11x03 - Bread Week

[bunniefuu]

- Uncle Noel.
- Yeah.

You know what week it is? I'll tell you.
It's Bread Week, Paul's favourite.

- Wanna see something amazing?
- Yes.

I was messing about in Paul's
dressing room last night and I found this.

Check this out.

[both gasp]

- [Noel] It's the Hollywood handshake.
- Wow!

- Shall we try it out?
- Yes, please, actually.

- I'll be Paul.
- Thank you.

- Really like your baps.
- Thank you, actually.

- [electricity zapping]
- [yelps]

It's too powerful!

- Too powerful.
- [groans]

Hi, guys. You all right?

- Good?
- All right.

Have you been playing with my handshake?

- [Noel] No.
- What handshake?

Because if you have, you get this!

- [exclaims]
- All right?

[both] Welcome
to The Great British Baking Show.

- [Noel] Now...
- Whack it.

- [Noel] ...the bakers face trial by bread.
- [Lottie] It's a shame Paul's judging it.

[Noel] A soda-bread signature...

[Hermine] Interesting flavours. [laughs]

[Noel] ...a technicolour technical...

- You're a Smurf, aren't you?
- Yes. [laughs]

[Noel] ...and a showstopper challenge
where transforming dough...

- [Marc] I'm no good at plaiting.
- ...into intricate bread plaits...

- [Hermine] Might be ready in time to bake.
- I hope so.

- [Noel] ...will push the bakers...
- [Laura] Don't drop it.

- [Noel] ...to their limits.
- [liquid splatters]

[Marc laughing]

It's not funny.

- Yuck.
- [squelch]

[opening theme music playing]

Bread's the one area
I've probably got more experience in.

But am I confident? I don't know.

Bread is something
that I've had to teach myself for this.

I wish I hadn't practised, to be honest.
I felt more confident before.

[Laura] l like making bread at home,
in my kitchen, with music on,

but under the eyes of Paul Hollywood?

Bit scary.

You have to laugh about it,
because we all dreading it.

Hello. Welcome back to the tent.
It's time for your signature challenge.

Today, the judges would like you to make
two beautifully baked soda bread loaves.

Now, you may flavour your soda breads
any way you like,

but one should be sweet
and one should be savoury.

Also, your loaves should be baked
free-form,

- not in a tin.
- What do you mean, free-form?

- Just floatin' in the air?
- Yes.

And the judges would like you each
to make a butter to go with your breads.

Blimey! They don't want much, do they?

- Oh!
- [chuckles]

You have one hours, 45 minute.

- On your marks...
- Get set...

Bake!

- [Marc] Okay, let's go.
- Feeling good and ready to go.

[Mark] I'm excited about soda breads.

Gran used to make us soda bread
every day. I hope I do a good job.

[Matt] As opposed to a slow prove
with yeasted breads,

the chemical raising agent in soda breads
starts work almost immediately.

And bicarb into my mixture.

[Matt] So they must get their loaves
into the oven as quickly as possible

in order to achieve the rise
the judges are after.

Cream of tartar. I'm not sure
what it's doing in my recipe.

I'm sure it plays a role.

This challenge is only
an hour and three-quarters,

so they won't deal with yeast,
but they gotta deal with the reaction

between the rising agents and milk or
buttermilk to create growth in the loaf.

We've asked our bakers to make two
soda breads, one sweet and one savoury.

I'm expecting lots of cheese,
and lots of herbs, and lots of nuts.

It would be really nice to find somebody
using something really different.

Za'atar is more like an aromatic spice.

Traditionally, we have it in pastries,
on top of breads,

so it's perfect for this.

[Paul] They'll be nervous 'cause it's
their first time on Bread Week with me,

but I think I've given them
an easy challenge. It's soda bread.

Listen to me, Paul Hollywood.
I wanna talk to you about bread.

You go on about bread,
and you go on about bread.

No one under the age of 40
eats bread anymore.

- [chuckles]
- Okay?

- Morning.
- Hello. Morning. Morning.

Mark, tell us about your soda bread.

My savoury soda bread is a sobrasada
and an Irish sheep's-milk cheese.

And then my sweet soda bread
is a Irish stout and chocolate.

- You're baking for Ireland today.
- I am, yes.

I have the weight of a nation
on my shoulders.

- Are you Irish?
- I am. Yeah.

- I'm joking.
- [laughs]

- Hello, Mark speaking.
- [Noel] Mark loves to travel

in his job as a project manager
for public health research programs

in developing countries.

He's adding Spanish sausage, honey and
mature cheddar to his savoury soda bread,

but in a nod to his Northern Irish roots,

will blend the chocolate in his sweet loaf
with a classic stout.

- What's the liquid you're putting in?
- Melted butter and honey.

- Interesting. No buttermilk?
- Sorry, and buttermilk. Sorry, yeah.

- I was gonna say.
- Of course buttermilk.

This is a tip,
going through the competition,

when he says "interesting,"
that means you've done it wrong.

- Done it wrong? Okay.
- [laughing]

[Matt] Along with Mark, three others
are using a location as their inspiration.

I lived in Chester for a little while,
and I used to love the Welsh bara brith.

So, I've based my sweet one
on that bara brith flavour,

which is just like a bread pud,
in a sense.

[Matt] East Sussex-based Linda
loves to head to Bexhill Beach

to fish for mackerel and mullet,
which she can throw on the barbie.

[Linda] Hey!

[Matt] Chilli, cheese, and coriander
will flavour Linda's savoury bread,

while her love for traditional Welsh
tea cakes has inspired her sweet loaf.

- [Linda] Lots of fruit in it.
- Mmm-hmm. Nice.

I've soaked my fruit in brandies.

- Oh! [laughing]
- [mouthing]

I'm like one of those
'80s game show hosts.

- Say something else.
- Pepped it up a bit.

- [grunts]
- [both laughing]

I could do this all day. [grunts]

[Noel] Rowan's creativity has been
sparked from a little further afield.

This is the salsiccia,
the Italian sausage.

So, I'll just get it fried off
in a moment. Get a quick start.

[Noel] When he's not baking,

Rowan loves to spend time
in his Worcestershire garden.

- That one's Rosa Mundi...
- Okay.

- ...which is Latin, "Rose of the World."
- Is that...

[Noel] Rowan's bakes include
southern Italian sausage,

fennel and olives for his savoury loaf,

and northern Italian polenta
with raisins and honey for his sweet loaf.

- [Prue] It's quite a lot.
- It is, isn't it? There's a shock.

[laughs]

I just hope they work in combination.
I think they do.

When you say polenta you've got in there,
what's the polenta to the flour mix?



So, it is quite gritty. It's a risky one.
Some don't like the grittiness. I like it.

Okay, thank you. Interesting.

- Good luck.
- Thanks.

[Matt] Marc's inspiration comes
from shores closer to home.

[Marc] So, I'm doing
a Cornish-themed soda bread,

so I'm using Cornish Kern.
It's based on the Cornish Yarg.

Quite strong actually,
but not overpowering.

I thought it might work well for this.

Get a bit of flour.

[Matt] Born and raised in Leicester,
adopted Cornishman Marc loves baking

with his daughters.

Great. Fist bumps.

[Matt] To cope with the pressure
of baking bread in the tent,

Marc is keen to keep things familiar

by including as many Cornish ingredients
as possible.

So, I'm doing a Cornish kelp,
Cornish cheese,

Cornish sea salt and Cornish cream.

[liquid splatters]

[Marc laughing]

[all laughing]

[Marc] I'm covered in buttermilk.

[both laughing]

[Marc] It's not funny.

[both continue laughing]

No, I'm all right. I'm carrying on.

- Yuck.
- [squelch]

[Mark] The bicarb will react
with the buttermilk

and causes your soda bread to rise.

[Noel] The bakers need to ensure
their chosen flavours

work alongside the soft, cakey dough.

I'll try to get the black pudding as
well-distributed in the bread as possible.

[Noel] Any additional moisture or fat
could inhibit the rise of the soda bread

or prevent it
from baking through properly.

[Hermine] A lot of chopping going on.

