Bread The Great British Bake Off

At least the weather's good this year.

Perfect for a picnic, isn't it?

-Have you got your thermal girdle on?

-Never off.

-Me too, I sleep in it.

Welcome to the Great British Bake Off.

Last time, the bakers tackled biscuits.

Perfectly round.

Richard's building skills prevailed in the Showstopper...

Absolutely ingenious.

..winning him Star Baker.

-It's not something I ever thought I'd get.

-Ah-ha.

For others, it was a different story.

-I'm not happy with them, they're going back in.

-It tastes burnt.

-Welded.

-To de-stress, do you have any good sort of techniques?

-BEEPING SOUND

-Yeah, bake properly.

And Enwezor...

You can almost bend it, see?

That's an issue for a biscuit.

..became the second baker to leave the Bake Off tent.

Now the ten remaining bakers are taking on bread.

Rise!

Can they meet Paul's exacting standards with their rolls?

I've got to keep in the zone,

otherwise he'll shake me off balance.

Master the technically demanding ciabatta?

Oh, it's so stretchy!

And produce show-stopping filled loaves?

My last chance to rise to the challenge.

Who will achieve bread perfection?

I think it's a bit of a success.

And who's Bake Off will come to a sticky end?

It'll either be great or a complete disaster.

Woo!

I don't think bread week holds any fear for you.

Does now!

The hair's silly, the glasses annoy me,

even your profile against that leaf is somewhat irking.

Are you trying to get a RISE out of me?

-BOTH:

-It's bread week.

Morning, bakers.

Welcome back to the high humidity

of a classic British summer and, um, today's challenge.

We would very much like you to bake 12 right royal rye rolls

which is our most alliterative challenge to date.

Now, this can be a German pumpernickel,

or you can go Nordic noir, or something Scandi and make a Killing.

It does not matter as long as they're beautifully presented,

and ready for Paul and Mary to get their choppers into.

Paul and Mary would like 12 of them, please,

and, above all else, they must be identical.

You've got three and a half hours on the clock, so,

-on your marks.

-Get set.

-BOTH:

-Bake!

I haven't baked much with rye flour at all,

so, it's concentrated the mind, I think.

Rye bread has gained in popularity as a healthy alternative to wheat.

But the flour's low gluten content

could present a real challenge to our bakers.

I love rye, it just takes a little bit longer,

which is why I need to really rush!

Rye is an extremely difficult flour to work with.

Because it has less gluten, it's very tricky,

because you really have to work that protein to build the gluten up

to create the sacks that the air will sit inside.

Many of them will be adding black treacle,

honey and even cocoa, because they want it to be dark.

But the real danger is when they glaze it

and it gets too dark before the middle is done.

-Morning, Martha.

-Good morning.

So, what are you doing for your rye rolls?

I'm making date and walnut rye rolls.

Classic combination and you've got quite a dark colour there,

-what are you putting in there?

-I've got treacle, I've put treacle in it.

-Using black treacle?

-Yes.

Martha's also adding honey to her date and walnut rye rolls.

When you put them in the oven, are you expecting a shine?

Yes, I've got an egg wash to put on the top of it,

-makes them a bit shinier.

-That's very daring.

-Is it?

-Yeah, very.

-Daring to put an egg wash on?

-Yeah. I won't tell you why,

I'll talk about it later, but good luck.

I don't think bread week holds any fear for you.

Does now!

I've got a wee touch of black treacle in them.

Gives them a nice, mild sweetness and a bit of colour as well.

Norman's bakes have already been criticised for their simplicity,

but with his caraway seed and sultana rye rolls,

he's staying in his comfort zone.

I'm a traditional baker more than anything.

I'm no Heston Blumenthal.

While Martha and Norman have stuck to flavours traditionally added to rye,

Louis is going all-out to create something unique.

They're called opposites attract rolls,

which are two types of dough.

One of the doughs is pale

and the other dough is quite dark.

Luis is hoping that his marriage of pale fennel and parsnip dough,

with a darker dough made from carrots, coffee and chocolate

will pay off.

I'm on the Bake Off and you're here once,

so I want to do something that's a little bit different than just a normal roll,

so they'll either be great or a complete disaster.

If you're feeling a bit angry about something,

it's quite good to take it out on a bread dough,

rather than the dog.

This is an awful, awful dough to knead.

It has a really low gluten naturally,

which means that it takes a good, good while

for it to really start to come together like a dough.

Can you tell us about your rolls, please?

Yes, I'm making orange and cardamom knots,

with two different types of dough, then I'm knotting them together.

Kate's combined doughs will form her two-toned knots,

which she'll glaze with a sticky orange syrup.

That looks a nice, soft dough. Not too tight.

It's much easier, especially Kate, look at little Kate...

Yes, but I have big muscles, Mary.

My God, woman. You've got the face of a wood nymph

and the body of Ryan Gosling, look at that.

Morning!

Sorry, that's really worn me out...

-That's quite a work-out you're doing there.

-Yeah, about 13, 14 minutes.

It's very dry, but do you think you'll get the result from it?

Absolutely, this is how I've done it at home and I'm been very happy with my results.

Jordan's flavoured his dough with lemon, honey and poppy seeds.

