Bread The Great British Bake Off

-Melly, I'm absolutely shattered

-I'm absolutely pooped, Susie.

Do you think we could go and get some tea in the tent?

Absolutely, I'm hoping for oodles of scones and pastries.

Absolutely.

And I'm hoping for lashings of harsh judgment from Paul and Mary.

Will there be a life-size statue of the Taj Mahal

made out of cheese straws?

BOTH: Absolutely.

Welcome to the Great British Bake Off.

Last time...

I wish I'd made it a lot more simple now.

-Fireman Mat...

-HE BLOWS

..and care worker Sandy's biscuits...

I do all the loving.

..were no match for stay-at-home Dad Ian's...

That is a fantastic biscotti.

..as he became this year's second Star Baker.

That was a good result.

And despite prison governor Paul...

It's starting to look a bit like a snail.

..and project accountant Dorret struggling...

I'm not getting much flavour there.

-..problems with biscotti...

-(Oh, don't.)

..and disaster with arlettes...

-They're not cooked at all.

-..meant that the first Star Baker,

Marie, had to leave the tent.

I'm a silly-silly.

Now, it's bread week.

It's got dough everywhere. Dough-verload.

Who'll meet Paul's high standards

with their quick bread?

Put me out of my misery.

Can anyone technically master a French classic?

I know what one looks like.

Question is, can I make one?

And who makes a Showstopper so monumental...

-No pressure.

-None at all.

..it's worthy of a Bake Off first?

And we'll start with something we've actually never done before.

It makes me feel uneasy.

All right, it's television.

Oh, I don't know what that is.

Massaging a guinea pig?

Very bad '80s manoeuvres?

Bingo wings?

My waistline?

Look, I don't have time for this. It's bread week.

Morning, bakers.

Very exciting this morning,

we've got a new category of bread

never before seen on Bake Off.

Quick breads.

Quick breads, of course, are just very speedy breads

made without yeast.

Paul and Mary would like you to make two of these,

any flavour you like but they have to be free form,

ie not in a tin.

So, you've got one and a half hours,

very good luck. On your marks...

-Get set...

-BOTH: Bake!

I am shaky as anything.

It turned out well at home.

Just has to turn out really well now.

A quick bread is a bread risen without yeast

so the only thing they're going to be able to use to rise

is bicarb or baking powder.

You throw your bicarb in, which is your alkaline,

and then you throw your buttermilk in, which is essentially acid.

The reaction between the two creates a gas and grows your bread.

If they use too much bicarb or baking powder,

it's very bitter,

and the moment you eat into it, you know it.

-Hello, Flora.

-Morning.

Right, what are you up to?

I am making fig and hazelnut soda bread today.

Flora's using a blend of plain, wholemeal

and rye flours in her quick breads.

I quite like rye flour with figs.

Rye flour often gives a very close texture.

So, how much liquid to flour?

I use 600 mls of buttermilk.

-How much flour in total?

-670 grams.

So, it's almost 100% liquid then?

Yeah, pretty much.

Interesting, this should be good.

It doesn't look promising, does it?

-Good morning.

-Good morning.

Mat, tell us about your loaves.

OK, so I'm doing a smoked salt

and Mexican Cheddar soda bread.

Oh, "Andale, Andale."

As the Mexican carpet-fitter once said.

Mat's also adding jalapeno peppers to increase the heat.

And what shape are you doing these two?

Just round with a traditional...

-Cut or slash?

-Slice.

-OK. Good luck, mate.

-Thank you.

-What difference does it...?

-I'm not going to tell him.

Mat's not the only baker hoping to add

a touch of Mexican heat to their quick bread.

So, I'm making a Mexican-style bread with cumin, coriander...

Quite similar to the kind of flavours

that I would use at home when I'm making a curry.

Nadiya's Mexican quick bread

will also be served

with a warm tomato salsa.

Now, old Mat is also doing a, sort of, Mexican thing...

He copied me. Look into my eyes.

-He knew...

-There's a bit of a Mexican face-off.

Have you got a lot of the same ingredients?

Pretty much the same ingredients.

-Yeah, but he's totally copying me.

-Yeah.

-Good morning, Dorret.

-Morning.

Tell us all about your quick bread.

OK, I've chosen Waldorf-inspired flavours.

Dorret's bready version of the classic Waldorf salad

will include walnuts, sultanas and blue cheese.

Just making sure that the cheese is evenly dispersed.

-And that gives you the texture that you're looking for.

-Yeah.

I love Stilton in a loaf.

Yes, me too. That slightly melty, delicious tang.

A lot of butter on it.

And then a trip to the coronary heart.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Tamal is also using cheese -

but he's less concerned about its dispersal.

I want there to be big chunks of cheese.

It's really nice, like goat's cheese,

so when I been practising at home, I've just been like...

the whole time, yeah.

Buying a little bit extra...for "research."

Tamal is using figs, ground oats and walnuts

to complement his goat's cheese.

The final bread is quite a nice, sort of, rustic, hearty loaf.

The sort of thing you'd want with soup.

Good morning, Alvin. Can you tell us about your quick breads, please?

It's going to be packed full of flavours

from prosciutto, Manchego cheese, basil and some balsamic onion.

