14x02 - Biscuit Week

[bunniefuu]

I think we've nailed this.
Hey, Paul check this out.

Listen, for biscuit week Noel and I

have created this digestive that you
can keep dunking in your cuppa

and it don't break off!
Look at that!

Incredible.
We're taking it to Dragons' Den.

We've been doing this for 45 minutes

and it's still holding strong,
innit?

That's amazing. But what's in it?

Oh, the usual - flour, sugar
and a secret ingredient.

A very thin layer of concrete.

Oh, God!

Welcome to
The Great British Bake Off.

Do you think we'll get a handshake?

I'm not so sure, let's go. Ruined.

Last time...

Why this is doing to me?

..our 12 new bakers went wild
for cake...

I don't know if that's going to
freak out the judges.

"Hi, Rowan, what have you made?"
"A dead lobster."

..whilst Cristy and Abbi impressed.

You've done a really good job, Abbi.

Thank you very much.

Dan's family dog Bruno fetched him
Star Baker...

Nice one, Bruno!

Here we go, Norman.

..and although Nicky and Tasha
faced extinction...

I don't like that, Tasha.

I love it!

..it was Amos...

Piece of poo.

..who had to leave the tent.

This time...

Oh!

..the bakers battle biscuits...

Abbi, get a bit closer.

..with a nostalgic signature...

Marshmallow time.

..a tricky technical...

I'm probably doing it wrong.

..and show stopping
illusion biscuit banquets.

Chuffing heck.

Everybody's is so realistic.

Who will bask in biscuit brilliance?

That is fantastic.
It's so good!

And whose cookie...

Cristy?

..has finally crumbled?

Have you used my biscuit dough?

You have.

I'm well buzzing.

It's proper nice, innit,
just to get back?

I saw those three peaks
and I thought,

I'm happy I'm at home. It's nice.

Here we go again.

Last week was very stressful
but it's a new week,

it's a new day, it's a new dawn.

Biscuits is completely different
to cakes.

I make shortbread quite a lot.

It's one of those recipes where you
get quite a lot of plaudits

compared to the amount of effort
that you put in.

Good to see you, bakers.
Welcome to Biscuit Week.

Now, for your Signature Challenge
the judges would like you to make

a batch of 12 identical
marshmallow biscuits.

Inspired by childhood favourites

like the tea cake
or the Wagon Wheel,

the judges are looking for
delicious biscuits

either topped or sandwiched
with perfectly set marshmallow.

Now, you've probably noticed that
these biscuits,

they're a lot smaller than they
used to be when we were kids.

Well, this is your chance
to right that wrong.

There's nothing stopping you from
making your biscuit

absolutely massive,
like Noel's head.

We're looking for dustbin lids, OK?

Now, the shape, the flavours and
the design is entirely up to you.

You've got two and a half hours.

On your marks... Get set...

Bake!

Marshmallow biscuits isn't something
I've had for a really long time.

There's only one marshmallow biscuit
as far as I'm concerned

and it's a Tunnock's tea cake.
Oh, my days.

Marshmallow biscuits. Now,
this goes back to our childhood.

For me, it was the Wagon Wheel.
It was just the best thing ever.

Marshmallow is quite mild in flavour
and sweet.

So you need something that lifts it,
like citrusy jam

or something with a bit of acidity
will help.

It's about decoration, as well,

because although it should be
relatively simple

to create the biscuits and the
marshmallow, it's about decoration.

It's got to look good,
it's got to look shop made.

Good morning, Dana. Hello, good
morning. How are you? Hello, Dana.

Dana, tell us about your
signature marshmallow biscuit.

I am doing a speculoos.

Oh, lovely. Marshmallow biscuit

that's got a lot of ginger, cloves,
mixed spice, a bit of everything.

Oh, lovely.

Dana's love of spices
comes from

the Indian dishes her mum Chhaya
taught her growing up.

That's a lovely golden colour.

Almost burnt colour.

It's not burnt, Mum!

Sitting on top of her
spiced biscuit,

Dana's vanilla marshmallow and
speculoos biscuit buttercream

will be set in an intricate mould.

Oh, they're beautiful.