Lemon and poppy seed is a very much a sort of muffin flavour.

They're really floral, which I quite like in my bread.

Well, we shall see.

I'm doing an American pumpernickel today.

You have a lot less rye, but a lot of extra flavouring

so I'm filling it with treacle and coffee and cinnamon.

Richard's also put cranberries in his dough

and the rolls will be sprinkled with caraway seeds.

Isn't pumpernickel a German brot?

Well, there's two types.

The American one is one they invented that was a quicker version.

There is only one pumpernickel, and that comes from Germany.

-Well, in that case I'm doing a poor facsimile of a pumpernickel.

-Yes!

Rye dough does take longer to knead but it shouldn't be over-worked.

I think this is called the window pane test.

You can see through it, means there's enough gluten developed.

Can you tell us about your bread rolls?

Yes, they are cheese and walnut rye rolls.

So what sort of cheeses have you got here?

There's some Shropshire Blue and a bit of Stilton.

-Will it melt?

-Yes.

Will that slow it down with the rising?

-I can't say that, Mary, because Diana's listening.

-Oh.

As well as cheese inside her dough,

Diana will top her flowerpot rolls with a cheese and nut butter.

I have not made much bread at all

but I've made more this week than I made for ever, really. Ha-ha!

The bakers must now leave their bread dough to rise

for at least an hour, until it's doubled in size.

Diana's the only one who's risked adding her fillings at this stage.

Go, go, go.

I hate the waiting.

I actually thought it'd be great, but I don't like it at all.

When you're a little bit nervous and edgy,

you need to be doing something.

Rise!

Another ten minutes should do it.

Ten minutes of waiting, doubting!

The dough is in the proving drawer

so I'm just doing the filling, which is onion and pine nuts.

Chetna has introduced pine nuts

to give an extra crunch to her onion rolls,

which she's serving with a lentil chutney.

What sort of consistency are you looking for?

It's not very light,

but it's slightly dense, but not extremely dense, I don't know.

That's a get-out-of-jail free card, that one.

That's covering all the bases, that one!

I'm going to do pear, cider and walnut.

And I'm putting a few dried pears in that have been soaked in some cider

but you don't actually see them, they just give you a sweetness.

Nancy's also incorporating pears into the topping for her rolls,

combining pear cider, walnut oil and rye flour

to form a yeasted crust.

The idea of putting the crust on the top, nice.

How long are you going to bake these for in the oven?

11-15 minutes How big are they? 70 grams.

They might need longer to crust the top

but 15 minutes, that's what I want to go for, really.

Whatever he says, you're not going to listen.

I've got to keep in the zone,

otherwise he'll shake me off balance.

I'm panicking about everything.

I know, and then I put an egg wash on mine and he was like,

"I'm not going to tell you why, but that's a bad idea."

-Did he?

-And I was like...

-What do you do, then?

-I'm going to do it anyway.

With it being rye, it doesn't grow that much,

you need to leave it for hours and hours,

but it's definitely got air in it.

I'm just mixing the onion and pine nuts,

which are my main flavours.

Not an easy task.

As soon I start, it all keeps coming out!

The bakers' next hurdle

is to achieve 12 equal-sized, meticulously-shaped rolls.

Good little action going on there. It's a twist and fold, is it?

How would you describe that?

The more folds you can get in, the better, when you're on a time thing.

-Nice technique.

-Yeah?

-Unusual.

Good or bad unusual?

I've never seen rolls made like that before.

I think it's good, the sort of very gentlemanly way

you're approaching the dough. There's no slapping and crushing.

Iain's making cranberry and walnut rye bread rolls

with a hint of orange zest.

He's the only baker to use a sourdough starter to form his dough.

Has this been made today?

No, I made it, it's about five months old

-So you're going to keep it?

-I'm going to keep it, yes.

It's like a little pet. Where do you leave it then, normally?

I leave it in a closet in my house.

You leave your pet in your closet?!

What kind of a dough owner are you?

The idea is, as the buns prove, this paste will crack,

so you get a really nice finish.

Right, now I'm going to put them in the proving drawer.

Let me see what temperature this is.

Oh, I love that!

What temperature am I, Norman?

-Slightly scared by that. Stun.

-35.

-35? Could I do you?

-Yeah, I don't know what I am.

What do I do, just press?

-Press the button?

-Yep.

And let it go.

35.1, very good.

I'm a bit hotter, you're sending my temperature up just a wee bit.

By 0.1 degree! Thanks, Norman(!)

You're watering your pots. They're coming up nicely.

Well, let's hope so, cos Paul didn't think they would.

Bakers, just 30 minutes! 30 minutes left.

Fingers crossed.

I put the egg wash on. I think it makes it look nicer.

But Paul might not think that, which is a bit scary.

I'm doing an egg-white wash, rather than a yolk.

There'll probably be an incredibly obvious reason

why you shouldn't do this,

but I ain't going to find out unless I do it and get told off for it.

As well as a hot oven, the bread needs steam.

This stops the crust drying out,

so the bread can rise higher and move evenly.

With a rye roll, if it's got a little bit of a tinge,

it's probably not too bad, but under-baked, they'll be disgusting.