Alvin's using Spanish cheese, Italian prosciutto

and basil to create loaves with a European flavour.

Quite a strong flavour, Manchego.

So, I make sure I mix it and distribute it into the flour...

-Right...

-Equal pieces, hopefully.

What shape are they when in the oven?

They're going to be circular.

Good luck.

Achieving the correct crumbly texture in a soda bread

depends on getting the ratio of bicarb to buttermilk spot on.

If there's not enough liquid, the loaf will be too dense.

Too much and it won't hold its shape.

How much flour are you using in this?

-800 grams of flour.

-800 grams. How much liquid?

300 to 350 of buttermilk.

Not a lot of liquid.

-So, it's quite a tight structure inside?

-Yeah.

It is.

Paul's close-textured quick bread is a break with tradition

as it's sweetened with orange and cranberry.

Why did you choose sweet?

I just like the texture, like the taste, like the flavours.

So, how long are you baking this for?

This is for 50 to 55 minutes.

OK, that's quite a long time.

Good luck, mate.

Thank you.

One baker is going even sweeter.

I am making chocolate quick bread

with salted caramel sauce.

I'm loving chocolate all the way,

so it's a little bit untraditional, I would say.

Ugne will top her quick bread with caramelised pecans

and she's doing everything she can to ensure it will rise.

I'm using both baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.

It tends to work when I use both.

It looks a lot more neater when I have done it at home.

It's such a mess.

Quick bread shouldn't be kneaded.

The more the dough is worked, the closer the texture becomes...

I just don't want it to fall apart, really.

..and overworked dough makes for a tough, chewy loaf.

I'm using Tipo 00, a very fine flour,

to try and make it a nice light soda bread.

Does that work?

It does, yeah.

Once again, Ian's brought a little bit of Cambridgeshire to the tent

and added it to the dough for his pesto soda bread.

Did you pick your wild garlic?

I did, yes. Yeah, went out to the woods a couple of days ago.

Very relieved to see it was still there.

There's only a certain time of year that you can find it and use it.

Do you find that it goes quite a dark colour when you bake it?

It's got a lot of green in there, but it's...

-So, it's quite Martian in its...

-Yes, exactly.

-Its look.

-Yeah.

The bakers are at the halfway point

and their next move could make or break their soda bread.

What I'm doing now is just crossing the soda bread.

Cutting straight through.

The idea is to try and help get the heat into the middle...

..otherwise it can quite easily end up being quite doughy inside.

I've been told already by Paul that I'm cutting it in the wrong way.

It does need to go a fair way down, much more than a normal bread.

A lot of people slice the edges, with a sort of...

How bad's that cutting?

Bad.

It's going to look great.

Don't you find, the further you get in, the more competitive you get?

-Maybe so.

-You just have to.

It's the nature of the beast, isn't it?

Yeah, except I did run the 800 metres once at school

but waited for the last lap and waited for a friend.

-Oh, San... Oh, Sandy

-So, that's how competitive I'm not.

-No, Sandy, no.

-I've got to change that thinking, haven't I?

Wait for nobody in this tent.

It's about you.

Sandy's aiming to get the better of everyone

with a bacon-and-onion soda bread

that's straight from the family recipe book.

It's part of my Irish ancestry.

I go to Ireland a lot and I make it on a range in Ireland.

In we go.

I'm hoping that they rise the way they're supposed to.

With a quick bread, there's no proving.

The dough will only rise when it's in the oven.

They have a mind of their own

and they just, kind of,

puff up wherever they feel like puffing up.

There's an element of faith here.

He said to me, "How long for?"

I says, "55 minutes," I said "180." "That long?"

THEY LAUGH

They're looking like monsters.

They've grown.

Ten minutes early.

Happy.

Properly done? Done?

-SHE GASPS

-So...

I love the way you divvy it up into four,

-so you can just break it.

-That locks the devil out.

-Oh, does it?

-Yeah.

-So, there's no devil in that bread?

-There's no devil in there.

Good. Good to know.

Yeah, I think that's going to be all right.

Just a couple of minutes more

and then it's going to come out.

Bakers, panic, you've got one minute left.

Yeah, holding my nerve at the moment, it's all right.

I hope they're done in the middle.

I just hope that they're cooked.

Is that hollow?

So...da quick bread-making challenge is over.

Bring your breads to the end of the...

You've done it. Drama. Exciting.

They look so tempting,

I can hardly keep my hands off them.

-I'm sure you put slashes across it.

-I have, but they disappeared.

But of course, with all those exciting toppings, they've all...

-Disappeared.

-..gone together.

Manchego's... It's such a pungent cheese.

But the fact that you got all those layers in there

with the balsamic onion as well -

it's a thing of beauty, my friend.

I told you it looked terribly tempting

and I couldn't wait to get into it, well, now I'm into it, I want more.

How nice and bright, and green. The wild garlic has stayed.

MEL: Wow.

It's a nice light texture.

-Mm-hmm.

-The garlic comes through.

MEL: It's delish.

The intensity of the flavours is about right.

The bake is beautifully done too.

-Nice little work of magic there.

-Cool.

They look, sort of, homely.

The overall texture of it is quite tight

and that's because of the cheese.