It's been a bit of a challenge
demoulding it. Yeah.

But as long as I've got enough time
to get it in the fridge

for a good half hour.

It needs to be rock solid for me
to get it out of the mould.

So that's what I'm hoping for.

I'm looking forward to this one.

Me, too!
Can't wait to have one myself.

That's perfect. Right...

Those who have chosen
to make teacakes

will be using moulds to create
the classic chocolate dome

which will hold the marshmallow.

Let me just wiggle them around.

The outside will be nice and smooth

because it's moulded into
the dome shape, thankfully.

I'm probably a little bit envious

of the people who have got moulds,
but hey-ho,

I made the decision to go
for Wagon Wheels

and when I've made them at home
people have liked it.

Keith likes to doorstep
his neighbours

looking for feedback on his bakes,

which has earned him the nickname
Needy Ned.

That's delicious.

Phew! I'm relieved.

Today he'll be recreating
the all-American

peanut butter and jelly sandwich
in Wagon Wheel form.

Now, a little birdy told me
you was into stand-up.

I... I did a bit of stand-up for
a few years about 20 years ago.

And was you good?

I wasn't good enough to go...
to go full time.

Give me your best gag. Come on.

The best gag that you...
You've got to get me rolling.

I can't. Because... Come on,
everyone wants to hear Alison's
laugh!

Then you might find out
I'm funnier than Noel.

No, go on. And then what happens?
Go on, go on. It doesn't work!

What you got? Come on!

Buk-buk-buk-buk-buk!
Come on, you can...

BEEPING
You've got something.

No. What's... what's the joke that
used to get everyone straight away?

Shall I stop that, babe?

Um...
What's that timer for?

You... Uh, that's time for the
interview to end.

Morning Dan. Good morning.
Hello, Dan. How we doing? Hello.

Reigning Star Baker.

Yes, indeed.

Tell us about your signature.

Yes, so it's my son's
birthday tomorrow.

So these flavours are based
on the three things

that he basically lives on
every day,

which is chocolate, bananas
and peanut butter. Wow.

What a healthy diet for a child!
Perfect diet, yeah.

Can I help? You can do, mate, yeah.
Yay!

Four-year-old Sam
and his older brother Rory

love to help Dad in the kitchen,

especially when there are bowls
to be cleaned.

You've got it all down
the front of you already.

Covered in dark chocolate,
his peanut biscuits

will sandwich layers
of peanut butter ganache

and banana marshmallow.

Have you practised this a lot?

Yeah, I've done it three times,
yeah.

Where do you find the time?

Soon as the kids are in bed,
that's when I start doing it.
Really? Yeah.

And you want to bake, the kids'll
never go to bed right?

No, they don't, no. No.

And they come in,
especially going...

"Oh, can I help, dad?"
"Yeah, of course you can, mate!"

And then just, like,
knock a bowl over,

spill a load of flour all over the
place and clear off.

Chimpanzees' tea party.
Totally, yeah.

I'm making rose teacakes
and these are for my nan.

My nanny June,
she's not with us any more

but she loved roses

and so they're going to have, like,
little roses painted into the shell.

Nanny June might be the
inspiration for Cristy's teacakes

but it's her youngest daughter
Sienna

who's been helping Mum
perfect the recipe.

Good girl. Keep going.

Cristy will layer rose water
flavoured marshmallow

and a mixed berry jam
atop a digestive biscuit,

all encased in a delicate
floral white chocolate shell.

What do your kids think
of these biscuits?

Do they like these ones?
They're just like... Yeah, they do.

They're like,
"Why can't we touch 'em?"

I'm like, "No, you can't touch 'em
now!"

But, yeah, no, they do.
They like 'em, yeah.

And have you explained to them,
you know, about Bake Off

and how it's going
and how exciting it is?

Hmm, the little ones don't know.
But my eldest,

yeah, but she's just, like,
living her life. She's like...

She's living her best life. Yeah.
The thing is, when you're a mum,

you've got so much mummy guilt

and the kids ain't even bothered,
are they? I know!

They're not bothered!

"Oh, mum's missing?" Yeah!
"Who cares?"