[Noel] When it comes to her ingredients,
Hermine isn't playing it safe.

I was trying to be a bit adventurous.

I thought I'd try salmon and cheese.

I don't even know if that's a combination.

[laughing]

[Matt] When she's not combining her job
as an accountant

with being a single mother
to son, Stephen...

[Hermine] Oh, sorry. [laughs]

[Matt] ...Hermine
enjoys a spot of knitting.

Another scarf for Stephen.

Hopefully, it will be ready
for winter. [chuckles]

[Matt] She'll be hoping
her salmon and cheese flavours

knit together well,
alongside her sweet loaf of dried fruits

soaked in orange liqueur.

- How much salmon have got going in?
- [Hermine] I've got 180 gram.

How have you gone with practice?

- It's been all right.
- [laughs]

- There was a bit of dread in your face.
- [Noel laughs]

[Matt] Hermine's not the only baker
taking a risk with their ingredients.

[Sura] Za'atar is quite
an overpowering flavour

if you allow it to be.

When I was trying to make the recipes,
I asked my dad,

"What should I do?" He goes,

"You make a really good Turkish pide,"

and I always put za'atar
on top of it for him.

He's like, "Why don't you put that
in your bread?"

I was like, "This is for my dad."

[Noel] And it's not just Dad
giving out advice.

Hospital pharmacist Sura
grew up surrounded by a family of women

who loved to cook.

Fond of incorporating her heritage
into her bakes,

she'll be hoping Middle Eastern
flavours of za'atar,

olive and dried fruits will impress.

- Are you confident?
- Er, quietly confident.

He's trying to break you, but he can't.

That's why I don't look in his eyes.

Too powerful.
No one can look into those eyes.

- They'll turn to stone.
- They turn to baking flour.

[chuckles]

Bakers, you are halfway through.

- Are you sure about that?
- No.

- I don't have a watch, do you?
- No.

[Noel chuckles] Just get that feeling

- that they're halfway through.
- Yes.

[Hermine] Interesting flavours. [laughs]

Hopefully they'll like it.

[Matt] Once their ingredients
have been introduced to the dough...

[Rowan] Texture's all right.

[Matt] ...the bakers can begin
delicately shaping their breads.

Just trying to bring it together
without overworking it.

[Matt] Too much kneading will result
in dense, unrisen loaves.

Want to make it smooth, but make sure
that I'm not handling it too much.

I'm just cutting the bread,
kind of lets it all puff up nicely.

[Linda] It lets it cook through better.

Plus it's just a nice bit
of decoration. [chuckles]

[Hermine] It's in the oven
at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.

One down. [chuckling]

I'm using a pizza stone,
which I've brought from home.

If you use a pizza stone,
you get more even heat distribution,

and it also gives it
a nice, crusty bottom.

[chuckles]

[Noel] Laura likes
to put her pizza stone to good use

at home with her husband, Matt.

- You're pizza king. I'll stick to baking.
- I'm pizza king.

[Noel] Laura's aiming for bold flavours

for both of her soda breads,
tweaked from family recipes.

The sweet bread, it's sort of based
on my Nana Peg's scones that she does.

Soda bread's kinda like a scone.

So, I'm doing this one
as a tribute to her.

So I've made my marzipan.
I've found that when I put it in in lumps,

it kind of goes very stodgy,
so I'm gonna grate it in.

Pretty sure this is a,
a new technique... [chuckling]

...Paul's gonna hate.

[Marc] So I'm making
my sweet soda bread now.

So I'm just crumbling the butter
into the flours and sugar.

Gives it more of a scone-like texture.

Who makes sweet soda bread, what is that?

I am making it today,
but it's not my finest work.

It's a shame that
Paul Hollywood's judging it.

Cheers.

[Matt] When she's looking to unwind,
Lottie likes to relax on the beach

with friends and family.

[laughs]

[Matt] Long summer afternoons
are Lottie's inspiration

for her savoury summertime soda,

while her sweet ingredients
are inspired by her favourite breakfast

of blueberry pancakes.

- [Paul] How are the blueberries going in?
- They're going in, erm, whole.

- How many are you putting in?
- Sixty grams.

- So how much flour?
- 350.

- Okay.
- Love that face.

- Maybe less, even.
- [Prue laughs]

- Less?
- Maybe none.

More. Maybe more blueberries.

- Yeah.
- More?

- No, I'm not putting in any.
- [all laughing]

- Start again. Get back to square one.
- Call the whole thing off.

[Noel] For his sweet soda bread,

Peter is taking
the soda element literally.

The soda bread is gonna be
ginger-beer flavour.

This is green ginger wine
that I'm adding in.

I'm also gonna add in
just some regular ginger beer as well.

And so,
should have really nice, good flavour.

No, you've gotta layer it on there.
A bit more.

[Noel] Finance student Peter loves to bake

with his gluten-intolerant brother Andrew
back home in Edinburgh.

- [Peter] Fantastic finesse, technique.
- [Andrew] I've spilled some.

[Noel] In honour of Andrew,

he's making his black pudding, walnut
and thyme loaf gluten-free.

What are you using as the rising agents?

- Using bicarb as the rising agent.
- [Paul] Yeah.

I've got xanthan gum in it to bind it.

- And keep it all together.
- Okay.

For such a young head,
you seem to operate at a different level.

Have you always been
into cooking and baking?

Yeah, I've been into cooking
and baking for a very long time,

but it genuinely has been
shows like Bake Off.

Bake Off's been around
for more than half of my life now.

- It's...
- [laughing]

- It's, yeah, pretty cool.
- [Prue] That accounts for the grey hair.

- [Noel] All right, old Father Time.
- Yeah. Thank you, Peter.

[all laugh]

[Dave] The shape I'm going for
is to replicate a chocolate bar.

Basically a whole nut bar.

[Matt] Like our Paul,
Dave is a bit of a petrolhead,

and he also follows Mr Hollywood's lead
when it comes to baking.

I was watching videos
of Paul Hollywood making it,

just to see how you do it.

[Matt] Dave's sweet loaf
is inspired by his favourite nut mix,

and he's confident that bacon and cheese
will prove to be a savoury sensation.

I enjoyed coming up with the flavours
and making flavours that I like,

but also a lot of people
would like, as well.

That's ready. Thirty-five minutes.

[Noel] With their second soda breads
in the oven,

it's time to concentrate
on the complementary butters.

Butter, would you believe,
is the easiest thing to make in the world.

That's a thick double cream,

and it'll go past that stage
and turn into butter.

[Sura] And when it curdles,
you strain all the milk fluids out of it.

And that's it.

[Laura] I've never made butter.

I mean, it's lovely. It's very twee.

But why would you make butter?

[Mark] Added some more Irish stout
into the butter

to give it a bit of a kick.

[Linda] This is from Mak who left us,
sadly, on the last program.

He didn't have a chance
to showcase his honey.

So that's going in for Mak.

[Hermine] Black garlic tastes
a bit like balsamic vinegar.

Don't ask me why I choose it.
I just thought I'd be a bit wild.

Let's see if that works.

Or it could well be my ticket home.

[chuckling]

[indistinct chatter]

Paul's amazed at your baking knowledge,
'cause you're so young.

- [Peter] I hope I'm showing knowledge.
- [Noel] He fears you.

He knows that eventually,
the apprentice kills the master.

Be an interesting end to Bake Off.

- What is it, ten minutes?
- Yes.

- I'll tell them.
- Yeah.

- Okay.
- Ten minutes.

- Bakers, you have ten minutes.
- Ten.

[chuckles] You might need to do it louder.

[Matt] Bakers, you have ten minutes.

[Lottie] Let's see
what we're dealing with.

It's hot. Ooh.

It's spread a bit more than
I'd have liked, but, no,

it's traditional, that shape,
so it's perfect.

I'm tapping it to hear
if it's hollow inside.

I think that's okay.
It's certainly cooked.

It could be darker in colour,
but I don't want it to overcook.

It's a bit of a take on a pizza
I learned to make at school.

Soda bread topped with tomato puree.
I wanted to do a little nod to that.

[Rowan] I think I'm gonna take that out.
I'm going with it.