It's comparable to the start line of a marathon.

I've only done one, but I felt this frightened then.

Yeah.

They're looking browner with each second.

Stressful! Just don't know - when's the right time?

I think they sound hollow.

This is not cooked.

Oh, no, a bit longer.

Don't know what I'm doing.

OK, bakers, five minutes

before we unleash Mary Berry and the Mahogany Tiger.

I'm happy with them.

Perfect, perfect.

They're like lovely apples, aren't they?

-Rolled rolls, aren't they? That's the...

-Beautiful.

Whoo!

Dropped rolls, never good.

Some of them are a little bit too dark

but the majority of them are OK.

I don't think perhaps I could have done any better

but they're not bad.

Oh, everybody's baskets are ready.

Bakers, I hope you're rocking and rolling.

You've got one minute left on your rolls.

OK, bakers, that's it. Stand away from your hot baps! Stand away!

They WILL be tasty.

Well, Nancy, you've cracked it. They look stunning.

Thank you.

It comes down to the bake

cos, again, putting the crust on it hides what the bread is all about.

The pear that you've got in there, the cider, it tastes beautiful.

It's slightly under-baked. Needed about another five,

possibly ten minutes wouldn't have done it any harm,

-and they would have been almost perfection.

-Thank you.

It does look rather flat,

and I would have thought they should have been more dome-like. OK.

The reason why it flattens out is down to the mixing.

You haven't mixed the gluten strong enough, so it collapses,

or you haven't shaped it.

Having said all that, the flavour is absolutely delicious. Well done.

Thank you.

It's a nice texture inside, isn't it?

It's well baked, you've got a lovely flavour.

The orange is coming through with the cranberry. That is a nice roll.

Thank you.

It's a good flavour.

(Thank you.)

But...

because you put the glaze on the top,

which has falsely accused the roll of being ready,

-you brought it out too early.

-OK.

Open this fella up.

I think it's just a little bit simple.

-Mm.

-It kind of reflects my personality a wee bit, then.

Nothing, Norman. Son of a baker like me, nothing wrong with that at all.

-The appearance is not very appealing.

-No.

If you were to take one of these

-and get rid of all the extra bit on the side, like that.

-Yes.

-See how much prettier that looks?

-Yeah.

I think the flavour's pretty good, actually,

-and you've got a lovely bake.

-Yes.

-Actually, that is a nice roll.

I think they look OK.

I don't like these lines when you see

where the glaze finishes and the roll starts.

Let's open it up.

-Looks good.

-It does, to me, look a little bit under-baked inside.

When you push it down, it sticks to the bottom.

-I love the crust on it.

-Thank you.

-Probably could do with being a little bit slacker.

-Mm-hm.

But the flavour's good.

I like that blend of spelt and rye as well.

Thank you very, very much.

They look very inviting.

Yeah, they've got a nice bake.

The blend you've got between the orange and cardamom

is absolutely spot-on.

It's really scrumptious, and the orange is just perfect.

And it's coming through just a little with the other spice.

You've just made my year!

SHE LAUGHS

That's so pretty on the inside, isn't it? Look at that.

Very clever. And it is baked very well, I can see that.

-I like that.

-Mmm.

Pure alchemy.

I was thinking "too many flavours".

But, actually...

-well done, mate.

-Wow! Thank you very much!

I was really delighted.

For Paul Hollywood to shake your hand in Bread Week,

job's a good 'un.

Every week so far, I've been thinking

"When am I going to go? This is terrible, terrifying."

But now, for the first time, I don't feel like that.

I feel...delighted.

In the 17th century,

all you really needed to mark a special occasion was a wig.

No, not like the one I'm wearing, but a spiced dough.

For centuries, the spice trade was dominated

by nations like the Dutch and the Portuguese

and spices were an expensive luxury.

Then Britain got in on the action.

Thanks to a royal charter issued in 1600 by Queen Elizabeth I,

the East India Company was formed in London,

and Britain slowly saw the rise in affordable spices

such as mace, cinnamon and nutmeg.

As they became more readily available,

spices began to make their way into everyday British food

and, in particular, bread.

One of the spiced breads that gained a huge following during the period

were wigs.

This isn't the Great British Hair Piece, this is a baking show!

What's a wig?

Well, apart from the thing you put on your head,

it's a fortified bread with a lot of spice in.

Delicious. Now I notice you have a spice dungeon.

What kind of spices would I use for this wig?

Bit of mace, and a bit of nutmeg, we're also going to use cloves.

The other things we also need to use is caraway seeds

but we won't crush those up, we will put those in whole.

Which recipe book is this one from, this wig?

This is from E Smith, The Compleat Housewife,

which was first published in 1758.

Let's pop this in here.

So am I going to knead this?

Yes, you're just going to knead it all in.

Spiced doughs, such as wigs, were the start of British fascination

with sweet breads, cakes and puddings.

Famous diarist Samuel Pepys was partial to a wig.

He wrote of eating one with his ale.

So, happy with that. Let's taste these.

-Amazing. It's like a proto-hot cross bun.

-Yeah.

Right, well...

..you get back with all the other cooks into quarters,

I'm going to stay up here and just binge myself witless.