Could have done with, probably,

LUMPS of Stilton in there.

-I am getting the flavour...

-Yep.

..but I think it could be more intense.

Looks more like a conventionally-yeasted bread

than it does a soda bread.

It's split there because it's trying to find a place to grow.

I like the nice, original shape.

A little bit of heat in there.

The coriander comes through.

I think you've done well with the flavour and the shape and the bake.

Which, to be honest, I was really concerned about -

but, actually, you've got away with it.

-You did do a cut through the...

-I did.

-We've lost that a bit.

-Yeah.

Let's have a look inside.

Lovely crust.

One of my concerns is,

it's just more, you see,

bread-like than soda bread-like.

It doesn't crumble at all, it holds together.

I think you've just worked that dough a little bit too much.

-Yeah, sure.

-Is it overworked?

-It's overworked.

-Overworked.

I like to be able to see the filling pouring out.

I like that.

The figs come through strongly.

Put me out of my misery.

It's baked OK.

The blend between the goat's cheese and the nuts as well, particularly,

-is gorgeous.

-Thank you, thank you.

-It looks as though it was quite a wet dough...

-Yes.

..and, of course, it will change the texture

because you've added extra fat from the bacon.

I like the flavour very much.

But it just crumbles when you touch it. I like it.

-Thank you.

-SUE: It's delish.

The hazelnuts work exceptionally well in -

but the one that really works is the blend of flours together.

I think you've got that bang on.

Excellent.

I can smell a lot of baking powder.

Here we go.

-It's baked beautifully and it tastes fantastic.

-Oh, yes.

One of the things is, it's not overly sweet either.

It's about right.

I was expecting it to be bitter

having both those raising agents.

-You've obviously done it lightly - it works and it's right.

-Yes.

I can smell the orange, it's coming up and hitting me,

which I like in a bread.

-Well, that's excellent.

-Thank you.

The orange comes through, the texture's good,

the bake's pretty much perfect,

for a sweet soda bread...

-Yeah, I'll have another piece of that.

-Thank you very much.

-Oh, the handshake.

-Nice one, Paul. Thank you.

-Well done.

Bread week is Paul's week - the king of the baking.

For him to give you a handshake at the end for your...

quick bread... I know it sounds a bit soppy but that was good.

That was a really good feeling.

I'm feeling dangerously happy.

What Paul said about my soda bread

is going to stay for the rest of my natural life.

Well, I think I'm struggling to please the judges.

Overworked, apparently.

So...

yeah, not a clean sweep.

For bread week's technical challenge,

Paul has asked for a classic

never seen before on the Bake Off.

Bakers, for today's technical, we're all going to France.

Not literally, we don't have the budget.

Paul and Mary - they're off to a Morris dancing class.

Paul, before you do, any words of wisdom for the bakers?

Good luck.

That really wasn't a word of wisdom.

That was just saying, "I hope it all goes well."

Au revoir, a bientot.

FRENCH ACCENT: See you later, my darlings.

Today's challenge - four identical crusty baguettes.

If you don't know what a baguette is, it's over, you should leave now.

You've got two-and-a-half hours.

-On your marks...

-Get set...

-BOTH: Bake!

I have made baguettes before...

I know what one looks like, I know what one tastes like.

The question is, can I make one?

I've tried them, they're not easy to make.

How hard can it be?

A baguette is all about having that crisp on the outside.

-This one here has got a nice...

-HOLLOW TAPPING

-A good crust.

-You get that by using steam in the oven.

See, the structure's very irregular, it's not like a tin bread,

it's not tight little air holes.

It's open, it's chewy, it's crispy.

Mmm.

-Have you suggested that they create steam in the oven?

-No.

I expect them to know how to get a great crust on bread.

One of the other things I'll be looking for is

whether it's proved enough.

Take it too early and pop it in the oven, it'll split down the side.

I really think you have been...

THEY LAUGH

..particularly nasty on this one.

Mary, we're looking for the best amateur bakers in the country.

And I think this is a really tough challenge.

The recipe is, kind of, basic.

"Add three quarters of the water to the flour, salt and yeast."

That's it.

The bakers may not realise that a baguette dough

needs a high water content

in order to produce the open texture the judges require.

It's very sticky dough.

It's very hard to work with.

It's getting there, you can see it.

Potentially haven't put enough water in.

See, other peoples look more wet than mine.

It says 370 ml.

I think I put about 300 in, but is it the wrong thing to do to add it now?

Probably.

It doesn't say how long to knead it for

or how long to prove it for,

that's the fun bit.

-"Oil a plastic container."

-"Oil a plastic container."

This is definitely a plastic container.

That bit, I'm going to get right.

"Cover and prove." It doesn't give you

-any timings or anything, does it?

-No.

The first prove is critical,

as it's when the baguette's airy texture is created.

This is what I do at home.

I just noticed that, "Oil a plastic container."

I didn't realise what it's for.

I don't want to take it out because it's already in there.

So, I don't know how that would be any different from that.

I'm taking it out. Silly mistake, never mind.

-Hmmm.

-I'm not sure where to prove it.

In the oven, on the proving setting -

or if I should leave it at room temperature.

I'm putting my faith in the oven proving setting.