It is what it is.

This one, it's very dense
with the marzipan.

So it kind of just looks raw. It's not.

Is that not a sign
that you shouldn't use marzipan?

- No, I grated it.
- Did you?

Yeah. [chuckles]

I look forward to seeing what happens.

Mate, it's gonna be carnage.

- Carnage.
- [laughs]

Oh, crumbs.

That wasn't good. It just broke off.

I'll shove it to the back,
they'll never know.

- Has it got enough blueberries in there?
- Look, Noel.

I think if he says anything
about your cake that you don't like,

just grab a handful of blueberries
and mush them in his face.

- [Noel chuckles] Mush.
- You should do it.

- I won't.
- [Lottie laughs]

My orange zest is thick.
It's not coming through the piping nozzle.

- It looks a bit messy.
- Bakers, you have one minute left.

So if you haven't started
making your bread yet...

- [laughs]
- ...now is probably a good time.

It looks kind of like a poo.

[Hermine] Four-leaf clover.
I need plenty of luck.

[Rowan] Scary moment.

I think we're good. Hopefully Nana Peg
will be proud of that. [laughs]

Bakers, your time is up.

Please step away from the breads.

Someone should tell Linda
that's not doing anything.

[laughs]

[Matt] The bakers' sweet
and savoury soda breads

now face the judgment of Paul and Prue.

- Hello, Mark.
- Hello.

- Hi, Mark.
- Hi.

They're quite impressive.
I like the stout one.

It's the colour I expected it to be.
This has been coloured a bit

but I don't really mind that,
to be honest.

[Mark] It's got sobrasada
and an Irish sheep's-milk cheddar.

[Paul] It's a decent soda bread.

There's flavour in there,
but you've got to hunt it.

[Prue] It's delicious with the top,
then you really get the flavour.

[Mark] And then, I've got
chocolate and Irish stout.

The chocolate comes through.

[Paul] Very good.
You get the chocolate instantly.

Then the stout lingers.

- A great loaf.
- [Prue] The butter's lovely.

-Good job.

- Thank you.
- Well done.

- [exhales and chuckles]
- [Matt] Whoo!

[Paul] They look quite rustic,
but both the same size.

They look quite nice.

The onions and the chorizo
go really well together.

- A little underbaked.
- [Prue] It's a pity, the edge is perfect.

[Paul] Glacé cherry bread.

Look at that.

[Paul] Can't taste the glacéed cherries,
but the marzipan is delicious.

The marzipan comes whacking through.

It's just lovely.

- [Matt] There's a good crunch.
- [Paul] Mmm.

[Prue] It's a really lovely texture.
Beautiful.

[Paul] A great tasting loaf.

- [Prue] Yes.
- You've chosen flavours

that work in all breads,
and olive is one of those.

[Lottie] And my sweet
is blueberry and maple bacon.

Well, the blueberries
are not exactly evenly spread, are they?

When I get a blueberry, it's delicious,
the texture's good.

I'm missing the bacon.

It's wasted on the outside.

Lot of it's gonna end up on the plate
and you won't taste it.

- Thank you.
- [Lottie] Thank you.

[inhales and blows raspberry]

[Paul] They look great.

It's very brave to take
the gluten-free option.

Difficult though, isn't it?

It's falling to bits a bit

- and then it gets glue-y in your mouth.
- Okay.

- [Paul] This is the ginger?
- Ginger beer.

I love that, texture's beautiful.

Very cake-like, though, isn't it?

It's a little bit stodgy.

The flavours are delicious.

Your flavours are normally spot-on.

- [Paul] Very rustic.
- [Prue] They look classic.

- They're really good.
- [Paul] Hmm.

I love that.

- Really?
- Mmm. It's a nice loaf.

If you get a mouthful of everything,
it's delicious.

Thank you very much.

- [Paul] Okay.
- [Prue] This is a little doughier.

- [Paul] More cake-like.
- Nice flavour, though.

- It's cranberries, is it?
- Cranberries, chocolates, and sea salt.

Not getting the cranberry.

It's just a little bit weak.

Needs a bit more.

- [Paul] Thank you.
- Thank you.

They both look as if
they haven't risen enough.

- There are very big lumps of sausage.
- Yes.

[Rowan laughs]

- You always like a lot of sausage?
- Wouldn't care to comment.

- Okay, fair enough.
- [chuckles]

Actually, the sausage is okay,
the olives are okay.

- I would have left the bread in longer.
- Right.

- [Paul] See how wet...
- [Prue] That's why it's so heavy.

[Prue] It'd be nice if it was lighter.

[Paul] Wow.

That much polenta in there was a mistake.

It's too gritty for me.

It's a bit like eating
a lemon drizzle cake in a sandstorm.

[laughs]

[Prue] Looks as if it's risen nicely.

- Not enough flavour for me.
- [Dave] No?

- You put Gruyère?
- [Dave] Yes.

- You need double that, triple that.
- Yeah. Okay.

You do get the chocolate,
just not enough in each bite.

It's a shame,
'cause it's baked well, actually.

[Prue] Two very good loaves.

You just need a bit more flavour.

[Paul] Let's try the za'atar one first.

- [Prue] What oven temperature did you use?
- 160.

[Paul] That's why it's so pale.

The blend of olives
and za'atar is delicious.

[Prue] I like the flavour.
Right, sweet one.

Are the fruits mostly apricots?

[Sura] Apricots,
dried cherries, and walnut.

- I think that is delicious.
- Thank you.

Really, really good.

My only issue of both loaves
is your temperature choice.

You should've baked them higher
and it would've been spot-on.

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

[Paul] Looks good, but I hope
it's baked all the way through.

I get worried when they're that pale.

Needed a little longer in the oven.

It's such a pity
because the flavour is lovely.

That's a bit soggy, too.

Does have that spicy
bara-brith flavour to it.

When you try and push
a load of fruit into a loaf,

if you shape it too tight,
all the fruit goes to the outside.

There's nothing inside.

I like the flavour,
but unfortunately, all the fruit burnt

- on the top of the loaf, not in it.
- Yeah.

[Paul] They look really nice.

The idea of putting
the smoked salmon in it is so original.

I've never had that.

- You invented a bread.
- [whispering] Yeah!

That, I really like.
The salmon really works.

It's like a whole sandwich all in one.

The aftertaste is lovely.

- It's nice and well-baked.
- Thank you.

- That's a very grown-up fruit cake.
- [Prue] Mmm.

Lots of booze. Lovely.

I've soaked the fruit
for a couple of weeks.

You serious?

- [Prue] She wanted us to taste it.
- [Paul] Wow.

- [Prue] Lovely.
- Thank you.

I think they're very special. I really do.

- [all exclaiming and clapping]
- [Hermine] Oh!

Thank you.

Know what I love?
The fact that I've never had them before.

- Thank you.
- This has really complex flavours.

I love it. It's special.

Well done.

That's it, I'm packing.

Time to go home.

That's 2020, over.

That went better than I expected.
I was terrified, honestly.

But the flavour queen is back.

The comments were not entirely positive,

but I'm very determined learning
from the last technical

to spend a bit of time thinking
and not just dashing straight into it.

[Noel] Bread Week
isn't about to get any easier.

Our ten bakers will now face
a technical with a twist.

Bakers, it's time for
your technical challenge,

which today has been set by Paul.

Paul, any words of advice?

You need...

to get your timings right.

Yeah, he said words of advice,
not just words.

Your technical challenge
will be judged blind,

so we're gonna have to ask
these two rascals to skedaddle.

Off you pop.

So, Paul would like you to bake
six rainbow-coloured bagels.

[Noel] Rainbow-coloured bagels
are the same as normal bagels,

just with five different-coloured doughs.

Layered, shaped, then boiled and baked
to achieve a lovely, shiny, chewy crust.

Chewy crust.

You have two hours and 45 minutes.

- On your marks.
- [Noel] Get set.

Bake.

[Dave] Oh, my God.

What the hell is a rainbow bagel?
I mean...

No idea. [chuckles]

Never made them before,
certainly not the rainbow one,

so... interesting.