Going to roll 'em out,
aim to get even thickness.

It's a biscuit that I used to eat
a lot when I played football.

It's a half-time biscuit, almost.

A well-known biscuit.
I've kind of, like,

taken the theme of that biscuit
and put it into a Wagon Wheel.

Sports mad Matty
and his partner Lara

first locked eyes at the local gym.

Eight years later they're busy
planning their wedding.

Which one are you thinking that
actually looks nice?

I don't know. They all look the
same.

He's chosen chocolate and orange
flavours

for his sandwich style biscuit.

He'll be assembling in a mould
for a sharp, elegant finish.

I like your tattoo. Thank you.

If you win, you've got to get
another tattoo, right? OK.

If you win, we'll both get one.
GBBO!

I'll get one of you on my chest.

Not on your back?
Like that!

I've got one of Rahul on my bum.

Right, we're going in the oven.

The bakers will need to keep
a close eye on their biscuits...

Ten minutes.

We'll check 'em at eight.

..as they can go from underbaked
and soft

to overbaked and tough
in a matter of minutes.



Calm exterior.

But I'm doing absolute somersaults
inside, yeah.

But also, they need to make
a start on any extra fillings,

curds or jams that will accompany
the marshmallow.

I'm just heating up my cream
for my ganache.

Raspberries,
I'm making raspberry jam.

Look at the colour, see?
It's beautiful.

So that's a rhubarb and ginger jam.

This is going to be the flavour
kick to the marshmallow.

Smells amazing.

Nicky and husband Rob
are both retired

but like to keep active,
whether it's out rambling

with the dogs Haggis and Bracken

or doing exercise classes together.

Phew!

He's got bright red cheeks now!

Nicky's ginger and rhubarb jam

will be the main attraction in
teacakes of pistachio shortbread

and vanilla marshmallow.

So you've got rhubarb and ginger as
the hero flavours, really...
Exactly.

..with a little hint of pistachio
in the biscuit. Exactly.

Very good.
Let's hope it works!

I'm doing Black Forest jam teacakes.
Blackberries and blackcurrants

are my favourite fruits
to make jam with.

And they just work really
lovely together.

I love to bake with fruit and stuff
off my garden

and I always want them to be
the star of the show.

Green fingered Josh
and his younger brother Jake

love growing their own fruit
and vegetables.

They've even won prizes
for their enormous marrows.

Sitting in between his
vanilla marshmallow

and dried cherry biscuit base

will be Black Forest jam made from
the spoils of his beloved garden.

Do you feel really relaxed there?

Yeah, I love it down there.
Cos it's calm.

Yeah, I do rugby from
September through till about now

and then we go switch
and it's on to... Calm world.

All the gardening stuff. Yeah.

I think you're living the way that
everyone wants to live.

Growing and then baking.
Yeah.

Rugby, not so sure about.
Just getting pounded in the cold!

Good luck. Thank you.

Thought I was your biggest fan?

Ha! That's good, that is!

Bakers... You are halfway through!

Taking these out now.

Oh, yes, they look nice. Very good.

Yeah, they look like they did
at home, which is... a good thing.

I think it's all right.

Just a little brown,

so I'm happy with that.

Saku. Hello, how are you?
How you doing? You all right?

Good, thank you very much. Yes, yes.

Now, do you bake biscuits often?

Not very often. Hmm.
At least once a week.

That's often! If you're baking
biscuits every single week...

Every day is often, I think.

Every week is really often.
OK. Yes.

So you're good at biscuit making,
then. I hope so!

Every Sri Lankan New Year,
instead of baking biscuits,

Saku and her family celebrate
by boiling over milk,

a tradition that symbolises
prosperity.

It run everywhere!

Today she'll be serving up

an elegant sandwiched pistachio and
raspberry jam marshmallow biscuit

inspired by a flavour she
fell in love with in Sicily.

So whenever we go there
I try pistachio granita.

Ah, it's heavenly! I love pistachio.

While Saku is bringing
a taste of Sicily into the tent,

Tasha is taking us down under.

I'm making a malted
chocolate biscuit.

Um, it's like a chocolate drink

that I used to have in Australia.

