to prove to judges Allegra and Nadiya

that THEY deserve one of the three places in tomorrow's final.

Semifinals, here we are.

So excited, because I know in that tent, we've got our winner.

Today, five must become three.

There's no more room for mistakes, they just need to prove it to me.

Show me what you've got.

Two baking challenges stand in their way.

First, they face a tricky technical knowledge test...

Whoa!

-I've literally forgotten how you plait.

-Is it naan bread?

..followed by show-stopping enriched dough buns.

-Those are epic.

-Nailed it.

To get to the semifinal, Nikki has consistently produced Showstoppers

packed with winning flavour combinations.

I got a little bit of everything. That's delicious.

My approach to being in the tent so far

has been just be calm and collected,

try not to get all your nerves bundled up in your head

and just bake my heart out, like usual.

Tyrese won his place in the semifinal

thanks to his St Lucian family recipes

and an almost faultless quarterfinal technical.

-NADIYA:

-THAT is perfect.

Over the last few weeks, baking has like, COMPLETELY taken over.

I feel quite proud to be the one to represent the boys.

In her quarterfinal,

Jenna impressed the judges by turning disaster into success.

You would say these are some of the best-looking eclairs

in the room, they just look great.

In the quarterfinals, I learned that whatever happens, just carry on.

If anything goes wrong in the semis, I'm just going to be like,

"Right, let's do this again".

Macy bakes for her family of 12 every day and her experience

has shown in her bakes.

Delicious strawberry flavour, really pure.

THAT is a pro job.

I feel like today is going to be a really great opportunity for

me to show the judges what I can do as a baker.

I think we'll all have to work even harder to get through to the final.

Lottie is a true artist and secured her place

with her show stopping presentation.

That is as pretty as a picture.

I love the details that you've done on top.

I think the judges are expecting a lot more of

a higher standard now that I'm in the semifinals.

Everyone really wants to get into the finals, it's just like...

You're nearly there!

Welcome back, bakers.

This is very exciting.

Congratulations for making it to the semifinals, guys.

Now, first off, we're going to do things

a little bit differently this morning with some quickfire tests

that will really challenge your baking prowess.

The first test is a dexterity one.

Could you all please lift up your gingham cloths...?

There's a surprise there for you.

Three balls of dough.

Our judges would like you to make a plaited loaf.

Bakers, you have five minutes.

-On your marks...

-Get set...

-BOTH:

-Plait!

What?!

NERVOUS GIGGLING

I'm so confused.

To make a plait, the bakers must first roll each ball of dough

into long strands, like sausages.

I wasn't expecting this!

Stress!

But, if they use too much flour,

they won't get enough grip to make the strands long and smooth.

When I usually make bread, I usually try and make at least two in

a plait, so this should be quite easy for me.

I've never plaited dough before, so...

But I've seen it, what it looks like.

I've plaited HAIR.

One minute, bakers, you might want to start plaiting.

-How are you guys plaiting it?

-Just plait it like you do hair.

But you have to like, connect it at the top.

I've literally forgotten how you plait.

How do you finish it off at the end? Whoa!

Ten seconds.

OK, guys - that is it. Step away from your plaited loaves.

Could you now please bring them to the gingham altar?

Thank you very much.

Mine's a mess.

Mine wasn't even a plait!

I've covered mine in flour.

I can plait my hair, but I just forgot how to plait bread.

Judges, nice little challenge, there. What do you think?

Well, I think Tyrese and Macy have done

a fantastic job in the five minutes, extraordinary.

They didn't use any flour.

They needed traction on the worktop

to get the dough really nice and long.

These two would definitely get three out of three.

Let's talk about Lottie. Lottie was kind of pulling as she was plaiting.

You want to get the length first and then start plaiting.

What's happened is you've got thinner bits

that are starting to tear.

-We want it to be whole and smooth on top.

-Fair enough.

-But we've agreed that we're going to give Lottie two points.

-OK.

So, that leaves Nikki and Jenna.

How did they get on?

-Un point.

-Right.

-Well, really, neither of them gave us a plait.

They both made the mistake right at the top,

chucking a load of flour down on the bench

which meant they were struggling from the beginning,

couldn't get the traction, couldn't get the length.

Yeah... Threes, two, one.

Round two of the knowledge test, the bakers face a blind tasting.

-NADIYA:

-We know they can bake - that's why they're here -

but we want to know if they know their ingredients

and if they know their flavours.

All right, Tyrese, if you could please put your blindfold on.

With Tyrese and Macy leading with three points apiece,

the bakers can now score one point for each key ingredient,

starting with lemon and almond in this cake.

Lemon...

Ground almonds...

It tastes like frangipane, so ground almonds...

A lot of orange peel. Eurch, don't like that!