I've made bagels before,
but I don't wanna say,

"I've made bagels before,"
and then they come out awful.

[Linda] Kind of makes sense
when you read it through.

Just go with it. [laughs]

There's a bagel shop near work,
so I've seen how they make it,

but I've never made it myself.

I wouldn't have to, it's right there.

Paul.

Paul, why rainbow-coloured bagels?

[Paul] Bagels are a great challenge
when you're making bread.

Gotta boil them, which is unusual,
and then bake them.

The rainbow colours for me,

although it originated over in the States,
I think it represents the NHS.

It does now.

- Certainly.
- [Prue chuckles]

[Paul] What they've gotta do is

roll each piece, each colour,
into a rectangle.

Lay the next one on the top and continue.

- Stack them.
- Yes.

And twist it to create that spiral
and then you seal.

You plunge it in the water
for anything between 15 and 40 seconds

and then bake it off.

Can we taste them?

[Paul] Absolutely.

[Prue] What could go wrong?

[Paul] You can easily overprove
and underprove a bagel.

If it's overproved
before it's gone in the water

or if it's left in the water too long,
it will flatten in the oven.

Absolutely delicious.

It's even brighter inside
than it is outside.

[Paul] Pretty vibrant.

They may have made bagels before,
but I guarantee not like this.

I've never made them like this.

Happy bread.

"Happy bread." That's what it is.

[Lottie] "Make and knead the dough."

It's, erm, scant, isn't it, at best?

Normally, I would
chuck it in a stand mixer.

We're definitely getting
a full workout today.

We're in 2020,
who kneads by hand? [exclaims]

[Peter] I know it needs to be kneaded
a good amount for a bagel,

so I'm gonna be working this
until it's super smooth.

Think it's gonna be
quite a stretchy, elastic dough.

It still feels a little tight.

[Rowan] Stretch and tear,
that's the way to go.

Rowan's doing the slap already.

Whack it.

It's very therapeutic, it really is.

[chuckling] So disappointed that there
aren't any rainbows in a rainbow bagel.

Real rainbows?

I wanted you to have to go
and catch a rainbow.

- Yeah.
- Lasso it.

- Chop it up, grate it into the bagel...
- [chuckles]

...but no, it's just some coloured bread.

[Rowan] I think that must be about it now.

And it says to divide the dough
into five pieces.

We'll colour them each a different colour.

[Rowan] Never done coloured bread.

So it's all part
of the voyage of discovery.

A very messy business.

[Marc] They wanna be nice and vibrant.

Really hard to mix in all the colours.

[Lottie] I might have used too much,

just judging by the fact that no one
else's bench is the same colour as mine.

- You're a Smurf, aren't you?
- Yes. [chuckles]

[Lottie] That'll do. I'm over that.

"Number four, rise."
Exceptionally descriptive.

Arise, Sir Dough.

I'm gonna leave it
to prove till it's doubled in size.

It's only small pieces.

I'm gonna go
about 20 minutes to start with.

And breathe. [chuckling]

[Rowan] I would normally snooze,
or play the piano, actually,

while the dough is rising.
Perhaps do a spot of gardening.

I could nip outside
and do a bit of pruning.

[Marc] If you prod,

leaves a slight indent,
then they're ready to go.

They're doing all that,
so it's time to go with them.

Gonna start rolling them out
in colour order, so red first.

Is this from the handshake?

[both laughing]

That's what happens... with Paul.

- That's his fake tan.
- [both laughing]

They can take handshakes back.

Oh, yeah?

They'll just reverse the footage.

[both chuckling]

Like... [mimics rewinding]

"Roll out to a rectangle,
measuring 15 by 20 centimetres."

I'm gonna check what


What are you comparing against?

Just half the ruler, Dave.

[chuckles]

[Linda] You're just layering the doughs.

I'm just trying
to get some kind of evenness.

[Rowan] Like making
brightly coloured mattresses.

They're very bouncy and very illuminous.

So now I'm cutting the dough into six.

"Roll and twist the dough to a rope,

measuring approximately


You are approximately 24.

I am, aren't I?
We've got to 24 centimetres.

- Yeah.
- How many inches? I think in inches.

Erm, that's nine and a half inches.

Think that's respectable, myself.

[Marc] Kind of pull back on this palm,

and go forward on this palm.

[Hermine giggles] Oh, dear.

This is a rainbow, isn't it?

There you go. [chuckles]

[Dave] Just gotta
try and seal this bit now.

[Lottie] "Gently roll back and forth."

- Don't get it.
- I don't want it to fall apart.

[Laura in singsong voice]
Haven't got a clue.

[Linda] It's not too bad.
Once you get the knack of it,

it's like... Whoo!

[laughing]

[Lottie] Everyone's twisted theirs,
I didn't twist mine.

I think that's right,
'cause they're gonna expand,

the hole's gonna shrink.

By the time it's expanded
and shrunk, it should be about right.

- It does say twist.
- [Dave] Does it?

Yeah. It says "roll and twist."

Bakers, you are halfway through.

[Marc] And number ten is prove.

Just the one word in that step.

Not very elaborate, is he?

[Mark] Wanna give them
as much time as possible.

I think the trick
with these is in the timing.

The second prove
is gonna be the one for texture.

Try that again, shall we?

I'll put the drawer up a bit warmer.
See if we can get a quick prove on the go.

We'll see how we get on. [chuckles]

[Matt] Judging the right time
to stop the final prove is critical.

[Marc] It's driven me to drink green tea.

- Come on. That's gin, we know.
- [laughing] Yeah.

If I was on this competition,
I'd drink through it.

I've started drinking.
Haven't drunk in four years.

- Started drinking here again.
- [both laugh]

[exhales heavily]

[Matt] If the bagels are underproved...

[Rowan] Anything happening?

[Matt] ...they won't
have the dome-like rise

that Paul and Prue are expecting.

[Hermine] Ooh, check you out!

They're looking good!

They don't look bad, actually.

[Marc] Reckon, about ready.
Right, glasses off.

"Bring a saucepan of water to a boil,
add the bicarbonate soda."

[Noel] If they're overproved,

they'll puff up too much
when they hit the water...

[Mark] Who's gonna take the plunge first?

[Noel] ...and collapse
before they go into the oven.

So, let's have a look.

I feel a bit nervous,
'cause I don't think they cook long.

"Cook until the bagels
are puffed and the shape has set."

I think this is what gives
the bagels that chewy kind of texture.

So I'm boiling for about


I have no idea whether that's done.

Have you seen
the size of them? They're huge.

Bakers, you have 30 minutes left.

- Have I missed it?
- Yes.

[laughing]

Not any more than that.

They go in looking good,
and then... things happen.

[Sura gasps] This is not a bagel.

It's a unicorn horn.

[Matt] It's hard to know.

Especially when
you never made them before.

Why don't you see
what other people are doing?

I have been, but theirs
aren't looking terribly good, either.

[laughing]

[Rowan] Is that set?

So hard to know.
Let's have them in a bit longer.

Ooh! Paul Hollywood is definitely
taking his handshake back. [chuckles]

'Cause these... [groans]

That's them all boiled now.

Even though they've doubled in size,

they seem to have
lost it when I boiled them.

[Linda] I got it.

This one opened up, but don't tell Paul.

I've stuck it back together,

and hopefully it'll just
glue back together in the oven.

Going into the oven now.

- It just says "bake"!
- We'll see what the oven does with them.

Could be just a case
of getting a nice crust.

Twenty maximum, I think.

I don't know for how long.

I'm hoping they'll puff up again.

And it will disguise the wrinkly bits
they've now got.

[comical northern accent] Bakers,
you've got, ooh, ten minutes left.

That's not very much time, is it?

So, how do you know
they're ready? 'Cause normally,

they'll get brown.

These got colour.

[Lottie] My blue's way too dark.

I really don't know what I'm looking for.

Not loving what is going on inside there.

I think they're too thin and too wide.

I think they're gonna
want them to be a bit... puffier.

- [Noel] In there?
- [Marc] Yes.

They're looking pretty good.

[chuckling] Yours, not so much.

Aw, Sura looks sad.