Was this called Milo? Yes.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I used to have that in South Africa.
Can you get it here?

I can get... I need to know where.

Don't tell her. Don't tell her!

I'll tell you after.

Tasha moved to Australia with her
mum and brother aged nine,

where she got a taste
of the outdoors

and for the malted chocolate
milk drink

she would enjoy at the end
of every school day.

She'll be flavouring every element

of her elegantly decorated
marshmallow biscuits

with this popular powdered drink.

he flavours are very much, like,
childhood flavours

so I'll be very sad
if they don't like it!

Tasha isn't the only baker...

Oopsie boopsie!

..who spent some of her
childhood in sunnier climes.

I used to live in Tunisia

and we didn't... they don't
have teacakes there

so they're not like
a big childhood thing for me,

so I was like, I'll use
the other thing from my childhood

that significantly impacted it,
which was living in Tunisia.

Abbi spent seven years in
Tunisia before returning

to rural Cumbria, where she took up
a gravity defying fitness class.

Whee!

Her Tunisian inspired teacakes

will see a zesty orange curd

in between her pistachio
and cardamom biscuit

and saffron marshmallow.

Why do you bake?

Why? Yeah.

I like it cos it's like a
creative outlet.

Do you do other creative things?

I do aerial hoop.
What's that?

It's like... it's like a...

..a hoop that hangs down
from the ceiling

and you go, like, upside down in it
and stuff. What?!

Where do they have these?
Where does this happen?

Uh, it's in a barn on a farm.

What, so you drive to a barn...

I drive to a barn
and then I get there...

You get in an aerial hoop.

And then I get in a hoop.
Make shapes.

Yeah, and then I go home.

Rowan, good morning.
Good morning. How are you?

Morning, Rowan. Right, Rowan,

tell us all about your
marshmallow biscuits.

So I'm doing lemon and rosemary
shortbread

with a Parma violet marshmallow.

Parma violet?

Yeah. My nan used to like Parma
violets.

They are absolutely disgusting.

Oh, wonderful!

This is a vote of confidence.

Yorkshire lad Rowan loves to
go for long walks in the Dales

with his dad John and mum Moira.

That's making me want to wee,
that noise!

His flavour packed teacakes

will feature a lemon
and rosemary shortbread

and raspberry gel to complement his
Parma violet marshmallow.

But I don't know if you like
Parma violet but I told...

Oh, I love it!
Is it those purple sweets?

Yes! OK, someone likes it.
I LOVE those sweets.

OK, so you love Parma violet.
Yeah.

Paul and Prue do not.
They said it's a bit vile, actually.

So I'm whipping up...
What are you going to do?

Well, when life gives you
lemons, Alison...

Make Parma violet.
Make Parma violet, yeah!

Just make sure there's the right
amount of air in these shoulder
pads.

Bakers, you have one hour left.

Marshmallow time.

Do you know what? before
the competition

I've not made
a great deal of it to be honest,

but it's a bit like
a Swiss meringue, basically.

And then just with the addition of
loads of gelatine to help it set.

Key to a marshmallow's pillowy
but firm form

lies in the gelatine and sugar
syrup.

I'm making the sugar syrup with
the caster sugar and golden syrup.

Then I will add that to
the egg whites

and get it whipped for
a good ten minutes

and then it should get you creamy
marshmallow fluff

just like, chef's kiss!

But bringing this mix to the
right temperature is crucial.

So this has to get to


Oh, hurry up!

Too hot and their marshmallow
will be tough and chewy.

Too cold and it won't set.

Here we go.

So now that gets poured into
the egg whites.

And then gradually it will turn into
a marshmallow fluff.

And for those adding flavours...

..there's an additional balance
to be struck.

Going with some extract into
the marshmallow.

Only, like, a cap.
Extract can be quite offensive

if you use too much of it.

It was always going to be
a couple of drops.

But now I've spoke to the judges

I think it's going to be maybe
one drop, if that.

Might just do lemon. Sod it.

But while most have
their marshmallows made, Keith...

..is struggling with
his sugar syrup.

It's taking a little bit longer
than I expected for the, um,

sugar to start to come up
to temperature.