The next challenge is the nerve-inducing technical.

With only a basic recipe to follow, the bakers must rely

on their own bread-baking knowledge to get it right.

Bakers, this is your bread technical challenge.

Now, you're going to be baking one of Paul's recipes.

So, Paul, as the voice of bread,

any advice or words of encouragement for the gang?

Be patient.

-"Be patient".

-Yeah.

All right, we're now going to ask Paul and Mary to leave the tent.

-Off you go, Bez.

-Everything will come, Grasshopper.

Today, we would like you to bake

four

perfect

ciabatta.

It should be a crisp, floury surface

and, inside, you want big, visible air holes.

You've got three hours to get your four perfect ciabatta out.

-On your marks.

-Get set. BOTH:

-Bake!

Be patient!

Italian bakers became worried that the French baguette

was becoming too popular in Italy.

So they developed a rival bread - ciabatta.

I've never made it.

It's kind of like,

long,

oblong-shaped bread.

I have made it a while ago, and I know the pitfalls.

I don't know if I know how to avoid those pitfalls.

There's a reason why I said "be patient".

Because take this dough too early

and the air holes will be very small.

Take it too late and it'll go flat as a pancake.

So it's all about the timing.

There you go, Mary.

And, see, you've got an irregular structure

all the way through the loaf,

it's a sign that you've made a decent ciabatta.

I don't know when I've enjoyed bread more.

I know it's meant to be a wet dough

but, beyond that, I'm all at sea.

The dough's really slack,

so the yeast can push air bubbles a lot easier

than a thick, heavy dough.

If I put a spatula in and pull it out,

you get this massive, like, sticky trail.

And I think that means there's enough gluten developed.

It says "oil a container, tip this into there and then leave it."

For an undisclosed amount of time.

So thanks, Paul. Nice one(!)

The first rise is crucial for the success of ciabatta.

Well, it says prove at room temperature,

so I'm going to keep it out.

The proving drawer is for proving,

so you'd think that you would use it.

But maybe that's completely wrong.

What some of the bakers don't realise

is that the proving drawer will over-activate the dough.

It will rise, but it won't hold its shape.

It said to prove it at room temperature.

Which is the only reason I've not put it in, so...

I thought, "The sun's out..."

God, it's changing in a second.

It's just got a bit rainy, got a bit cold in here,

so I'm going to pop it in there, in the proving drawer,

just to bring it up a bit and I might take it out again later on.

Really, I'm just going to go with my heart and see what happens.

I'm not going to look at everybody else's,

cos they're all using proving drawers and I'm not.

I'm going to stick with my guns.

Yeah.

Most people are using proving drawers.

In fact there's one, two, three, four...

Don't buckle.

Did his advice make any sense to you

when he said the rather enigmatic, "Be patient"?

-Does that make sense?

-Afterwards, yes.

-So what was he referring to?

-This bit, wait. Wait.

-OK.

So who's going to be the first to start doing something, though?

Not me.

That's the chat round the tent.

Who's going to crack first and shape it?

See, that's an hour.

ALARM SOUNDS

Someone's going to break the seal, someone's got to do it

so just keep an eye out.

Martha's thinking about it, Nancy's tempted.

-Chetna's flouring!

-What?!

Chetna's flouring! Are you just going to wait, just hang on?

Till the last second.

Jordan's taken his out.

Oh, yes!

-That's like something out of a John Carpenter film!

-It is.

I don't know if that's what's supposed to happen.

It's slightly better than I thought. I expected it just to go "bleurgh!"

I want to maintain as many bubbles as possible,

which is why I've just tipped it out.

Oh, it's so stretchy! Ahh!

-The Blob is about to be bisected.

-It is.

-Have they given you a clue as to the shape?

-Nope.

Make it pretty, make it pretty.

The things you need to do are flour your board very well,

and give a good dust of semolina top and bottom

before you cut up the ciabatta.

I don't know how to make it not stick! Oh, please-ah!

I'm not thinking that oil's the right thing.

No oil in the recipe.

The less you handle it, the less air you'll knock out of it.

Don't touch it too much.

Something like that?

HE SIGHS

I don't even know how to pick it up.

You've really taken this whole "be patient" mantra

-to its fullest conclusion, cos you're the last to tip out.

-I am.

Ooh, what?!

I'm thinking tip gently...

Ooh! That is bubblicious, girl!

They've got lots of air in them already,

so I think it's just a case of a short prove

just to let the air build up again, cos they've been handled.

IN ITALIAN:

Cook my pretties, cook!

I'm just keeping a close eye on these ciabattas,

so they go golden but not too far.

I was going to go with 20.

I'm now thinking 15.

OK, bakers, after sitting on your backsides for two hours 55 minutes,

being patient,

I can now bring you the drama of just five minutes remaining!

OK...

They look a bit like slippers, actually. I could hollow them out...

The word in Italian for slipper is "ciabatta"!

-That's it - slip those on your feet.

-Slip them on.

I think they're all right.

Look like ciabattas - I don't know.

I think they look quite golden brown.

Quite a lot of flour on them, it's quite hard to tell.

Oh, lovely.

Oh, that's a good aroma!

I'm happy with everything apart from the shape.