Proving drawer, not in the oven, cos the oven's too hot.

In the oven.

I'm sticking to what I do at home,

I never put my bread into proving drawers or ovens.

It just says prove it, doesn't say how long.

It'll probably be about an hour.

Not confident in this at all.

Not rising.

I haven't put enough liquid in.

One hour and 15 minutes remaining.

I'm not going to leave it for an hour.

Got a little bit of rise.

-Massive.

-I'm happy with that.

"Divide and shape the dough into four equal baguettes." So...

800 divided by four.

The shaping's really important. If you don't do it properly,

you just get bread that just slops out as it rises.

-I want to keep the air bubbles.

-OK.

I want a good crumb which has got good...

Yeah, crisp.

Or am I thinking about ciabatta? I don't know.

Don't think about ciabatta, Alvin. This is baguettes, not ciabatta.

What's with the pinching?

I am pinching my bottom seam...

-Right.

-..so, when you've got it on top, you should have no seams.

I wonder if I could roll it.

This is a lot trickier than I thought it would be.

Place it into the coachy or whatever it's called.

"Couche" - which is a bed, innit? So it's just a linen bed.

SHE CHUCKLES

I think.

The 100% linen couche is a traditional French cloth

that helps the baguette's shape stay intact during the second prove.

-FRENCH ACCENT:

-You go to sleep, my babies, for a few minutes.

Well done, Sandy.

Come on.

40 minutes remaining.

You know, it's worked so hard to rise,

I don't want to upset it.

Oh, don't fall off.

My heart is just going boom, boom, boom, boom.

"Flash each baguette."

Do you have to score it...

for it to look like a baguette?

That's the tricky bit.

Have to be careful with this one.

Slash the bread and the whole thing will just collapse.

I'm just basing it on, kind of,

a traditional baguette in the diagonal slashes.

Trying to think, in my head, of a baguette.

A baguette doesn't have that,

a baguette has that.

Right or wrong, soon find out.

There's no mention of steam in Paul's instructions

and only some of the bakers have spotted this.

The water's just to give it a nice bit of steam in there,

which gives it a nice, good crust to it.

Professional bread ovens have steam injectors.

So, this is, like, how you can replicate it at home, apparently.

It's really good for your complexion.

Not all of the bakers have realised the secret

to Paul's perfectly crisp baguette.

Mais oui.

Right, I think I'll start with 15 minutes

and take it from there, really.

"Bake until golden brown." That's all it says.

Bear in mind what my wife says.

"Always leave it in for an extra 10 minutes."

I think baguettes are slightly under golden than over golden.

Can't do anything now, it's all in there, so have to wait.

I wished I baked a baguette before at home.

They have to be four mini baguettes, don't they?

-I don't know, actually.

-What does it say?

So, I imagined it then.

You did. I was really happy when you said that.

I'm sure it said mini ones.

Ten minutes, bakers.

I'm using every minute there is.

I'm not rushing.

No, that's all right, bit longer.

Second guessing myself now.

I want to brown them a little bit more than they are.

Might have to stick it in another minute or so.

TIMER BEEPS

Time's up.

Let's look at these babies.

Golden.

I'm going to have a gander.

Yeah, let's go with those.

OK, bakers, just two minute before we release the man gorilla

that is Paul Hollywood.

Two minutes to go, that's OK.

Well, they look a little bit like baguettes.

That line, sort of, shows that it's under-proven.

I've got it on four of them,

so at least that's consistently under-proved.

They look all right, them.

Cutting it a little bit fine here.

Looks like I'm the last person to be taking something out the oven.

OK, bakers, baguette time is up.

HE WHISTLES

Please bring them up to the gingham altar in front of your photo.

What will Paul and Mary make of the Bake Off's first ever baguettes?

What we're looking for are four equal-sized baguettes -

crispy, cut on the top, good colour,

as opposed to ciabattas.

These look pretty good.

I can hear a nice crunch there.

It's crispy, good structure inside.

-Yeah, they're nice, they are.

-You can't fault that.

Right. See underneath, the line,

normally means it's slightly under-proved,

but they're not bad.

-The flavour's good.

-Just needed more crisping on the outside.

These look a bit more like ciabattas than they do baguettes.

The cuts are there.

Open structure. You can see.

Overall, they're not bad.

Soft. A million cuts down the middle,

variety of shapes, under-proved...

Flavour's there.

Moving on. Well, at least they're all the same size, Mary.

Split there, it's under-proved, see, both sides.

Soft...

and the colour's pretty bad too.

I think they look really good, the problem is, it's underbaked.

It needed another five, ten minutes in the oven.

You see how soft they are?

It's fine to eat.

Soft again, not long enough in the oven.

Fairly even shape. This side's fine.

Oh, dear.

Four soft...pieces of bread.

Which, actually, haven't been steamed in the oven.

Cuts are terrible.

I'm just feeling very sorry for whoever it is.

Right, this one has had steam.

The cuts are all wrong, the slashes should be on a diagonal.

They're too short.

-And they're not crisp, are they?

-No.

Tastes OK.

We're back in Italy now making half-baked ciabattas.

Shape's all wrong, it's too fat. It needs to be long for a baguette.