I'm a little bit concerned about
the time

but we shall see.

Bakers, you've got 30 minutes left.

Time goes quick.
That's gone really quick.

Right. And that's as good
as it will do for me.

As Keith races to make
his marshmallow...

Right, we're ready.

..the rest of the bakers have begun
to build.

Smells very Parma violety.

I'm feeling stressed!

But with so much marshmallow,

it's essential
the bakers' other elements

are able to punch through
the sweetness.

Just putting the jam

on top of the biscuits.

Not too much. Just a wee layer
that'll just sort of sit.

And while many of the bakers
are relying on moulds

to achieve a flawless finish...

So now it'll set in the fridge
until I demould it.

That's if I can get it demoulded.

..others are preparing for
a freehand finish.

Oh, I'm going to have to get
dipping. Time is against me now.

I just have to go really quickly.

Please work,
please work, please work.

Bakers, you have ten minutes left.

I really wanted to take my time
on this but... Whoopsy daisy!

So now I can start
doing the marshmallow.

As Keith's biscuits finally
start coming together,

for the teacake contingent,
it's time to demould.

Moment of truth, here we go.

Once they come out, they're done.

But it's just getting them out
that's the tricky bit.

I mean, they're coming out
and they're not snapping.

I was expecting a breakage,
with my luck today.

Right, that one's broken.

That was challenge, though,
with this mould.

I need to get the chocolate
round the edges

but you do have to be very delicate

and delicacy's not really
in my skill set.

They're just so messy underneath.
Going to trim round carefully.

Gentle, gentle, gentle...

I need to decorate the top...

..as best I can.

Yeah, just jazz it up a bit.

I'll put some peanuts on.

I can, like, hide a lot of stuff
with glitter.

That's what I'm hoping for!

They're just sort of like dodgy
alloy wheels from, like, the 1990s.

Oh, they look messy!

Ah, sorry, kangaroo.
You're going to get a messy bum.

Perfect!

OK, bakers, your time is up.

Please step away from
your biscuits.

We got 12. That's the main thing.

God. That was stressful.

They look beautiful. Thank you.

Mine looks a bag of BLEEP
compared to everybody else's.



now face the judgment of
Prue and Paul.

Did you drop three of them?

Um, I don't know what
you're on about, Prue!

There's nothing there,
there's nothing to see!

I mean, they look amazing
bar these broken ones.

Let's have a look
and see what it's like inside.

Thank you. It's a lovely interior.
I think the balance

between the marshmallow
and the biscuit is good.

Oh, it's delicious.
Oh, thank you.

Very spicy.

The topping I like,

but it's totally overwhelmed
by the biscuit.

It's so potent

that a delicate thing like
a marshmallow's

never going to stand a chance.
Mm-hm.

Do you know, I don't really agree

because, frankly, marshmallow
deserves to be overridden. Mm-hm.

I think it works beautifully.

Thank you very much.
That's OK. Thank you, thank you.

OK, let's have a look.

Oh, my goodness.
That's neat as a pin, isn't it?

Um, the Parma violet,

I'm not getting too much of that,

which for me is a good thing. OK.

You do get that lemon
coming through.

So you end up with a pretty
decent marshmallow biscuit.

Do you know, I think it's amazing.

I think you've got
so many flavours in there

but you get them one after another.
It's perfect.

Oh, thank you.

Well done. I was so nervous.
Thank you. Well done. Thank you.

Very pretty.

Yeah.

I baked a pistachio and vanilla
marshmallow biscuit.

I think your flavours
are really good.

The jam comes through, the biscuit,
you do get that pistachio flavour.

My only comment would be

the biscuit needed a little bit
longer in the oven.

Oh!

You could've spun the chocolate

a little bit neater than that,
but I do like them.

I think they do look pretty nice.

Ooh. Oh, wow.

Ooh, hello.

I think your chocolate's
a bit thick down at the bottom.

That should've been paper thin.

Your orange jam is delicious.

Yeah.

I think if, instead of putting
a blob of jam in the middle,

you'd put a layer of jam... Yeah.

..then every mouthful
would've been perfect.

Well, they all look neat as a pin

and they're certainly identical.