OK, bakers, the ciabatta challenge is done.

If you'd like to bring your bakes up to the table of doom

and place them behind the photograph of yourself.

Paul and Mary are looking for a ciabatta with a strong crust,

good dome and an airy structure.

And they'll have no idea

whose loaf they're judging.

Right.

We'll start with this one.

We were actually looking for a ciabatta rather than a pitta.

If you try and speed up the growth of a ciabatta in a warmer,

you will have a problem,

because you're forcing heat into it

and it should be a slow rise in a normal heat.

The next one, however, looks a little bit more like a ciabatta.

-And it's got this nice, floury top.

-It's chewy. Good flavour.

Now these look very flat and over-proved.

-But it tastes good...

-It's a good flavour.

But we've got a pitta bread again.

And here we have one

that is much higher

-than all the others.

-Mm-hm.

The structure's OK, I'm just wondering...

It's almost been pounded again, all the air's gone out of it again,

it's been shaped.

-Tastes all right.

-Mm, tastes good.

These aren't too bad,

the length is good on this one.

It could have done with longer proving, though.

I like the colour, it's got a very good crust.

Yeah, the crust is good, it's nice, it's strong.

The next one, similar problem, could have been forced into heat.

And, also, this one in particular

looks a rather uneven shape.

The height of this one's better

cos the structure's very good.

The skin's good, the colour's good.

-Again...

-Nice flavour.

-..it tastes right.

Moving onto this one, we've got a pitta,

it's probably been forced, again, in heat.

This has got a very strange appearance -

could this be oil here?

Yeah, it is olive oil.

-It just doesn't look right, does it?

-Mm-mm.

OK, I think this has been handled again,

tried to be shaped into a size rather than just stretched.

Now, this one has got a nice colour.

It's got a lovely crumb structure at the top.

-It's got a lovely crust.

-Mm.

It seems right except for the shape.

It just needed to be slightly longer again.

Paul and Mary must now decide who they rank bottom

and who's come top.

So, in tenth position, this one - who's that?

It's me. Exactly as you said,

I didn't want to use flour, so I used olive oil.

And turns out that was the wrong thing to do!

In number ninth place is this one.

Too flat.

Number eight is this one.

A little misshapen, and a bit flat.

Diana is seventh,

Richard sixth,

Nancy fifth

and Norman is fourth.

Number three is this one.

Lovely shape, it was a good size, actually,

but it just needed to be left a little bit longer to prove

before you put it in the oven.

And number two is here.

A bit too big, but a nice flavour.

-Thank you.

-That was very good.

It was a toss-up, actually,

because obviously number one is this one, who's this?

It's me.

-Well done.

-Well done, Kate.

APPLAUSE

I can't believe it!

Might have been handled a little bit,

but you had a nice structure on the top,

good height to it as well, and a good consistency.

And guess what, Paul? She WAS the most patient.

I had it in my head what I was going to do

and, for some reason, a calm came over me and I did it.

I'm going to do that again.

So far I've been 11th, 10th and now 4th, so that's a result.

Next week, first.

Like last week, game of two halves, one good one and one bad one.

So, still tomorrow.

I shall hopefully get a good one in again.

Who's at the top of the pile? Who's looking really good this week?

Luis and Kate, definitely.

She seems to have just got better and better each week.

She has great skills and she's very calm.

And Luis - very inventive.

I think the rest of them are all pretty much bunched together,

so I think...

You know, they have a bad day,

it's going to be tricky.

Says Paul, and then smiles.

Good morning, bakers, and welcome to your bread Showstopper.

Now, for this challenge,

Paul and Mary would like you to make a bread centrepiece -

forget flowers and candles, think dough.

Now, we'd like you to make a filled loaf.

It could be stuffed, it could be rolled,

you could do a tear and share, or a keep and weep.

The most important things to remember are these -

spectacular on the outside, it's got to look good on the inside,

and taste delicious.

You've got four hours on the clock.

-On your marks.

-Get set.

-Bake!

My last chance to rise to the challenge,

because if I don't have a strong Showstopper here, I'm going out.

There's certain pitfalls which the bakers could have

during this challenge, and the main one is moisture.

If you use a vegetable or any fruit that releases moisture,

produces steam as it bakes,

you end up with a big, huge air hole -

and you don't want that.

The very first thing we'll be looking for is the appearance,

the design, the crust,

and we want the dough to be cooked all the way through.

So we are seeking perfection.

-Morning, Kate.

-Hi!

What are you doing for your Showstopper?

I am doing a prosciutto, olive and coriander bread.

It's a very Greek dish. Having lived out there for six years

-making bread out there for six years...

-OK.

..coriander is all over the place.

-I've been worried about it.

-Coriander and olive...

-Together?

..is what they always, always do -

-they also add onion to it as well.

-Oh, really?

-You're adding prosciutto - that's the difference.

-Yeah.

It'll be fascinating to see how the texture turns out

-with all those ingredients in.

-Yeah.

I'm quite interested to see that, too!

All the bakers have chosen a strong white flour for their dough,

but Luis has added saffron to create a very special kind of bread.

I'm making a Roscon de Reyes today,

which is a traditional Spanish bread

which is usually eaten around Epiphany,

which is just after Christmas,

which is when the three kings visited Jesus.