It's got a nice colour underneath, come on.

It's barely baked.

Will anyone come out well from such a brutal judging?

So, in tenth place, whose is this?

It looks half-baked

and it's rather wide and short.

In ninth place is this one.

Nadiya, if you'd put steam in the oven,

it would have helped a little bit.

Mat is eighth, Sandy seventh, Dorret sixth,

Ugne is fifth and Alvin is fourth.

Number three is this one.

Good steam in the oven,

nice and equal baguette -

but you just brought them out far too early.

Who is two, here?

They've got good slashes,

they were a pretty good bake.

So, number one is this one.

-APPLAUSE

-Well done, Ian.

-Well done, Ian.

Don't get too cocky though.

Little bit longer would have been better, if I'm honest -

but they're a nice, equal, crispy, good texture.

Well done.

Might just have a little fizzy pop in the bar this evening.

Not too many though, just the one-off.

Maybe two.

I got second...again.

Paul Hollywood - he was punching bread

and shattering dreams in there.

It was nasty.

I think...I'm potentially in trouble.

That went badly, obviously.

I've done well in the signature,

I've done awful on the technical.

I seem to bring it back in the Showstopper.

It's a bit of a common theme with me at the moment.

Kristy Turlington, Linda Evangelista and Lily Cole...

That's great. When I said sculpt...roll models.

I didn't mean...

roll "models".

Roll models.

A lot of work went into those.

Here's how the Ukrainians do it.

The Ukrainians really love their bread.

So much so, that their flag represents a field of wheat

under a clear blue sky.

And a bread sculpture is the centrepiece

of any traditional wedding.

Ukrainian chef Olya Hercules

is trail-blazing a new wave of eastern European baking in Britain.

-Morning, all.

-Morning.

Olya, good to see you. What's going on?

We're making a korovai, which is a traditional Ukrainian wedding bread.

So, instead of a cake, we normally make a massive,

lavishly-decorated bread.

And who's getting married?

Xenia's getting married.

Xenia, are you sure?

Yes, I'm very sure, yes.

Sure you want to do it? Go through with it?

-Do you always do this in a group?

-Yes.

Traditionally, it's done by seven women

coming from seven different places.

It's all about transferring positive energy and vibes

into the bread for the bride and groom.

-Oh, really? Great, symbolically...

-Yep.

..joining the main bread. Lovely.

So, is this the equivalent, then, of a Ukrainian hen do?

Kind of, yeah, just without the booze.

THEY CHUCKLE

We... Traditionally, women sing songs.

Could you start us off with something?

Not looking that keen over here.

LAUGHTER

SHE SINGS IN UKRAINIAN

And that, ladies, is the Eurovision entry for 2016.

What were you singing about?

About a girl dumping a guy.

Oh, not the best song.

A sweetened-enriched bread flavoured with vanilla,

korovai is decorated with dough figurines.

Pine cones represent fertility,

poppies for serenity

and birds are created in the likeness

of the guests at the wedding.

-Now, Slava, you're Xenia's aunt.

-I am.

Have you been done already?

I actually haven't been done yet, Mel,

-so you've got an opportunity here to do...

-I was hoping you say that.

-..a Slava dove.

-You've got lovely hair, Slava.

-Thank you.

The pressure is on to get the bake correct,

as folklore says,

"If the loaf cracks, the marriage will end in divorce."

Oh, it looks brilliant.

Do you want to do these ones?

Ukrainians aren't alone celebrating weddings with wheat.

On the island of Crete, breads shaped in floral wreathes

are presented as gifts to the wedding guests...

You're determined to get that Slava one in, aren't you?

..and in Poland, a loaf is sprinkled with salt,

said to represent tears,

hopefully, of joy.

Seven ladies. We rock.

The omens are good for Xenia's marriage.

I just feel sorry for whoever ends up eating the Slava dove.

Only one challenge left

before Paul and Mary decide who's excelled this week

and who will be going home.

Who's in line for Star Baker do you think, Mary?

It could be Alvin, he's done particularly well.

With the Manchego and the prosciutto, that was beautiful.

Flora did really well.

I think Ian's up there.

Absolutely.

So many different flavours.

Nadiya is having a nightmare in technical challenges -

right down the bottom in all three so far.

She's always better at things that she's practised at home.

For me, Dorret's in trouble.

I didn't particularly like her Signature Bake -

with the Stilton, I don't think it was good enough.

I think Mat has to be down there too

and anyone that comes in the bottom of a technical challenge,

such as Paul, automatically puts you in a very difficult position.

Morning, bakers. It's Showstopper day.

Paul and Mary are searching for the new Michelangel-dough.

We want you to make 3D bread sculptures.

So, you need to make up to three types of dough.

One of them needs to be filled and

you have five hours for your creations.

-So, on your marks...

-Get set...

-Bake!

I think I've definitely got to do well in this.

Yeah, I'm right down the bottom.

This is one of the trickiest challenges we've ever had.

They've really got to know their dough to create a sculpture.

As the dough grows, it can lose its definition.

We know our bakers can make one dough,

but can they manage three

AND a filling as well?

If they don't come prepared,

they're going to come unstuck.

-Morning.

-Good morning.