Let's cut one of these open.

Good cr*ck on the chocolate.

Looks lovely inside, Josh.

Nice and thin.
Chocolate's beautifully done.

I like the balance between the
sweet and the tartness...

Yeah. ..which comes from the jam.

You've got the nice fruits
coming through in there.

Pretty, pretty spot-on.

Well, your roses worked, didn't
they? Yeah, they did. Perfect.

The rose flavour's definitely there.

But I don't think it's too much.

I think, yeah, I think you're right.

I think the rose level
is about right.

The berry in there needed to be a
little bit stronger and more of it,

but I think it's very neat and
I think you've done a decent job.

They are a bit messy but I do think
they're exciting and attractive.

Yeah, they look like crowns,
don't they?

There's a lot of orange in there.

Yes, I think probably
a little bit too much.

The biscuit is lovely and crispy

but the orange is really punching.

And be careful to allow yourself
time to finish off your bakes...

Yeah. ..with a little bit more
finesse. Yeah.

Well, at first glance
they look pretty good.

When you look a bit closer,
they're a little bit messy.

Interesting inside. I mean, you've
got a lot going on in there

when it comes to the layers.

These are a peanut biscuit
with white chocolate

and peanut butter ganache
and a banana marshmallow.

I don't quite know what
I think about that

because I think technically
it's perfect. Hmm.

Maybe I don't quite share your
four-year-old's tastes.

Yeah, possibly so, yeah, yeah!

Texture wise it's spot-on.

And not a big thick layer
of chocolate. Yeah.

It's paper thin and that's how
it should be.

If you hadn't put the cartwheel on,

they would've looked ten times
better. Yeah. I know.

Bit messy, aren't they?

Well, I knew they weren't gonna be

the most attractive offering
in the tent.

I, I wasn't planning on them being
quite so messy.

They're probably gonna
taste amazing.

Keith, you're looking really
worried.

Keith the truth is, it really
is delicious.

The, erm, marshmallow's holding
its shape.

The raspberry jam is terrific.

This is the nicest,
crispest biscuit.

So is it ugly but nice?

It's beauty and
the beast, that's what it is.

Beauty's on the inside.
But look at it. I'll take that.

Thank you very much, Keith.
Cheers.

So these are biscuit
with ground pistachios,

rhubarb and ginger jam
and then chocolate on the top.

Where's the, where's the ginger?

The jam. It was, it was there.
Where is it?

I, I think it ran a wee bit.

Well, it ran out
the tent that's what it's done.

There's nothing here. Never mind.

He's trying to find some.
Oh, stop it!

Oh, he's trying to see...
Oh, no.

No. There's gotta be some somewhere.

There is.
I just put a wee thin layer on.

Why? Why? Because I didn't want it
to overpower it.

See, you've got a wee bit there.

Oh, dearie me, never mind.

It is, it is dearie me because
otherwise it's nicely constructed.

The biscuit is beautiful,
the chocolate's nice and thin.

You've done a good job
but we needed the jam.

Well, they look very sophisticated
and beautifully piped

and the spinning is just so thin
and lovely.

My instinct is that
the biscuits are too thick.

Because I think that's quite
a mouthful.

I think they're,
the biscuit, you think it's thick

but it's not because it crumbles

and it's so delicate,

and the chocolate comes through -
not dark chocolate,

but it has a beautiful malted
aftertaste in the mouth.

I think they're delicate,

I think they're pretty and I have
to...

Oh, good for you.
Yeah!

Thank you. Ah. I tell you what,

that pleases me as much as it
pleases you.

Ooh, that's a handshake. I'll have
two of those. Thanks.

I got a Hollywood handshake.

I was not expecting that at all.

Yes!

I'm so proud.

I don't think I could've got any
better than that.

Because the judges aren't blind,

they could see that it looked
like a flipping mess.

You can't be worried about these
things cos it's done.

And I can't do anything about it.

And so, yeah, you've just got
to enjoy the moment,

keep smiling cos that's what
life's all about, isn't it?

While the bakers could practise
their marshmallow biscuits

the next challenge is a mystery.

Hello, bakers,
welcome back to the tent.