Luis' Spanish loaf will be packed full of flavours, and form a crown.

It's always a really ornately decorated bread,

because it's supposed to be a celebration of the gifts.

Jordan's also making a white flour dough

but he's adding sugar, milk and butter.

I'm making a strawberry and raspberry cheesecake brioche.

As for why, er, it's my favourite bread.

It turns out I'm the only one doing sweet, as well, in the ten -

which will hopefully play to my advantage.

Jordan's sweet centrepiece

will feature layers of cream cheese

and raspberry and strawberry compote.

I like to take the best bits of different foods

and push them together.

So I really like cheesecake,

I really like brioche and I really like strawberries and raspberries.

So if you mash them all together in one big loaf,

it's tasty.

-At least

-I

-think it's tasty.

-So, Diana, tell us all about your loaf.

-Yes.

I'm calling it UK/Italian Pinwheel and making five pinwheels in there.

When I take that off we'll make a sunburst.

-Wow.

-And in the middle of that I'm going to put a pot of chilli jam.

'Diana has used the Italian Tricolore as inspiration

'for her savoury pinwheel containing Parmesan spinach and ham.'

So, the overall idea - you're building it in there,

creating the whole image and then popping the ring off

-and then pulling out the end bits of the wheel.

-The tail...

Now, you may be able to tell me -

no, you're not going to tell me, are you? -

but the last inch of that tail,

either oil or flour to stop it sticking to the pinwheel

so that it comes out.

-Good luck.

-Yes.

-I've tried... You're not going to tell me!

I'm going to make a white bread loaf.

It'll be stuffed with chicken and pesto

with roasted vegetables and sun-dried tomatoes.

Nothing too fancy, just enough to satisfy the most discerning palate.

Norman's aiming for a sophisticated finish,

coating his picnic loaf with rosemary-infused olive oil,

sea salt and oregano.

Goes nice with a glass of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

I'm making a pinwheel shaped tear and share

with pesto and roasted veg.

This is my normal loaf bread

so, if I muck this one up, I'm really off my game today.

Richard's pesto pinwheel with feta and walnuts is a family favourite.

I think I've probably made this one about 20 or 30 times.

You practised it 20 times?!

I haven't practised it, I've made it to eat!

That's fine.

Now what comes next?

The vegetables.

Whilst Norman, Richard and Luis have drawn on Mediterranean flavours

for their fillings, Martha's inspiration is decidedly Gallic.

I've got a small Epoisses cheese I'm going to bake into the middle of it,

and I'm going to make it like a sunflower, hopefully.

-Epoisses?

-Yes.

-Never heard of it.

-You've never tried Epoisses?

-No, I've never tried it, Martha!

-It's one of the smelliest cheeses.

-Oh, my days, it's one of those,

-in the, um...

-Yep.

-I think it's banned from public transport in France.

-It is indeed.

I took it on the train here and I was like, "Sorry, everybody!"

The smellier the better!

Martha's sunflower is designed to be cut open

to reveal an Epoisses fondue

with petals filled with apricot

or fig chutney.

It's a nice idea, where did you get the idea for this?

I don't know - I've made camembert baked in a bread

-for my family before.

-Mm-hm.

-So I just thought...

SHE LAUGHS

That is like essence of a thousand students' socks.

I'm making a Moroccan-themed plait.

I'm going to wrap it round a tagine and have a dip in the tagine,

and the bread will be round the outside of it.

Iain's plait will be studded with black olives and served with a dip

made from broad beans, lemon, cumin and paprika.

I visited Morocco a couple of years ago

and spent a couple of weeks travelling around,

so I just really enjoyed the food there

and I really enjoyed the flavours.

Can you tell us about your bread?

Yes, I'm doing white bread

and I'm going to stuff it

with a cauliflower, potato, tomato kind of mixture

with onion and fresh curry leaves and a lot of spices.

Surprise, surprise!

Lovely.

This time, Chetna is incorporating her chutney into her bake.

She's decorating her loaf with a bread spiral

filled with mango chutney.

Are you going to get a gap?

Because what tends to happen is when you get a filling in a loaf

and you're using the dome you've got bread, bread,

-you will have this gap sort of in the middle.

-Oh!

Ooh, there's a good smell.

Lovely sausages, bacon, mushrooms - breakfast?

-Yes.

-Tell us.

I'm going to do a stromboli, which is an Italian rolled bread,

but I've called it a full English stromboli.

So I'm doing bacon, eggs, sausage, mushrooms,

tomatoes and home-made ketchup.

Please hurry up, cos we're hungry!

For an added twist,

Nancy's using quail's eggs in her full English

and her ketchup is made from home-grown damsons.

One of the issues is, you get big gaps.

I'm going to try and roll it fairly tightly,

and I'm trying not to have a lot of moisture going on.

-Are there baked beans in it, Nancy?

-No baked beans, no.

-Black pudding?

-They're on the side.

-Good, baked beans on the side.

I can't wait.

By the time the dough has risen to the bakers' satisfaction...

It's looking huge!

-It's bigger than your head!

-It is!

Cool.

..they only have two hours left

to shape, fill and bake their Showstoppers.