I think that's lemon, icing sugar

and normal sugar and eggs.

Um, butter.

Lemon. Sugar.

Lemon, orange,

a lemony syrup

and a grainy sugar.

Next, the bakers must identify rye bread.

It has a dense texture and a slightly sour taste.

Is it naan bread?

I can taste seeds in it, it might be wholemeal flour.

I think it's a brown bread.

I think it's spelt bread.

It feels like a naan, but it doesn't taste like a naan. I don't know.

It's quite like... A tiny bit sour.

Um, is it like, a soury brown bread?

And finally, can the bakers recognise

a shortbread biscuit flavoured with aniseed?

Is it a sugar cookie biscuit and...

..liquorice flavour?

I think this is a shortbread biscuit,

because it's quite crumbly and buttery.

Think it's got a tiny taste of, like...

aniseed.

I think it's a shortbread biscuit.

Maybe like an orange shortbread or something.

It's a shortbread. I recognise it,

but I don't know what it is.

Yes, I can smell ginger,

so is it like a ginger shortbread?

With the points totted up from the plaiting and blind tasting,

which two bakers scored the highest?

So, on your blind challenge, guys,

the bread was a brown rye,

the biscuit was an aniseed shortbread

and the cake was lemon and almond.

So we added up the scores, and along with the plaited loaf,

the two bakers in our top two are Tyrese...

Yes!

-..and Macy.

-LAUGHTER

Well done.

Yes, that was a really, really tough challenge.

Congratulations, Macy and Tyrese,

but Jenna, Lottie, Nikki - you know the score by now.

We've still got the Showstopper to come in the afternoon

and it's a very special one.

It's a semifinal Showstopper.

-Go on, off you go.

-See you later, guys.

I am glad that's over.

I thought it was just going to be smelling some spices like

rosemary or something like that, but it was completely different.

The first challenge went really badly.

I'm feeling a bit like, mm...

But hopefully I can bring it back in my Showstopper.

-Hey, Mark - I've got a baking knowledge test for you.

-Go on, then.

Here we go, so...

I'm fudgy, yet hard,

I'm brown, yet beige,

what am I?

Chocolate brownie!

Oh, well done! OK, next one.

I'm cheesy, yet meaty, I'm round, yet flat.

What am I?

-A pizza!

-Oh, you're very good!

I've got one for you.

I'm doughy, yet flaky,

I'm sticky and messy. What am I?

You're Mark from Sam and Mark!

How dare you?

-I'm talking about the next Showstopper!

-Ah.

Sorry, mate.

Bakers, it's Showstopper time.

Make sure you make it a good one,

because this could determine your place into tomorrow's final.

Our judges would like you to make 12 buns.

Now, these lovely buns should be made with an enriched dough,

have a delicious filling and have a lovely glaze on top.

You have two hours.

The best of luck.

-On your marks...

-Get set...

-BOTH:

-Bake!

The bakers start by making basic bread dough.

Flour, water, salt and yeast.

Yeast is, like, a living thing,

so it makes the dough rise in the proving drawer and then the oven.

It's a bit creepy, I don't really like it.

Now, enriched dough, it's a normal bread dough,

but it's got the addition of eggs,

butter, milk, sugar in it,

so what happens is it's a trickier dough to work with.

It needs longer proving.

They're going to have to know their dough.

As well as the enriched dough,

there'll be an aspect of filling.

It can either be contained or it can be swirled,

but what must happen is it has to stay in.

If it's a swirl, and I'm expecting to see a few of those today,

it's got to be a tight roll.

When you bake, make sure a grown-up knows what you're doing.

I'm going to roll out my dough now and give it a bit of a knead,

because it makes it a bit more elastic-y and doughy!

-Rolly, rolly...

-Knead it in, real nice.

# Rollin', rollin'... #

# They see me rollin'... #

-OK, then.

-That's enough. Stop doing that.

Just do it the once. We should have just done it the once.

It kind of needs to be really stretchy, so...

See how far it stretches.

Today I'm making sticky toffee apple regional buns.

They're kind from Nottingham, where I live.

Because in Nottingham, every year, we have something called Goose Fair.

Like, you have toffee apples there.

Jenna's toffee apple buns will be

made into swirls filled with

chopped fresh apples, cinnamon and toffee syrup.

She's also making mini toffee apples for decoration.

-Hi, Jenna.

-Hi.

-How is the workout going?

It's exhausting, gosh!

So you're not free-forming your buns,

I can see you've got tins over there.

Yes, because I kind of want them all to be equal.

There's quite a lot of tins there and not a lot of dough there.

Hopefully, when it proves, it's going to be a lot bigger,

but I roll it out quite thinly and then wrap it up and it fills

-quite a lot of the tin.