- [Noel] You all right?
- Yeah.

- Do you want a piggyback?
- No.

Okay.

- Do not wanna overbake them.
- Another minute.

- What have we got?
- Bakers, you have five minutes left.

[Marc] Oh!

[Linda] I'm looking to make sure
they're not going too brown.

They look great, Linda.

[Rowan] Mine are all wrinkled.

And they have been boiled for some time.

I think I'm gonna take 'em out.

[Laura] That looks good. Well done.

They sound hollow, so...

- [tapping]
- [Linda] They sound done.

Flat as pancakes.

Bakers, your time is up.

That's not a bagel.

[Lottie] I'll be honest.

I think I overcooked all of them.

Strategic placing.

[Hermine laughing] Exactly.

- [laughing]
- Mine seem kind of soft and wrinkly.

- [chuckling] It's not attractive.
- [laughs]

[Noel] Paul and Prue are looking for
six vibrant rainbow-coloured bagels

that are smooth and crisp on the outside

and slightly chewy inside.

- We've got the five different colours.
- [all laughing]

[Paul] Right.

These aren't too bad.
You've got the colours.

[Prue] They're quite smooth.

- And quite light.
- Smaller than most of the others.

[Paul] They're a good size.

- Nice, soft. Crispy on the outside.
- Mmm.

Er, very nice.

[Paul] Nice bread,
same size, nice, smooth,

and the crumb's really tasty.

- [Prue] Good.
- [Paul] Very good.

Right, moving on to the hula hoops.

These are a little bit big,
and actually, it's overproved, it's flat.

[bagels crunching]

- Tastes all right, though.
- Mmm. Tastes fine.

[Paul] On to these whoppers.
They haven't been twisted.

You can see where it's joined,
but it's just gone round as one.

[Prue] Colours are nice.
Very bright and vibrant.

- Nice flavour. Good texture.
- Nice flavour.

Now moving on to this. Very, very flat.
Overproved before they went in the water,

then they lost all the height.
Tastes great, though.

Now, these are a little bit dark.

Feel the crispiness?

- [crunching]
- [Prue] Yeah.

- [Paul] But the shape, uniform.
- [Prue] Hmm.

[crunching]

Actually, they're not too bad.
Just slightly overbaked.

Now these also had the issue
with the water, overproved.

- You can see the marks on it.
- [Prue] That's not at all crisp.

- And it's soft.
- [Paul] Underbaked.

- The flavour's okay, though.
- Flavour's fine.

[Paul] These aren't bad. Fairly smooth,
but just overdone it in the water.

Hmm. Good flavour.

[Paul] These are overbaked again.

- See how dark they've gone?
- [Prue] Not very attractive.

Bit tough.

[Paul] These are big.

They look more like pretzels.

But they're vibrant colours.

- And they are pretty smooth.
- [Prue] Mmm.

Yeah. That is delicious.

[Paul] It is nice. Now the last one.

Lost its way a little in the shaping,
but also with the water, as well.

- Again, see the marks.
- [Prue] Hmm.

Nice bread, though.

[Paul] This is gonna be
interesting to judge.

[Matt] Paul and Prue
will now rank the bagels...

That one second from the end's good.

[Matt] ...from worst to best.

So, in last place, we have this one.

Rowan, they are overproved and underbaked.

In ninth spot, we have this one.

You've managed to bake this one,
but it is overproved.

Then, in eighth place, we have this one.

Sura, lovely colour.
Your twisting wasn't perfect.

It was a bit wobbly.

[Noel] Hermine is seventh, Laura is sixth,

Lottie, fifth, and Peter, fourth.

In third, we have this one.

Not bad. You've managed
to get a nice colour.

There's a nice twist.

And in second place...

we have this one.

Who's that?
Marc, they are really nice bagels.

They are properly risen. Good effort.

And in first place, we have this one.

Well done. It's nice and chewy.

Got lovely colours inside
with the flavour, too.

- Thank you.
- They tasted really good.

[softly] Well done, Linda.

Oh, wow! What a high.
Can't wait to tell my family.

Can't wait to tell Richard.
I'll ring him up and go... [screams]

It was a good result for me.

Last two technicals,
I've not fared too well,

so, I was happy with that one.

I had a fabulous time.
It was a good challenge.

The result wasn't great.

Tomorrow, we can do better.
We gotta do better.

[Matt] Just one challenge remains.

So, Bread Week.
Something very close to your heart, Paul.

[Paul] Overall standard
has been pretty good.

It was nice to give
a handshake to Hermine.

- She did well. Very clever.
- [Matt] Yeah.

She invented a new genre of bread.

But, for Star Baker,
she struggled a bit in the technical.

Not saying she's not,
there are a couple of others.

Both Marks have done well
in signature and technical.

- Yeah.
- Actually, Lottie, as well.

Lottie describes herself as a swan.

She said, "You don't know
what's going on beneath the surface."

She is not swan-like.
She's always just going... [exclaims]

I've never seen a swan
panicking that hard.

- [exclaims]
- [Matt] Who's in trouble?

[Paul] I think Rowan is in difficulty
this week again.

The soda breads, one was a polenta cake.

- One was a sand pit.
- [Prue chuckles] Very sandy.

I think David's done okay,
but he is slipping down there.

Curse of the Star Baker.

[Paul] Ultimately,
it's a tricky showstopper today,

but I'd like to see
all the bakers complete the task,

including Rowan.

- Interesting.
- Interesting.

- I think I'm in love with you.
- [laughs]

- We'll talk about this later.
- We should talk about it now.

Hello, bakers. Welcome back to the tent.
It's time for your showstopper challenge.

Today, the judges would like you to make
a large decorative bread plaque

in the style of a traditional
harvest festival sheaf.

[Matt] Giving your own take on the sheaf,

your bread plaque must portray
the one thing you are most grateful for.

[Noel] Your bread must be
impressive in size, visually powerful,

and, of course,
it's got to be delish-delosh.

You have three hours and 30 minutes.

Don't seem long enough.

I know. They've been done up
like a kipper.

- On your marks!
- Get set.

Bake!

Feeling nervous today. It's a big one.

[Rowan] Traditionally,
the harvest plaque is inedible

and rock hard and varnished.
So, to make it utterly delicious...

[softly] ...it's quite a challenge.

[sighs] Bricking it.

The bread plaque itself
must be a celebration

of something that the bakers
are thankful for.

It could be your house,
it could be their health, anything.

But it's really easy to sit there
and design something elaborate on paper.

It's not anything like easy
to make it in bread.

It's about manipulating dough itself,
using Kn*fe techniques,

plaiting, twisting, spiralling the bread.

It's a great challenge,
because it'll give me the indication

of how far these bakers have travelled
on their bread journey.

I hope they've practised it,

because they'll never get it right
if they haven't.

[Noel] To give their elaborate plaques
different flavours, textures and shapes,

all of the bakers have chosen
to make multiple breads.

[Lottie] I'm making three breads.
There's a lot of multitasking going on.

There's no time for faffery today.

I'm doing two breads. A basic white bread,
a wholemeal bread,

and then, around the edges,
I've got this Tibetan monastery bread.

[Matt] Flavoured with fennel,
coriander and caraway seeds,

Marc's bread will be swirled together
to form a Buddhist dharma wheel.

Are you a Buddhist?
Is this what you're grateful for?

I'm not a Buddhist, but after I had
the accident where I lost my leg,

and I wasn't in a very good place,

and just trying to come to terms
with what had happened,

I read a wonderful book
about the philosophy of Buddhism.

It made it a lot clearer,
what I needed to do

to still live a life,
and make my life worth living, you know?

So, this... Yeah,
it means a lot to me, this one.

[Dave] I'm gonna knead it for ten minutes.

It's not too sticky.
More smooth and silky.

[Laura sighs] Nowhere near ready.
Let's have a bit of welly.

Good bit of exercise,
which I'm missing at the moment.

[Linda] I just absolutely love
this part about bread.

You can put so much feeling into it,

put a lot of love into it, you know.

[Noel] Linda's putting her love
into two family favourites.