Are you a competitive person?

Oh, gosh.

Little bit.

-I have entered the local competitions a bit recently...

-Yes.

-..and quite enjoyed that, so...

-Does that mean you won?

-Yeah, I did.

-SHE LAUGHS

Oh, I love the euphemism! "I quite enjoyed that."

I'm just doing loads of coriander.

I want the fragrance of the coriander to punch through a bit.

I'm just wrapping the cheese up in the dough.

It's really important that it's a good seal,

because if the cheese leaks out, the bread will be rubbish.

My wife and I are both quite OCD

about things being the right shape and size,

so, yeah, it's a bit of a hangover from home

but it helps in being a builder, everyone wants things to fit.

Jordan did say he was doing another twisty shape,

but he's doing his sweet, I'm doing mine savoury.

So mine can be dinner and his can be pudding.

One...two. You look it at, and it looks so pink and messy,

but actually when it bakes, you don't notice that,

I don't know, it seems to absorb into the bread

far more than you would think.

I'm going for the posh rustic look.

If it's home-made, it should look home-made.

I'm feeling a bit more tense now

because this is the most crucial part -

just getting the plait right.

There's a lot of petal on the top,

and there's slightly sparse petal action at the bottom.

-Oh, no, I think I might have put...

-Have I distracted you?

-What have you done?

-Well, some of them are fig and some are apricot

and it's meant to alternate...

but I think I've forgotten where I put them.

Oh, no! I have no idea.

Um...smell them, smell them.

Smell - fig, apricot.

-, I've got flour on my nose now...

-I'm just getting dough!

Martha! What are we going to do?

Just giving it a light spray

just to keep the dough moist while it proves,

so I'm going to pop it in a bag

and then pop it back in the proving drawer.

I've never glazed any fruit in my life,

this was me going home last week

and thinking, "How do I take my loaf that I know tastes really nice

"and make it look Showstoppery?"

Because that's what I struggled on every single week,

is just making it look as pretty as everyone else's.

Thanks, Kate, you're a legend.

-I can smell that saffron, it's lovely!

-Yeah.

That's amazing.

It's a lot stronger than the one I had at home.

The final task before baking

is the all-important decoration of the centrepiece loaves.

Enormous bread is going in.

All I can do is sit on the floor and stare at my bread

and hope that it bakes properly.

We'll see. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

There's really not a way to tell if it's cooked inside,

because you can't tap and check,

it's filled inside - you can't do the temperature check because...

Oh, it's just...

-It's looking splendid, isn't it?

-Yeah.

Who'd have thought that a browning plait could be so interesting?

It's huge!

With bread, that's good, though.

It hasn't broken through the sides, so...

Actually, I quite like it broken through the sides,

but it's not good when you're under scrutiny, is it, really?

Pleased with the way it looks?

Yes. Once it's nicely browned, I'll take it out of the oven,

and then I'll coat it with the rosemary-infused olive oil

-to give it a...

-Very, very nice..

Because Mr Hollywood likes lots of flavour, you know?

Now, I sense that, um, Mr Hollywood has irked you, somewhat.

Not at all! He did say my rolls were a bit bland.

For me this is very exotic. You know - pesto.

OK, bakers, you've got five minutes.

If you listen to it, you can hear the cheese on the inside bubbling.

FAINT BUBBLING

-I can hear the cheese.

-That's the cheese.

-That is artistry.

-Thank you!

I was really fearful that it was going to burst

and the filling come out. Somebody must be watching over me.

That's quite simply the biggest bread table decoration

I've ever seen.

SINGS: Doo, doo, doo, doo...

So, Captain Chaos, how many times have you made this?

-You said that you've made it a lot.

-Yeah, more than I care to count.

How many times has it worked?

Er, it's only not worked twice.

Which was actually this week, when I was practising.

This is not good, this is not good,

I feel like the angel of doom.

Five - come on - four, three,

two - stop touching your dough-balls - one...

OK, the bake's over. We're done.

Richard, do you want to bring

your lovely bread up, please?

Well, we can see that precision is part of you.

It looks very neat.

You baked it really well, actually.

-(Phew).

-The flavour and the texture works extremely well.

And I love the pesto - you made your own pesto, didn't you?

-I did.

-It's nice.

That's a very, very nice loaf.

-Thank you.

-Very nice.

What are we expecting just inside there?

They're kind of alternating fig chutney and apricot chutney.

I don't think I've alternated them!

Think I might have had a mix-up... with alternation.

-You got two the same.

-Oh!

-There is definitely apricot in there somewhere!

-Rip all the legs off!

-Ah, there's one.

-There's one.

-I've got one

-Oh, that's embarrassing.

I quite like the idea of the figs with it.

I like figs and cheese together.

I think the idea was very good.

I just think you could have neatened up slightly on the legs,

-and a little bit longer in the oven.

-OK.

Norman,

we're looking for something very spectacular.

Now to me, that looks like a very nice family pie.

I'm just hoping that there's more excitement

when we get inside that you've described.

I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I think the issue is down at the bottom,

-where it is just raw dough.

-Uh-huh.

It doesn't...

-you know, excite me.

-OK.