MEL: Morning, Tamal.

MARY: Tell us about your sculpture.

I'm making a bread bicycle - or a bread-cycle.

So, the wheels are Chelsea buns

and the filling is marzipan and cranberries.

The frame of Tamal's two-wheeler

will be made from a woven fennel and lemon dough.

His third dough will make chai-spiced loaves

to go in the bike's basket.

So, the overall bike's going to be standing upright.

The weight on those Chelsea buns,

which are, essentially, a soft bread...

I'm trying to visualise how the whole things stands together.

So am I.

For my Showstopper, I'm making a cornucopia or a corn-of-plenty.

It's the first thing that came into my mind

when I heard a bread sculpture

because I've got relatives in the States -

and they have Thanksgiving, and they always have it there.

Alvin's planning an ambitious bake.

Inside his bread cornucopia will be five balsamic onion rolls,

three enriched dough plaits,

followed by pumpkins, a wheat sheath and pain de Provence.

So, this one is pain de Provence.

It's a fascination from growing in the Philippines.

It's a bread that you only get in patisseries

and French bakeries back home.

And, yeah, probably, it's that fixation from it.

Alvin's not the only highly ambitious baker.

Do better.

I know I can do it, I've just got to do it.

I'm making a lion sculpture

and it's called King Of The Jungle.

Paul's predator will have a white bread head,

a wholemeal tail and a body filled with figs and walnuts.

You've got to bring out those features of a lion -

which is the ears, it's the eyes,

it's the nose, it's the teeth, it's the claws.

If you say you're going to do a lion, it's got to look like a lion

and not like a dog or something like that.

Mat's sculpture also has to be accurate...

-Morning.

-Morning.

..as it's one of Britain's most recognisable landmarks.

I'm making the Brighton Pavilion in bread.

Good gracious, me.

I know, they're all curry-inspired breads.

Mat's bready Brighton Pavilion

will have buildings stuffed with sag aloo,

curry-spiced domes

and lime pickle breadstick columns.

Sag aloo, which is going to be rolled in the dough

like a Chelsea bun.

Is there a danger that the building itself will "sag aloo."

I hope not, it hasn't so far.

How are you bonding them together?

-Gravity.

-You... OK.

I'm pretty sure that's how they worked the actual pavilion, just...

Yeah, probably.

I'm making a snake charmer's basket with a snake and some flutes.

It was inspired by my travels to my grandad's village

in Bangladesh.

Like Mat, Nadiya's creating a spicy Showstopper.

Hers will include a woven basket

flavoured with za'atar, garlic and parsley flutes,

plus a snake packed with fried onions and chilli.

I've tried the snake loads of times

and he just does explode in the oven. He's enormous.

So, I think after doing him six times,

the trick is to just keep him small to begin with.

The challenges are once again

flavour, texture, design -

which is bottom of my list, actually.

Sandy's making a blue cheese and walnut basket

filled with wholemeal flours on pesto breadstick stalks.

My inspiration are the poppies from the Tower of London

to commemorate the war.

I thinks it's the simplicity of a poppy

that is so inspiring really.

Kind of waiting for stuff to rise

makes me feel uneasy.

So, I'm making three different herb breads

and then I'm doing courgette bread as well - so a green theme.

Flora's fashioning a three-tiered skirt

from white, wholemeal and courgette baguettes filled with pesto.

A corset, made from dough, completes the outfit.

In practises, I've broken the corset, I just dropped it.

It's very, very fragile.

This looks all very interesting.

Tell me what you're going to sculpt then.

It's basically a black olive and Parmesan plant.

The earth is going to be baked in a flowerpot,

so it's going to be my classic every-day seedy loaf

that I make at home for the family.

Ian's black olive and Parmesan plant

will feature brioche flowers

filled with a rose and raspberry marzipan.

And your flowerpot? They are quite tricky things to bake in.

-I've cooked in it several times but I'm still lining it as well.

-OK.

Ian, you are Bake Off's first flowerpot man...

and for that, I commend you.

It's got dough everywhere. Dough-verload.

Don't want leave it too long because it will start going out of shape

and then your features are gone, so it's a bit of a time issue there.

I find you sculpting a lion's mouth.

-As you do.

-As you do.

If Aslan ever needs facial reconstructive surgery,

you're the man.

I haven't actually practised this baked.

This is completely theoretical.

Dorret's taking inspiration from artist Tracey Emin's unmade bed.

Her sculpture will feature a raisin and fennel headboard,

a mattress stuffed with marzipan and glace cherries,

and an enriched dough duvet.

I'm making a stuffed dough with nuts

and fruit to look like that puffy mattress sort of effect.

Have you ever made this before?

I've made lots of beds.

None out of bread.

Have you made beds out of dough?

No. The doughs, I've made.

As you would say, you're winging it a bit today.

Yeah.

-Good luck.

-Thank you.

Like Dorret, Ugne's making a sweet, enriched dough

which produces a softer bread that's harder to sculpt.

I'm making a Easter basket,

I'm going to fill it with truffle-infused brioche bunnies.

Cover them with a maple syrup frosting...

Truffle with maple frosting as well?

Yeah, and...

-crispy bacon bits on top.