It's time for your Technical
Challenge which today has been set

for you by the lovely Prue.
Any words of wisdom?

I've only got one piece of advice
for you guys,

and that is use your time wisely.

Now, as always, this challenge is
gonna be judged blind

so, guys, off you go.

Off you pop and when we say go we
mean go,

don't skulk back pretending
to look for your phone charger.

OK, Prue would like you to make

a batch of 12 perfectly baked
custard creams.

Your custard creams should be

made with a short buttery biscuit

and imprinted with that classic
custard cream design

and they should be filled with
a custard buttercream.

Sounds delicious. You've got one and
a half hours for this.

That does not sound long enough.
On your marks.

Get set. Bake!

Oh, my gosh.

I've never made custard creams.
I've eaten them. But never made one.

It's good because you know what they
look and taste like.

It's bad because you know what they
look and taste like.

Custard creams. I have no idea.

I'm a huge fan of custard so I'm
looking forward to all of this.

Huge custard man, yeah. I'm from the
North, mate, have it for breakfast.

Custard creams, Prue, I think this
is a great Technical Challenge.

But do you think it's too simple?

It's not that simple.
It's actually easy to go wrong.

I think the most common problem
will be people not chilling their

biscuit dough enough.

It needs to go into the oven
really, really cold.

If it's a slightest bit warm,

the butter will start to melt and
you'll lose the definition

and the shape and the next most
common problem will be not getting

the creme au beurre
properly chilled.

It's all about chilling and timing.

Choose your, uh, biscuit Prue. Hmm.

It holds together beautifully.

Beautiful custard flavour.

but there's a lovely snap to
it as well in the mouth.

I tell you what these
taste a whole heap better

than the ones in the packet.

First instruction - make biscuit
dough, chill in freezer.

Just says make the biscuit dough.
Which is really helpful.

Thanks, Prue.

I actually looked up a custard
cream recipe last night. Shh.

You cream together your butter
and sugar and then add in your egg

and then you add in your flour

and then I've put the custard
powder in with the flour.

Hey, Dana. Hi, Alison.

You look like you're ahead.

Oh, don't say that.
You're doing good.

Cos that's how it was last week and
I came last, didn't I? But, erm...

Well, no, listen, don't
put no pressure on yourself.

Yeah. Have you done this before?

No. It's just biscuit, isn't it?
It's just, just biscuit.

It's just biscuit. It's not
just biscuit, it's a custard cream.

Get it
straight in the freezer.

I get the impression from how Prue
was describing it that you

haven't got a great
deal of time to mess around.

Whole thing about this
is freezing

cos you've got a stamp
and you wanna be able to stamp it

and see it, don't you? Cos
if you don't, what's the point?

It's not a custard cream.

It's kind of amazing.
I know I'd love that. Did you know
that existed until today? No.

It, it's brilliant. No, me neither.

It's almost like a game.
Where we've got to be the quickest
to the button.

To the buzzer? Yeah.

Who's got the baking? Paul or Prue?

Paul.

Who's gonna win the Bake Off
this year? Don't... Keith.

So step number two is for the
custard buttercream, make

a sugar syrup in a small pan
and boil to 121 Celsius.

Oh, it's getting very
technical now.

Dissolve.

It's made like a French
meringue buttercream

and I have made one already.
So I know what I'm doing.

So this is gonna heat up and then
I'm gonna pour it into my egg

yolks and whisk it
until they're really big and fluffy.

Well, we've just zoomed past 121 so
I'll just leave it there for a sec.

It's fine.

I've just
got this to 121 degrees.

And I shall be plonking it in here
now with the egg yolks.

I know you've gotta do
this really slowly.

If you chuck it all in it
will like split.

The eggs haven't whisked up,

the buttercream has all gone to pot
and I need to start again.

So it's getting nice
and thick. Which is what we want.

Sieve custard powder then
whisk again.

Get as much of that as possible.
And give it another whisk.

The buttercream's looking better.
I'm still a lot behind though.

When ready, whisk the butter into
the buttercream.

And once you incorporate
the butter into it,

it will obviously increase in
volume, thicken up.

I'm just gonna keep on whisking it
and then it gets nice and fluffy.

