But thats not all!
Thanks to PBS, were treated to a double dose ofGBBSthis week, so well also be talking desserts.
Now lets get rolling.
Credit: PBS
(And no, the bread puns will not cease throughout this recap.)
Then theres Ian adding in garlic from his herb garden.
Dorrets making walnut-and-Stilton soda bread… sounds worrisome.
Ian leaves his bread in the oven until the very last minute, which pays off.
Paul claims his bake is a work of magic.
Unfortunately, Dorrets is on the tight side, but Mats has a lovely crust.
The most notable bake, however, is Paul!
Mr. Hollywood declares, Its excellent before he has another piece.
Theres no time for wheat-ing around, lets get straight to the Technical Challenge.
The bakers are told to make four identical crusty baguettes in two and half hours.
Right away, proofing proves difficult for the bakers.
There are too many options: Do they use the proofing drawer?
Or leave the bread out at room temperature?
And how long do they proof for?
Guess thats why they call it a challenge.
In no time at all, the judges are stepping up to give some biting feedback.
Some are under-proofed, some need more crisping, and some are a variety of shapes.
But Ian gets the win.
Were on a roll here, so lets move right on to the Showstoppers!
This week its 3-D structures made out of bread.
There should be three types of dough, one of which needs to be filled.
The bakers have five hours to complete the task.
Tamal is making a bicycle out of bread.
Alvins making a Thanksgiving cornucopia because he has relatives in the States.
(I immediately thoughtHunger Gamesand weapons, but thats just me.)
And Dorrets creating an un-made bed a bed made of bread!
When we get to judging, Marys unimpressed and Paul doesnt think its worthy of five hours of work.
Plus, its raw in the middle.
Pauls predator is also well-received.
Bread-god Paul Hollywood gives high praise: Its one of the best things Ive seen in bread, ever.
Then adds, I wouldnt have attempted anything like that.
It has teeth, claws, a mane, and its packed with flavor.
Gotta be the Star Baker, right?
As it turns out, Herb Man Ian is dubbed Star Baker this episode.
Dorret is toast in this competition.
Desserts: the piece de resistance of the baking world.
Sharpen your sweet tooth theres a whole lot of sugar coming at you.
Delicate will be your drinking game buzzword for the next hour.)
This one is a deceptively difficult challenge, according to Paul.
(Really, when are they not?
We havent forgotten the walnut cake of week 1, Mr.
The bakers start with basic custard.
Cooking and cooling the custard in time is worrying Mat, whos opted to make a coconut-and-lime dish.
Im willing him to do well.
He brings so much humor.
As does Sandy, whos adding licorice to hers and popping extra in her mouth as she goes.
Were back to adding obscure fruits this week, as Ugne throws some Amarula into the mix.
Its an African cream liqueur made from the exotic marula fruit.
Mary thinks it smells Irish.
Meanwhile, Pauls going for a confident exterior and tossing in flaked almonds.
The bakers must confirm the fruit, liqueur, etc.
The window between undercooked and overcooked is very small.
To tell if the desserts are done, the bakers must shake them and see how they wobble.
The wobble should be like my backside, says Sandy.
like dont go home this week, you wonderful, hilarious lady.
(Pausing to add a new word to the drinking game: wobble.)
Then they get to caramelizing.
This is the brulee part, Sandy informs us.
Otherwise theyre just pots of creme.
Hes going to break my heart one of these weeks.
He forgot to hit the grill button on his oven, so his desserts arent caramelized at all.
Ians, of course, are perfect.
Pauls not really enjoying the pomegranate at the bottom.
Mats arent glossy and shiny enough.
He ran out of time, so theyre runny.
Sue deems them, bru-lake.
Brilliant, Sue, just brilliant.
Ugne and her mysterious fruit have set well, but the caramel on top is nonexistent.
The same goes for Alvin, and Sandys havent set either.
Its a shame you didnt turn the oven on, jokes Paul.
As always, no ones heard of it and cant imagine how it should look.
The instructions are very vague, explains Nadiya.
Its make this and make that.
So you have to know how to make it.
The dish is Austrian, but includes Swiss and French types of meringue.
Its just a meringue fest, says Paul.
Thats precisely what Marys sample looks like.
Its a thing of splendid beauty decorated with violets made of sugar.
Timing and temperature are critical as always.
Cue high stress levels in the tent.
Theres a lot of piping with precision and whipping of filling careful to avoid curdling.
(Anyone else salivating?)
Meanwhile, Ian is making spicy and herbed cheesecakes.
Each of Alvins cakes is dedicated to a member of his family.
(kindly dont send him home.
Hes been having trouble with time lately, so hes anxious to get on.
Paul and Mary: Stop asking questions and leave him be!)
Nadiyas making cream-soda cheesecake.
I, for one, am not convinced.
But shes decorating it with a floating can of soda, which sounds pretty cool.
Ugne the Adventurer is adding ombre-style frosting.
She loves a bit of garish decoration, that one.
Pauls showing off a little with the decorations.
The moment for stacking has arrived.
Were going for tiers, not tears.
Cooling is paramount to keeping the cheesecakes stackable.
Here are the high and low lights:
Do I even have to announce the winner?
Of course, Star Baker is Ian or Ian-genuity, as Sue calls him.
Sadly, Sandys wobbling times in the tent are over.
Im so relieved for Alvin, but Im sad to see Sandy go.
The image of her playfully choking Paul after shes told shes leaving makes it almost worth it, though.
But neither says it with any real conviction; theyre just too nice.
I wonder what Ian will bring from his garden!