Her black-olive plait
will frame tiger-bread animals

that she helped look after
on her uncle's farm.

As a kid, I used to milk the cows,

and we used to carry the buckets
of milk through the farm

to my auntie's kitchen
where she made beautiful cakes.

- So rural idyll, isn't it?
- Oh, yeah.

- You've really gone for the harvest theme.
- Absolutely.

It's all about that circle of life.

- Thank you. Good luck.
- Thank you.

Shape of that bottle even reminds me
of the milk churns.

It's a wonderful memory. [exclaims]

I've a little piping there.

[hums]

[Noel] Linda's not the only baker
celebrating the good life.

I'm feeling very grateful
for my life in Worcestershire.

The wonderful countryside and the theatre,
literature and music

that form such a big part
of my life there.

[Matt] Rowan's huge plaque
will be made of three flavoured breads

and shaped into Worcestershire's
coat of arms, the pear tree.

He's hoping it'll be enough to make up
for yesterday's technical disaster.

- Did you come...
- Last.

- Did you?
- Of course. Yeah.

[Noel] If you smash this, then?

It's probably curtains,
but I'm gonna have fun anyway.

[laughs]

I love your attitude.
Also, look at your boots.

- This is strong boot game.
- [Rowan] Look at that.

[Noel] Look at these two guys.

[Matt] While Rowan's taking on
the biggest bread plaque...

It seems to be enormous
compared with everybody else's.

[Matt] ...Hermine might have
the most ambitious plan of them all.

The plan is to make an enriched dough.

- Something close to a brioche.
- It can't be a brioche in three hours.

What have you cut back on
to get it done on time?

I haven't cut back on anything.

It's supposed to stay
in the fridge overnight,

but I'm gonna put it in a freezer
on both sides for about 15 minutes

to harden the butter,
so that I can then work.

- Quite risky. [chuckles]
- I agree.

[Noel] Hermine's brioche will form

the border
of her focaccia-and-breadstick plaque,

recreating her annual road trips
from London to Paris

to visit family and friends.

[Hermine] They might say it's risky
doing an enriched dough,

but I like doing it, so I'm gonna
do it anyway. We shall see.

[Matt] While Hermine
is heading to the freezer...

Should be done now.
The light's coming through.

- It's good to go.
- Proving drawer, there it is.

[Matt] ...the other bakers
are ready to start proving.

Grow. That's in for an hour.

[Linda] Quite warm in here today,
so, hopefully,

it'll just rise without having
to force it up.

[Laura] I'm gonna go by eye.
Set the timer for 40 minutes and see.

[Matt] With one dough down...

Right. Back to some kneading.

[Matt] ...the process
starts all over again.

[Marc] I've added fresh yeast.
First load will go 15.

This one, 20,
just to let it catch up a little bit.

So, in theory, this should all
be proved around the same time.

[Matt] And if juggling multiple doughs
wasn't tricky enough...

[Laura] This is the most manic bit.

[Matt] ...some of the bakers
have also chosen to make fillings.

The mango, lime and chilli paste
is my signature flavour for breads.

It's just fantastic.

That smells delish.

I've got a focaccia base
which is stuffed with pancetta

and Gruyère cheese.

It's basically a posh
cheese and ham sandwich.

[Noel] Laura's stuffed focaccia will take
centre stage of a musical-themed plaque,

which will be adorned
with spicy fougasse curtains and masks.

I've probably seen about 70 shows
in the West End.

And I have seen none.

- Never been to a West End musical?
- Never.

Call yourself a gay man?
Honestly, terrible.

When this show is over,
we are hitting the town.

- Okay.
- We're gonna take him to Wicked,

Mamma Mia, Phantom, Les...
We'll make a list.

Okay. Sounds good. It's a date.

[Mark] So, I'm pureeing my apples.

I grew up in County Armagh
in Northern Ireland,

which is known as Orchard County
because of the apple orchards.

I'm gonna freeze the apple puree in straws

and then I will braid around
the frozen puree.

Hope it works. Fingers crossed. [chuckles]

[Matt] Mark's also taking a chance
with his flavours,

combining his apple-filled trees
with hazelnut and wild garlic.

[Mark] Will they
love apple and wild garlic?

I'm not sure, but I love it.
It's such an amazing taste.

I'm gonna put that in
for its first prove now.

[Matt] As more dough begins proving...

Ready to go.

[Matt] ...Hermine's brioche dough
is finally cold enough to shape.

I'm twisting. I'm a bit pushed for time,
'cause I don't want the butter melting.

But I think it will be fine
to go prove now, just on time.

- It might be ready in time to bake.
- I hope so.

[sighs dramatically]

[Noel] Ninety minutes remain
for the bakers

to complete their
decorative bread plaques.

This is such enormous fun.
It's a shame it's a competition, really.

[Noel] And their first batch
of dough has risen to the occasion...

The focaccia has doubled in size.
Good rise.

[Noel] ...and any additional ingredients

- can now be added.
- [Lottie] I need that.

[Mark] Hazelnut's going in.

Wanna make sure they get in,
not just on the top.

It smells amazing, doesn't it?
[sniffs and groans]

And I'm just putting in very mature
Somerset cheddar and a Spanish chorizo.

This is an incorporated dough.
It's tricky to get right.

[Rowan] I have warmed the pre-soaked pear.

I didn't want it to cool the dough
and impede the rise.

I don't want it to go
as flat as a pancake and stodgy,

which is another of my trademarks.

[Sura] This is the canvas
for the bread plaque.

I'm just gonna start shaping it.

Oh, that's stuck. Well done, Sura.

[Noel] Once her canvas is ready,

Sura's recreating one of her
most cherished childhood memories,

picking tomatoes off the vine
her mum grew in their London flat.

[Sura] It was huge.
It was behind the TV, in the living room.

Like that.

It was on the ceiling.
And so, whenever I see a tomato vine,

I remember my mum.
She's my favourite person on the Earth.

Very thankful for her.

[Matt] Dave is also giving thanks
to his family...

[Dave] I'm making
a bread plaque of my house

with the family stood outside the front.

[Matt] ...which is soon
getting a new addition.

Very excited about being a dad.
Looking forward to it.

We're expecting a boy.
Stacey says I'm laid-back with kids.

It will be baking, DIY, driving. [laughs]

[Matt] Dave's giving his Hampshire home

far-flung flavours
inspired by a holiday to Mexico.

Woven hibiscus and guava bread
will sit under a mango-chili roof.

- Are you doing a shed?
- No shed. That's in the back garden.

- What about a driveway? Garage?
- No driveway.

- Recycling bins?
- No.

- Anything else, Matt?
- Decking outside.

- [Dave] No decking.
- [Matt] No.

I just think, 'cause it's 2020,
maybe some solar panels.

We don't have solar panels, so...

- You don't?
- No.

I might get a solar panel on my head
just to give me more energy.

Over the long run,
it'd be cheaper than coffee.

Ah.

- [Noel] Dave's not the only baker...
- What part of my house is that?

[Noel] ...grateful for their humble abode.

I live with my aunt, my uncle
and my two cousins.

It's by the beach.
It's a lovely place to be.

So I'm making my house.

[Noel] Lottie's sun-dried tomato
and chorizo beach house

will be surrounded by
pesto palm trees and bushes.

[Lottie] I am doing this in a proving bag

so that I can work on it
whilst it's proving.

[Matt] While Lottie and Dave are finding
it hard enough to build one house...

[Lottie] It's not easy when restricted.

It makes it look like
I'm performing some bizarre operation.

[Matt] ...Peter's taking on an entire city.

I'm making
an Edinburgh cityscape bread plaque.

I made these and did the drawing myself.

[Matt] But he's got one more step
before construction can begin.

I've chosen to make a bagel dough
because after you've boiled it,

and it sets its shape, you're able
to get pretty precise cuts out of it.

[Noel] A seeded multigrain dough
will form the rocky backdrop

to his poppy seed-covered
Edinburgh landmarks.

We did have a little practice
on bagels yesterday.

I think I'm gonna slightly change
how I do it in response to their comments.

I want to try
and make it slightly lighter.

[comical German accent]
Bakers, you have one hour left.