-Right, well, they sound delicious.

-We're going to leave you to it.

-Thank you!

Once kneaded, the dough must prove in a warm drawer.

The yeast causes carbon dioxide bubbles to be released,

which makes the dough rise.

If you want a good prove, it has to be at least doubled in size.

So that will be proving for about 35 minutes.

I'm going to put the timer on now.

While the dough proves, the bakers can prepare their fillings.

I'm using dried apple.

I like the taste of dried apple better than normal apple!

I'm making a...

I've got another drawing!

An apple cinnamon twirl bun.

Lottie's apple and cinnamon twirls

will also be flavoured with cardamom and lemon zest.

They'll be topped with a drizzle of apple-flavoured icing.

It's a tough semifinal Showstopper

and I've not actually got it right once yet, so...

So I've gone for flavours inspired by Cyprus, because I'm half-Cypriot.

I really love the use of cinnamon and different spices and nuts.

Nikki's also using cardamom

to spice her cinnamon buns.

They'll be filled with fresh apples

and topped with pistachio and orange blossom icing.

-Hi, Nikki.

-Hi.

-How're you getting on?

-Good, thank you, yes.

What kind of dough have you made?

I'm doing a cinnamon bun with a twist -

I know a lot of people are doing cinnamon buns.

There's a lot of cinnamon in this tent. A lot of cinnamon!

-Are you glad you put a twist on it, now?

-Yes! Definitely.

So I'm going to have Greek honey all the way from Cyprus.

Let's have a look at that honey.

-Sure.

-So, you brought this back?

-Yes.

-It's really authentic.

-Mm.

Mm!

-Oh, that's going to bake so nicely, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-I really, really like the sound of this, Nikki. Good luck.

-Thank you.

Like Nikki, Tyrese's buns have been inspired by his family's heritage.

Today, I'm making a traditional St Lucian bun.

They're called coconut turnovers.

My auntie in St Lucia makes it all the time, I learned it from her.

Auntie Tessa's Turnovers could win Tyrese a place in the final,

with their freshly grated coconut filling which is spiced with

cinnamon and nutmeg and finished with a brown sugar glaze.

The reason I'm using cinnamon stick and grating it is because it

just emphasises the flavour more as opposed to using cinnamon powder.

TIMER BEEPS

Oh, hello.

Bakers, you have had one hour, you have one hour remaining.

I think that looks really good,

because it was a lot smaller than this.

Half the size, so...

Ooh, Macy - how are we feeling?

-Good.

-Yeah.

-Confident about this one.

Has it doubled in size?

-Yeah.

-So, what flavour are you doing?

I've chose to do American cinnamon buns,

they're just the nicest in the world.

Macy's classic cinnamon American buns will be filled with

melted butter and brown sugar and topped with vanilla icing.

That's lovely. Oh, mate, that looks gorgeous.

I saw you kneading it earlier and I thought...

-Can I? Just because...

-Yeah, go on.

Oh!

I've got a Turkish friend and she says in Turkey,

-they say it should feel like your earlobe.

-Yes!

I know it sounds weird, but it's true.

-It does.

-See you later.

-Good luck.

-Bye.

The four bakers doing swirls must spread their fillings

on their dough and then tightly roll it.

I'm just trying to put

the right amount of apples in each layer that I fold over.

Once the roll is complete,

the bakers must cut it into 12 equally sized portions.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9...

OK.

A bit uneven, but they'll be fine.

Tyrese is the only baker not doing swirls.

I'm just going to fill them,

closing it up and rolling it into a ball,

and put the plait on.

Bakers, can you believe it? There is just half an hour left.

It's for a place in the final!

I'm going to put them all on the tray and cook them all together.

If you separate them while they're cooking,

they'll go all dry and I want them to be all soft.

No, I've done. Just going to...

ALARM BEEPS

These ones are really well done, I'm going to try and, like...

Cut off the black!

Which they are, yay!

Greek honey glaze goes on first,

because that needs to sink in whilst it's hot.

Bakers, just five minutes left.

-How long is left on the timer?

-Seven.

Right.

Bakers, one minute left.

Come on, get them on a plate.

Come on, Tyrese, we're all looking at you!

Come on, you can do it! Oh, my God!

Bakers, that is IT.

-Stop what you're doing...

-Yes!

-Tyrese!

He got in there, skin of his teeth!

Talk about taking it to the last second!

Well done, guys - fantastic.

Jenna, you've gone the whole hog with your whole fair decoration,

I love the decoration on the outside.

Let's give them a go.

They are a nice roll, they're also slightly...

I can see you through the middle of it, there.

Clear daylight passing through there.

You would just want to have it a little bit tighter.

It's a good bake,

but...I could have done with a bit more stickiness on top, I think.