Um, it's a bit messy on the top.

Your dough's not been mixed enough.

It doesn't take much to turn that back to dough.

Wonderful flavours, and they all blend together.

It's just a bit cakey, rather than bready.

Nice and crispy.

You've got a lovely crisp to it,

and the texture of the crumb is very good.

I think it tastes great.

And the plait's pretty good, too.

I think it's a bit of a success.

-Thank you.

-Very good.

Dying to see what it's like inside.

I thought it would be quite moist,

but the middle has all sunk together.

I think the biggest issue is - the outside is OK,

I think just this bit here,

and as you go a sort of a third in, it then becomes raw dough,

there's so much liquid in there.

Nice idea, but unfortunately it's not been executed that well.

Sorry about that.

As a filled loaf, it's there.

As a centrepiece, it ain't. I mean, it looks...

-Poor on presentation?

-Yeah.

MEL: (Oh, wow!)

I don't like the big gaps.

And actually, in many ways, you've overfilled it.

I think I would have left the tomato out,

-which is what has made it come away from the top, is the tomato.

-OK.

-I quite like all the filling.

-I think the flavour's lovely.

It's lovely. Very breakfasty.

It's bold and beautiful, you know.

It's a nice idea.

I think it's quite fun to be able to rip off.

THEY LAUGH

Bit of a soggy bottom.

Oh, dear!

The flavour of the ingredients inside is delicious.

-It is very, very good.

-Good, good.

-However, there's just not enough of it.

-Right.

It's a very clever presentation.

That twist - I don't think I could do it without a map.

I know Paul was thinking there might be a gap

between the ham and the bread.

There is no gap...

because inside is raw.

-It's raw?

-What?

The problem is when you create a dough, and then wrap it up,

it's got nowhere to go.

You've shown us great skill - just get the middle cooked.

Yeah. OK.

Well, it looks right royal and regal.

-Great presentation, you're good at that.

-Thank you.

Looks very good.

You've got a little bit of a gap, but not much.

Not that keen on the flavours.

It could be the dough.

-You know, that saffron.

-Mm-hm.

It's quite strong.

-But very, very well decorated.

-Thank you.

I like the flavours, it's very Spanish to me -

-figs and Serrano ham.

-Thank you very much, Lu.

-Thanks, guys.

-Well done, Lu. Thank you.

-Thank you.

So the bread Showstoppers today -

on the whole, on the outside, they looked pretty good.

Did they deliver on the inside for you?

Several of them had a problem, with the base being soggy.

Kate did the, sort of, Serrano ham.

But she swirled it so tight that it couldn't actually move.

It was restricted. However, the outside wasn't,

-and then it opened up and it tasted fantastic.

-Yeah.

Looking at Luis, he did really well in the technical,

I thought his Signature rolls were very good.

-He was second in the technical.

-He was.

-And Kate was first in the technical...

-Yeah.

-..so surely that puts both of them...

-Very, very high indeed.

They're our leaders, I think.

Who didn't have such a good day at the office,

and who's therefore in contention to leave?

I don't think Jordan had a particularly good day.

I think it was a bad choice to try and make such a wet fruity filling

-and expect the base to be cooked.

-I thought Norman was very simple.

We've mentioned to him before, it needs to be a bit more creative.

You've now got quite an interesting dilemma.

You've got a couple of people at the bottom -

Norman, who's played it safe every time.

And another who's way more maverick. One of them has got to go,

so I don't envy you that task.

OK, bakers, well...

Paul and Mary have been deliberating,

and this week I get the fun job.

I get to say who is this week's Star Baker.

Now, I have to say, this Star Baker just pummels dough

and then slashes it and then forms it into a ring

and shoves every ingredient known to man in it.

Luis, you're our Star Baker.

-APPLAUSE

-Thank you very much.

Thank you, thank you.

Finally!

Yes!

OK, now for the difficult bit.

We can't take all of you with us next week.

And I'm really sad to have to tell you

that the person who will not be joining us

for next week's Bake Off is...

..Jordan.

Very sad.

-Ahh, thank you very much for the chance.

-Captain chaos!

-Captain chaos.

-He's straight in.

I'm disappointed, of course. I wanted to stay in.

There's other things that I really wanted to bake

and, you know, get out there,

things that I really enjoy and really like.

You've been a sheer joy

and we really will miss you.

I'm really sad that Jordan's gone.

He was inventive, he was creative, he was flamboyant,

and so were his bakes.

-Well done!

-Thank you.

I'm totally ecstatic,

I-I dunno, I'm so cynical, you never expect it, really.

But, yeah, to get Star Baker,

that's the Bake Off dream ticked off, to be honest.

Thank you so much, thank you very much, I appreciate that

-Well done, mate.

-Thank you.

The whole attention to detail

that Luis puts into his work throughout all of his bakes

have been stunning.

And a well-deserved Star Baker.

Next time, the bakers tackle desserts...

Don't make a mess.

Don't make a mess.

Probably won't be fancy enough for the judges, but there you go.

..and, as the temperature rises...

It's so hot.

Freezer, freezer, please, freezer!

I just need to get this on really quick.

..there's a meltdown in the Bake Off tent.

I think that's sort of unacceptable.