-PAUL SIGHS

It taste amazing.

Ugne's unique Easter bake will also include a coffee and cardamom

woven basket, plus brioche red roses filled with prunes.

It's one of those things that's wait and see.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

I love truffle oil in anything really.

I'm going to stick to my guns.

Stuffed breads can be tricky.

The more filling the bakers add,

the longer the loaves need in the oven.

These are my Chelsea buns.

This is definitely out of everyone's comfort zone.

If it's not encased properly in the centre,

I find that it just spills out everywhere -

so I'm trying to keep it, sort of, uniform.

So, I've done the filling, this is marzipan.

It's nutty, it's fruity, it's zesty.

It's a nice stuffed mattress,

just the kind you'd like to lie on.

In each of the pestles for the flowers,

I'm going to have freeze-dried raspberry marzipan.

It looks more like a snake and less like roadkill now.

Problem with dough is, it's got a life of its own.

It'll start to move around.

I have to support some areas with foil while it's baking.

Oh, let's do it.

The first bake is crucial.

Only when their bread is in the oven,

will the bakers know if it's held its shape

or if the fillings have spilled out.

And now the duvet.

This is where theory meets reality.

OK, bread-ren. It's halfway. Halfway gone.

It's a lovely calm countryside out here. In here, it's just...

My bunnies losing their eyes.

They will be blind bunnies.

To guard against any mishap with the next stage of his Showstopper,

yet again, Ian's brought something from home.

So, I've been out with my angle grinder again.

Carving out this sheet of steel into a mould.

Believe it or not, it's going to turn into a black olive

and Parmesan, sort of, plant.

But for her poppies, Sandy hasn't gone quite so hi-tech.

I'm going to just scrunch up some tinfoil a bit more.

Artisan.

I'm glad you got the brief that

-we wanted enough bread to feed the whole of the South West.

-Yes.

One out...

..one in.

I think happy with the colour and bake.

The head's relatively small, so that's good.

I'm really pleased with that.

I think I'm up against it.

I just need a bigger oven.

Yeah, it needs to come off the mould.

That is always a nightmare

and I've broken them several times before doing this.

So, the first time, the first time I practise it,

when I pull the mould out, the whole thing just caved in.

Ta-da.

Yay.

Oh, blimey. Oh, don't look behind.

I'm working on that "less is more" kind of attitude.

I've never seen so much bread,

you can open your own bread shop right here, right now.

Split a bit. I didn't want that to happen.

Didn't need that.

Good catch. He took a dive for his roll.

This is a mattress.

It's fine. Just going to put it back in to make sure

it's baked all the way through.

I really don't like these bunnies.

Which bunnies?

Which ones? Thank you, it means you don't see them.

I like... They are...

I'm not doing very well, am I?

Bakers, time to scream like Bread-vard Munch, 15 minutes.

15? Argh.

I love this - high fashion and baking.

I'm going to start doing a bit of assembly stuff.

I just want to get it on there now.

Time to...spike my flowers.

It just feels simple compared to some others.

You know what, if it tastes good, you'll be fine.

Yeah, that's what I'm hoping.

Bakers, one minute left on your sculpting.

I'm not functioning any more.

Oh!

It just looks like a lot of man-handled bread.

OK, Bakers, that's it. Time's up.

Step away from your bakes, please.

I think that looks spectacular.

What impresses me about your three different breads is,

there's almost a different technique in each.

I would be very proud if I'd made that.

Let's have a look at the Chelsea bun.

Lovely and chewy.

As a bake, it doesn't get much better than a Chelsea bun.

Well done, Tamal.

MEL: Ride off into the sunset.

-The whole thing, to me, is just a little but clumsy.

-OK.

-Right, the poppies - cardboard.

-Bitter.

You could take each petal off like that

and put it in a dip,

-and that...

-Yep.

-..would be absolutely fine.

The star of the show, really. is your pesto grissinis -

they taste fantastic.

Alvin, would you like to bring your bakery up, please?

Do you need a hand, Alvin?

Yes, please.

-INDISTINCT CHAT

-All right.

And guard it with your life.

-I'm very frightened right now.

-Thank you.

Vehicle reversing.

MARY: You've achieved an awful lot in your five hours.

This is the pain de Provence.

The texture that you've got on that...is beautiful.

The craft on that is really perfect.

There's no questioning your bread-making skills.

Each individual piece is baked to perfection.

Just be aware of the brief in future.

If we ask you to make A sculpture,

try not to do too many.

The moment you lift it up, you smell the truffle oil.

Yeah. Got it.

I'm not sure about truffle oil with brioche.

PAUL SIGHS

It's too musty to go with something so sweet and so delicate.

Right. All the bakes are pretty good.

But just leave out the truffle oil.

That's a sculpture. That's one piece, it's uniform, it's simple.

It's truly magnificent.

I think what we need to do is, try one of the flowers.

It's lovely.

Flowerpots can be quite tricky things to bake in.

Lovely flavour.

I think you've got away with it. It is baked. But...just.

-I think your family are very lucky to have this every week.

-OK.

-I think you've really thought it through.

-Cool.

I love the way that you have made things so delicate, so perfect.

I think the pesto tastes amazing.

