The Great British Bake Off

Dolly

Dolly

Dolly

Associate
Joined
12 Jan 2005
Posts
344
Location
Norfolk
I thought I should start a thread about the Bake Off as we have quite a few keen bakers on the forums.

Week 1: Rum Babas and the Hidden Design cake

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Week 2: The plaited loaf and bagel week

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Week 3: Tart week

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Has anyone attempted any of the recipes or technical challenges? If so, please post them!

I am trying the plaited loaf today:

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As far as the competition is concerned, I think there are quite a few people in the running. Does anyone have a favourite?
 
I think either James or the slightly camp young man will win in. Don't care much for baking but for some reason love cooking competitions.
 
So who else thought James should have actually won last night? I had John down as finishing third, never mind first! Bit of a shock result really. James won more star bakers than anyone else, was the most inventive, and unlike John, he didn't have to pull out of one episode due to his cut hand!
 
I think he made a massive mistake with his final cake though, shouldn't have done the 5 cakes like that. Seemed to spread himself thinly but not nail any of them. Shame.
 
I think James was too unpredictable - always working things out as he went and just about blagging most of it. His gingerbread monstrosity was quite a feat of structural design but I'd have been embarrassed presenting it to anyone. Brendan I think was excellent but his creations were the opposite - very clinical to the point of feeling impersonal. And when things didn't quite go to plan he couldn't adapt. Above all, both were a bit cocky whereas John had the right mix of technical skill and flair, but never felt above the challenge. Glad he won.
 
James wasn't as organised as the others. Brendan had more experience but was boring with ideas/design/flavour. James was good with flavours and ideas. John wasn't the best baker but had good ideas and design. I think they were also influenced by the fact John wanted to train professionally.
 
I think James was the best natural baker, but as Belmit says he seemed to just be winging it through the competition.
Going into the final bake having never made the Turkish delight that was supposed to be going on one of the cakes and deciding at the last minute not to have fruit inside the cakes isn't the right way to win the competition.
 
I love watching this, Mel and Sue are awesome!!!
I agree with the general opinion, that James was making too many decisions and changes on the day. He was my favourite, but he definitely ruined his chances with his 5 messy cakes. Brendan was very good, but I found him a little too smug. He knew he was good and that came across too much. I was pleased that John won though. He is not perhaps the natural baker that James is, or has the experience that Brendan has, but he is very good and made some lovely bakes.
 
How can you do Turkish delight that you've never tried before? I'd be like James, windmilling in with stuff like that, then getting it wrong.

Brendan was far too **** sure, which annoyed me.
 
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