- Oh, Matthew.
- [both chuckle]

[Mark] Time's disappearing already.

Just have to cr*ck on.

[Rowan] This is the trunk of the tree.

[Paul] Concerned about Rowan.

He's confident
he'll get this finished in time,

but he is taking on a lot, again.

[Rowan] cr*ck on with the decoration.

I agree with you.
There is such a lot going on.

I hope to goodness he finishes.

[Rowan] There is a plan.
I know that's surprising.

And so far, I think I'm going to it.

I'm not happy with the rise.
It needs a bit more time.

- Hermine is doing brioche.
- Brioche in three and a half hours

- is tricky to do.
- Yeah.

[Paul] It'll be interesting to see,

with her French background,
what she can come up with.

[Hermine] I'm gonna carry on proving this.

[Noel] While Hermine's wait goes on...

It's looking good.

[Noel] ...the rest of the bakers'
dough has finished proving.

I'm happy with my tiger bread.
That's come up lovely. Ooh.

[Noel] And their intricate designs
can now begin to take shape.

[Linda] So, here we go.

[Noel] The judges are expecting
a variety of bread-shaping techniques.

[Lottie] I've tried to show twists
and some plaits,

but hoping that my flavours
will make up for the fact

that I'm not the most intricate of bakers.

[Mark] This is my frozen-apple puree.

They're out of the straws,
and braided over.

Just wanna make sure
I've got a good definition in there.

[Noel] But the bakers
need to work quickly.

[Linda] Bread's gonna keep proving,

so you're not gonna get
anything defined enough

if you don't get your move on.

[Marc] Not very good at plaiting.

So it is a little bit tricky.

[Dave] It's not as good-looking
as the other one.

[Linda] I'm happy with the way that
that's come around, yeah.

Hopefully, when it bakes,
it won't get too many...

[blows raspberry] Like a hernia.

[laughs]

[Rowan] This is the canopy of the tree.

It looks like a bit of a shambles
at the moment.

But a few well-placed details
can bring the whole thing to life.

Pears go on next.

Does that look like a tractor?
Not quite, does it?

[Sura] These are the tomatoes
with feta inside.

[Peter] This is the Forth Rail Bridge.

I'll give it a red egg wash
before going in the oven.

It comes out a rusty red colour.
Looks similar to the real thing.

[Laura] The tyres will be sprayed gold.

I think Paul's gonna hate it, but...

He doesn't like glitter,
he doesn't like theatre.

I mean, pretty sad life, if you ask me.

- [Noel] Have you seen Matt in Les Mis?
- I did.

He was amazing.
I genuinely mean it when I say

it was the best thing I've seen
in the West End.

- Really?
- I saw it five times.

[Noel] Wow. It's quite a mess over here.

I think I'm the messy one
out of the group.

- Look at it.
- I'm all right with that.

- I got loads to do.
- I know. Sorry.

- Bye-bye.
- Love you.

I have a wheel.
It's starting to come together.

This is my twist to go on the outside.

How far can I make that stretch?
Oh, well, that's sad.

How about if I just do that?
No one would ever know.

This is a tiger glaze. I've tamed it down

so that it doesn't cr*ck up too much.

[Sura] I'm painting it with spirulina.

And then I've got some beetroot powder
on the tomatoes.

Stacey's pregnant,
and a furlough belly for me.

Hopefully, the dough will rise
in the right places.

I'm going in.

For possibly the last time.

Please be good to me, Mr Bread.

[Laura] Don't drop it. Don't drop it.

I'm gonna put it in for 35.
Yeah! In she goes.

[huffing excitedly]

I'm gonna have
about four minutes to spare, I think.

I'm having to rush these.
I'm really out of time now,

and I need to get this in the oven.

[in American accent]
You have half an hour left.

- All right, it's gone in.
- [Matt] That's 30 minutes.

Oh, crumbs! Right. I'm going in.

Let's get on with some baking!

[chuckling] That was really close.

It needs 30 minutes.
I've got exactly 30 minutes.

[Hermine] My brioche, it hasn't proved
as well as I wanted.

I'm gonna give it a bit more time.

[Mark] It feels like
that's the challenge over, though.

It's really weird.

Have a little clean-up now.

[exhales deeply]

[Marc] I take every opportunity I can
just to take a mindful breath.

Just kind of bring me back
to the present moment.

'Cause when we're worrying,

we're worrying about things in our past.

[Dave] I shouldn't have floured it,
to be honest.

Or they're worrying about the future.

- [Peter] Have enough time to cook it?
- I hope so.

And ultimately, we've got
no control over that, have we?

Of course, it's easier said than done.

[Noel] Bakers, you've got 15 minutes.

Paul Hollywood wants bread,

and if he doesn't get it,
he's gonna be furious.

You ain't baking, you're gonna be quaking!

[Hermine] That should take
about 15 minutes, hopefully.

I think it's gonna be really close.

- [laughs]
- [Sura] I'm just worried about the base.

So I think I might up it, you know.

Oh, it's coming out now.

[imitates chorus singing]

[whistles] Not bad.

Hopefully it's baked.

[Sura] That does sound hollow.
That sounds brilliant.

- [Laura] We're good.
- [Marc] Let's trim those bits off.

Lots of leaves to paint green,
so I need to get busy with that.

[Linda] I'll give it some makeup.

[Matt] Bakers, you have one minute left.

[Hermine] I think it's cooked.

- [Mark] Just us in the oven?
- Just us three.

Hmm. That's too big.

[Rowan] Just take it carefully and slowly.

- [Hermine] There's a lot to trim.
- Going in.

[groans] Everyone is out...

[Laura] This is my chilli oil.

[Noel] Bakers, your time is up.

- [sighs]
- Please step away from your bread.

[sighs]

[Marc] Amazing.

- Well done, Hermine.
- Ooh!

[Rowan] It'll taste appalling,
but I'm pleased with the look.

We'll go with it.
Just hope I've done enough.

[Matt] It's judgment time
for our bakers' decorative bread plaques.

Hermine, would you like
to bring up your showstopper?

Looks a bit abstract.

- [Prue] You're driving through vineyards?
- [Hermine] Yes.

- These?
- That's supposed to be farmer's field

- and a tractor.
- [Prue] A tractor.

- Yes.
- [Paul] I see, okay.

You've lost a bit of definition
in the swirl on the outside,

but overall, it looks good.

Let's have a look
at the frame to start with.

This is the brioche.

[Hermine] Yes.

- And the main bit is the focaccia.
- Yeah.

The brioche doesn't hold much flavour.

I knew you were gonna struggle
to get that out in time.

It's an enriched dough,
but it's not a brioche.

- [Prue] Focaccia's lovely.
- Thank you.

It's springy. I like both, actually.

The focaccia is not bad.
But I do like the design.

- It's very, very good.
- Thank you.

I think it looks quite dramatic
and effective.

[Paul] The plait on the outside
is not bad.

[Prue] I like the effect you've got
by interlacing the two.

Texture looks good.

I think that is beautifully seasoned.

The tomato bread is nice.
It's got a nice zing.

But more importantly, it's the structure,

the air bubbles, it's regular,
and it's even all the way down.

- It's a nice loaf.
- Thank you.

Did you try one of the balls?

They've got feta inside.

[Prue] Mmm.

That is delicious.

- Can I go?
- Yes, absolutely.

- [all laughing]
- Your agony is over.

- [Noel] Well done, Sura.
- Thank you.

I love your Victorian swags
of great velvet curtain.

Your gilded tassels are wonderful.

It's simple, but effective.

- Shall we have a look?
- [Prue] Yeah.

[Laura] It's a focaccia base
with pancetta and cheese.

[Prue] It's got quite a punch.

Your ingredient choices are good.

The problem is focaccia
is a very, very light dough

and you put that
on top of it so it couldn't rise.

So what it did is
concertina back down again

and so it feels quite raw.

[Prue] It's a pity, because when you get
the edge of the focaccia,

it's really nice bread.

The chili bread's got a kick to it.

Not bad at all.

I think it's full of flavour,
but textures weren't right.

It's simple, sort of effective.