To get that much flavour in such a small amount of bread,

you've got it absolutely spot on.

-It's really good.

-Thank you.

The colour of that snake is just unbelievable.

I think it's fantastic.

It certainly tastes smoky.

It's fiery. It's got a bit of heat in there.

The wholemeal basket with the za'atar,

it probably could have done with a little bit longer in the oven.

-It's a little bit too soft.

-OK.

I think the whole thing together is good.

I think the problem is with the basket.

MEL ROARS

THAT is one of the best things I've seen in bread, ever.

-HE EXHALES

-That is absolutely fantastic.

It's knowledge of dough, it's how you manipulate it,

it's got yeast in it, it's edible.

Just to do that with a salt dough is hard enough.

To do it with a risen dough...

I wouldn't have attempted anything like that. That is exceptional.

The detail that you've done,

the almonds in the claws...

Chunk off this.

That is packed with flavour.

Very, very good indeed.

-I'm pleased.

-Thank you.

It is really effective because you just simplified everything

and I love that.

So, we've got one.

It's under-proved and it's underbaked.

It's a lovely flavour.

So you got a sag aloo inside the bread?

-Inside all four of those, yeah.

-It's a clever idea.

The flavours are nice.

-It just came down to like ten minutes in an oven.

-Yeah.

To choose something that's untidy to start with

doesn't give us a good impression when we actually first look at it.

Is that five hours work?

-No, it isn't.

-OK.

I like the idea of this sitting on the top.

When you managed to get that shape out of it.

The bedhead - it's not defined enough.

Raisin and fennel works well.

It's a very good tasting bedhead.

OK.

Let's take the side off this.

It's just about baked.

As you move into the middle...

..it's raw.

Because you got layers of marzipan and apricots,

and all sorts of things going on,

the heat can't penetrate into the middle.

It needed more careful planning, I think,

-on the whole thing.

-Sure.

I think it's fair to say that was a memorable Showstopper.

Paul's lion face was SO detailed.

Absolutely amazing.

Paul was in trouble before this,

which just seems a light-year away.

He failed in the technical challenge

but then he's bounced back in a massive way.

I think when you look at Nadiya, who was ninth in the technical,

today, the thing that saved her was the flavour of that snake.

-And the look of it.

-MEL: Yeah.

I think the people who did best today,

did a sculpture...

Something simple, something complete.

I did actually like Ian's idea of the plant pot.

The flavours that he got through there so...

You know, Ian's had another strong week.

Could you mention Alvin? I mean, fourth in the technical.

Top, as far as I was concerned, in the signature.

Now, Mat and Dorret were both in trouble

as we went into the Showstopper, are they still there for you, Paul?

Well, they both needed to really pick their game up

and I don't think either of them did, really.

I think Dorret's just seemed a bit chucked together.

I know, when you add so much filling,

-you're never going to get it baked.

-Yeah.

When you went in the middle, it was raw.

When you look at Mat, the flavours were good

and the design, I thought, was fantastic -

but Mat's bake it was OK.

-I think it was ten minutes away.

-Hmm.

Do you think you might know who is going today?

I've sort of made up my mind but I would like to talk to Paul about it.

-Shall we allow that?

-Let's allow it.

-I think we might.

-Yeah.

Bakers, I have the fun job this week.

I'm going to start with something we've actually never done before,

which is give out a special commendation...

..and this goes to Paul.

Because Paul has never, ever, in his life seen a bread sculpture...

a magnificent as that one - so round of applause and congratulations.

APPLAUSE

And now to Star Baker.

This week's Star Baker...

created a flower so delicious,

I want to eat the entire herbaceous border.

Once again, it's Ian.

APPLAUSE

I've got the sadder job this week.

We can't take everyone with us...

so I'm afraid that we will be saying goodbye this week...

..to Dorret.

We're very sad to see you go, Dorret.

It's been great. Thank you.

It would have been nice to stay a little bit longer.

I've got some recipes that I have actually practised.

But, yeah, it's been awesome.

Have you enjoyed it?

Oh, yeah, it's been fantastic.

To not test and try the Showstopper at home is a mistake -

and Dorret has found that out.

But I did have a word with Mat and said,

"You've got to raise your game, mate."

Well done.

Thank you very much.

This is getting weird now.

Star Baker again.

I feel like chucking myself in that river and...

You're learning, you're producing things,

you're meeting new friends, meeting new people - the whole process.

But to get, then, on top, a commendation from Paul

of how good it was, yeah...

Fantastic.

My wife told me before I came up for bread week that

I had to bake everything for at least 10 minutes longer

than I normally would and, yeah, she's right, so...

I'll be in trouble when this goes out.

Next time...

This always gets messy.

..it's desserts...

Burning flesh.

..with a Signature that sends the bakers into a wobble...

The right wobble would be...that.

They've just not set at all, damn.

..a technical challenge of crumbling construction...

It's the most feminine version of plastering you could imagine.

..and a monumental Showstopper...

Tell me, please that you don't use that on your patients.

..that might just push them...

The challenge is souffles, yeah?

..over the edge.

What have I done?

I feel like I'm sat here like David Attenborough.

"And if we just sit very quietly, here,

"we'll soon see the brulees coming out."