-Yeah!

-Let's try one of those toffee apples.

-They're yummy.

-They are yummy.

I think next time, rather than have them on sticks,

try and incorporate them into this,

-but we like it a lot, thank you.

-Thanks.

Wow, you really took us to the wire on this one.

Actually, they do look totally, totally gorgeous.

This is a classic presentation of a St Lucian bun, isn't it?

With a little bit of cinnamon stick on the outside to show

what's on the inside.

They're slightly uneven in the bake,

you can see some are slightly more golden, some less so.

They are so nice - they're sticky on the outside,

the dough is actually...

I thought it was going to be bready and boring,

but it's actually really delicious to eat.

The filling is lovely and moist,

it really lends itself well to the actual bun.

You've gone big on the flavour - there's a cracking eat, Tyrese.

Thank you.

Those look amazing.

They're an even bake, they're golden,

love the finish on top.

Yes, I mean, we honestly can't wait to get in there, so I'm only going

to say one thing to you - I'll give you 20 quid for the lot of them!

-Oh!

-Oh!

As I'm pushing in, it springs back. It means it's perfectly baked.

Crisp on the outside, and look at that lovely swirl underneath.

-Absolutely gorgeous.

-Let's just, yeah...

Mmm! Macy, let me tell you something.

That is SO YUMMY!

That is SO yummy!

-Those are epic.

-Nailed it.

Lottie, this is so adorable.

I feel like Little Red Riding Hood going through the forest.

Again, just a little bit tighter - you shouldn't really be able

to see daylight through them.

You've got those big chunks of apple, you dotted some more

apple on top, so they're standing out for all the wrong reasons.

-It's well baked.

-It's popping back.

I'm just sad that my filling is falling out.

-Otherwise, that's a lovely bake.

-Thank you, Lottie.

-Well done.

We've got a lovely sticky-looking

flower with pistachios on top.

All in all, they look like lovely buns.

I love your presentation.

But just looking at them, they look overbaked.

Yes, I think I left them in a bit too long because I was

worried that the inside would be doughy.

-That orange blossom is lovely.

-Thank you.

Definitely got a touch of the Greek to it, for sure, for sure, for sure.

The flavours are inspired.

It all works really, really well.

It doesn't taste like your conventional cinnamon bun.

Thank you.

Oh, they looked so nice, I wanted to bite everyone's!

I want to eat everyone's, too!

Yours looked really good.

Well, judges...look at your faces, I think you're in shock!

Like, how good this semifinal has been.

Let's start off with Macy,

who was in your top two this morning

and...that's pretty good, that(!)

This is the bake of the series so far.

I mean, there's no beating around the bush -

is she your first finalist?

-I think we'd be daft, wouldn't we?

-Yes.

Let's move on to another cool cucumber in the Bake Off tent.

-He's the coolest of them all!

-Tyrese - he was in your top two.

How did he do?

He didn't do swirly buns, he filled his buns and I just love that

he did something completely different.

-The filling is fascinating and so yummy, just a bit uneven.

-Lottie.

This isn't the best of Lottie that we've seen,

but Lottie is a cracking baker.

Let's move on to Jenna.

She took a flavour, a toffee apple,

and she tried to recreate that in those buns and she did that

really well, the flavour was definitely there.

Moving onto Nikki.

The central ones are absolutely lovely,

she just took it a little too far around the edge, but things like

pistachio and orange blossom, she's going to have me all day.

-I think she knows that.

-OK, so what are we looking at?

We've got three places in the final.

What are you going to do?

Thank you so much, you have come so far.

From 40 bakers, we're down to just you five here.

You've all done incredibly well, you should be so proud.

Only three of you can go through to the final, which is really sad,

because we'd like to take you all through,

you've all been brilliant.

But Allegra and Nadiya have made their decisions.

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

..Macy!

The second baker going through to the final is...

..Tyrese!

Whoa!

The third baker going through to the final is...

..Nikki.

-Thank you!

-Well done, guys.

We've got our finalists! Yes, that is just great!

And what great finalists they are. I am proper, proper excited.

Great baking, great day.

They're natural bakers, they're exciting bakers and you can

tell they enjoy baking and that's why they went through today.

-You excited?!

-Yes!

Um, I actually can't put into words how shocked I was

to call myself a finalist, it's incredible.

Well done, Macy!

I do think it's going to take a very long time for it to actually

sink in that I'm a finalist of Junior Bake Off.

I'm always shocked when they pull me through,

cos I'm always doubting myself.

I'm happy like, THIS much!

In the final, Macy, Tyrese and Nikki

face a tricky Technical.

That was scary!

And whilst their Signature Challenge is no surprise...

Come away from the mini pizzas!

..the guests they'll be making it for are.

No way!