I think you could've done more with it.

Your flavours are coming from

the seeds on the top of the dried herbs.
They carry through.

- It's a nice eat.
- [Prue] It tastes very nice.

I just feel it's a little dense and tough.

[Paul] You made a bagel like a pitta.

- It's a little weird.
- [laughs] It is, isn't it?

A bread shouldn't do that.

It's like a piece of leather.

Oh, Peter.

The design's pretty good.

You kept some definition in there, too.

[Prue] The bread is well risen,
it feels great,

- but it lacks flavour.
- Okay.

- And this is tomato and paprika.
- Yes.

Yeah, tomato, paprika and chorizo.

- That packs a punch. That's nice.
- [Prue] Yes.

[Paul] Nice balance of flavour with it.

Nice bread. Should've
done more with that...

- [Prue] Very nice.
- ...rather than the white.

I like the concept,
I like the design, I love the cow.

We drunk milk straight from the cow
when we was children.

- From the udders?
- Not quite.

- [Noel] Wow.
- [Linda laughs]

[Paul] Remind me of the flavour again?

It's olive and tiger bread.

That's not tiger-bread topping.

It's the flavours of it,
but not so much the cracking.

[Paul] Okay.

- [Prue] It's dense.
- [Paul] Needs more olives.

More proving's needed.
More flavour's needed.

Interesting trees.

Little bit bulky
compared to the rest of it.

[Prue] I like the bee.

[Paul] The plaiting's a little bit
irregular, thick and then thin.

The structure's not bad, because actually,
you do have a light crust.

It is wetter on the mouth,
which is what you want.

Flavour's not that strong, though,

considering you're using wild garlic,

you should be getting
a serious kick from that.

This one's got apple and cinnamon?

[Mark] In the middle, yeah.

Mmm. The apple
and cinnamon is really nice.

It's a bit basic, the picture,
but the bread is okay.

Well, it looks really surprising

and pretty, and quite neat.
Certainly colourful.

If you dig deeper around the edges,

it's a bit weak on the plaiting.
It's slightly underproved,

- and ripped in the oven.
- Okay.

But this particular area here is gorgeous.

- [Marc] Thank you.
- Really nice. Neat, clever.

[Matt] It's intricate detail, isn't it?

[Prue] Oh, look.
That looks like nice bread.

[Paul] The flavour of the brown's not bad.

- It could do with more salt.
- [Marc] Okay.

[Paul] Fennel one is nice.
Overall, I like those flavours.

- Thank you.
- I think you've done a really good job.

It looks good, tastes good,
smells good. It is good.

- Great.
- [Paul] Thank you.

- Thank you very much.
- Well done.

[Marc] Thank you very much.

Your wife's pregnant?

Yes. Although I do look
more pregnant than she does.

[laughs] I was gonna say.

It's called sympathetic pregnancy.

[Paul] I would've spent time
cutting bricks out

and placed them on
and just built up that brickwork look.

You sort of get it,
but it would look nice with that.

Okay.

[Prue] This is the one with...

Mango, lime and chili paste
running through.

You certainly get
the mango and the chilli.

[Paul] I like the flavour.
Never had anything like that.

But I think the bread's a little too dry.

- It's overbaked.
- Okay.

[Paul] The flavour of the base?

That is hibiscus and guava flavour drops.

I've never met guava flavour.

Never had an Um Bongo, Prue?

- [Matt] Never been to the Congo?
- [Prue] I know guavas well,

- but I've never known it as an essence.
- Right.

And I can't really taste it.

[Paul] The ideas are unique.
Never tried either before.

Just that the baking was a little too far.

- Yeah. Fair enough.
- [Paul] Thank you.

- You need a hand, right?
- I do, please.

[Noel] Let's do this.

- Is that gonna fit?
- [Rowan] Let's hope.

[Prue] Well, Rowan. [chuckles]

I think it looks great.
I think it looks quite attractive.

Very big.

- [Prue] What's the bread?
- [Rowan] Worcestershire, blue cheese

and pears soaked in local cider.

[Prue] Get the cider.

Where's the blue cheese?

- Well, I pressed it in.
- You pressed it in?

That's why we don't get the taste.

- [Rowan] Right.
- I would've mixed it in the dough.

And you needed much more proving in that.

Keeping these restrained to keep the look.

You've gone for all style
and no substance.

You've ended up with a bread
which is quite bland.

- Right.
- [Paul] What's the flavour of that one?

That is chestnut and walnut.

Again, walnuts, lot more.

It's such a pity,
'cause that's much nicer bread.

Should we try the earthy one?

I can smell the truffle.

Definitely has more flavour,
but it could do with some salt.

- Okay. [chuckles]
- [Paul] Thank you very much.

[Rowan] Many thanks.

All style, no substance, that's me.

[Noel] I'd rather be all style,
no substance anyway.

Somewhat disappointed.
I was very happy with the look of it

and so, I'm glad to have
done what I could do.

[Dave] Feeling a little uneasy.

I might be home tomorrow,
but, erm, I haven't phoned her yet.

It would mean a lot
to come back next week.

That went better than expected.

I hear these things from my parents,

and think,
"It's 'cause you're my parents."

But it's nice to hear it from them.

I'm really happy with that.

It'd feel amazing, I think,

if they called out that
I was Star Baker for the week.

But, yeah, I don't know how I'd handle it.

[Matt] How do you think that went?

Overall, the standard wasn't good.

I think they feel a lot of pressure
on Bread Week to impress you

and often, they implode.

They needed to come in strong.

If you're not confident, it shows.

[Prue] Sura and Marc E,

those two worked with terrific confidence
and they're bang in your face.

They both managed to get
the right texture, the right flavour,

the right look.

- So, Star Baker, Marc E and Sura.
- Yeah.

What about Hermine?
She had a handshake.

Hermine has got a possibility.
Technical wasn't brilliant.

And her showstopper,
I didn't like the enriched dough.

Who do you think's at the bottom?

- Obviously Rowan. Anyone else?
- [Paul] Peter's in trouble.

I also think David's in trouble.

- Our two previous Star Bakers.
- Yeah.

[Matt] In defence of Rowan,

his showstopper really looked like
a showstopper, didn't it?

Again, style and substance.
It lacked flavour.

But how much flavour
do breads really need?

- You've crossed the line.
- I've crossed the line.

Do you wanna fight, Matt?

So, bakers, congratulations.

I know it's been a long couple of days.

One of you is Star Baker

and that person is...

Marc E.

- Wow.
- [all clapping]

Oh, bakers, that means
I've got the horrible job

of sending someone home.

[sighs] The person who is leaving us is...

Rowan.

That's fine. [laughs]

These boots were made for walking.

[laughing]

I feel very content, really.

I've had a wonderful time.

Erm, it is exhausting, but very rewarding.

Bring it in. Bring it in, kids.

[Mark] Sorry, Rowan.

And I was also quite pleased
that Noel said to me,

"I'm all style and no substance."

He said, "It's on my CV." [laughs]

[Hermine] Gonna miss those laughs.

[Rowan] Oh!

Rowan's been such a character.
I'm sorry to see him go

because he is so ambitious
and so imaginative

and he puts so much thought
into his baking.

He delivered a showstopper

which was very impressive to look at,

but it just didn't taste good.

[Laura] Gonna miss you, Rowan.

Such mixed emotions.
Sad for Rowan, ecstatic for Marc

'cause he really deserved
and needed that for his confidence.

I just got Star Baker, didn't I?

On Bread Week.
It's the thing that I enjoy making.

It's the thing that started me on
this whole baking experience.

To get Star Baker is amazing.

- [Paul] Well done.
- Thank you.

It was really good.

Marc did really well in the signature.
Pretty well in the technical, too.

And in the showstopper,

he managed to get his dough risen
and tasting good.

So, the whole Buddhist ethos
really worked for him.

Hey! [chuckles]

- Well done for being Star Baker.
- Thank you.

Hey, Gibbygibs.

- Thank you, girls.
- [girl] Love you.

[Marc] I love you, too. You're the best.

Thank you.

Oh, you made me get emotional now.

[closing theme music playing]