If it's too loose it's just gonna
splodge out the side everywhere.

Plaafff, it's never good.

This is pretty terrible.

I can see flecks of yellow but I
can't get it to whisk any more.

I'm not sure about
the consistency...

..but I will go with this.

Right, roll out the biscuit dough
and chill in the freezer.

It's a lot of chilling.
We need to make 12.

That is 24 biscuits.
So it needs to be thin.

Custard creams,
about three mil thick, I reckon.

We're rolling, it's looking all
right, yeah, the dough's nice.

Cristy.
Have you used my biscuit dough?

You have.
Oh, my God, I'm so sorry.

That's my biscuit dough.

Ah!

Rowan! Ah, there you go.
I'm so sorry, Rowan.

No, it's fine. I thought...

Are you swapping dough, you kids?

Rowan, what really happened?

I found my dough missing.

Sabotage? Sabotage, no.
Cristy, you've done a great job.

Do you feel like you rolled his out
better than you're doing yours?

Yeah, for sure.
Oh, no, what's going on here?

Don't.

Feel like this is a bit sticky.
Need a bit more of this. Sorry.

Before their dough is ready
to be cut and stamped...

I think that'll do.

..it must be chilled thoroughly.

The longer it chills
the better definition it'll be

but the less time it will have
to bake and then cool down.

But it's a process that
can't be rushed.

It's not working. Sticking.
More time in the fridge.

You've got 45 minutes left,
everyone, 45 minutes.

Please be ready, please be ready,
please be ready.

So I'm hoping these are set

and they'll push out of this mould

but we're gonna find out in
a moment, aren't we? Stamp.

I don't know how hard to push.

Am I gonna go all the way through?
See, look, it's getting stuck.

Is this happening for other people?

I'm probably doing it wrong.

Give it a bit of welly.

Yeah, looks all right.

Come on, out you come.
It is a pretty little pattern.

It's quite sweet, I think.

It's not a uniform custard cream
but she's the first,

it's like the first pancake.

It's always the worst one
but we go uphill from here.

They're not looking too bad at
the moment.

Can I press the button?

You can do.

Hey, presto.

So I'm gonna go as far

and say that was the best one.

Some of us have just got the touch.

You do. It won't stop sticking
so it's go back in the freezer

with a layer of flour.

Nightmare, aren't they? After you.
Thank you.

It's sticking to the... Agh!
..cutter.

Ah, not at all neat.

I'm very concerned about this.

This dough has gone too soft
to manipulate. Freezer.

Bakers, you've got half
an hour left.

Ah. Running out of time.

That's not very long.
I need to get mine in the oven.

It just says bake.


Eight minutes.

So I'm gonna go
for about 12 minutes.

They're quite pale, aren't they?

Quite insipid actually, like me in
the winter.

Come on, custard cream.

Abbi, get a bit closer.

It's already melting.

I think the design's just gonna
be lost.

I didn't chill them long enough,
I know I didn't.

So I've put a batch of 12 in.

It's gonna be tough to go again.

I had timing issues this morning.

Bakers, you've got ten minutes left,
ten minutes.

I don't know when they're gonna
be ready.

Oh, I don't know, I don't know.
It's hard to call, isn't it?

As soon as I start seeing
them getting brown then they're
coming out.

I love a custard cream

and I'm gonna be mentally scarred by
them now, aren't I, forever?

I'm never gonna be able
to eat one again, am I?

I'm coming out.
Mine look a bit ropey.

But they're coming out whatever.

They're looking all right
I think actually, yeah. Looking
custard cream-ish.

That one's nice.

This one's gonna be a top.

This one's gonna be a bottom.
I'm a man with a plan.

I'm gonna take these out cos
they've gotta cool down.

I will put it in the freezer.

Ah...

I dropped.

Rowan, what you doing? I'm warming
my cream. Rowan.

I don't think my buttercream's as
nice as I would like.

I've probably overfilled them
but it doesn't matter.

I'm shaking. This is ridiculous.
I can't do it.

Bakers, you've got one minute left.

If I can't get 12 out at least
I'm-a get six out.

I don't know what they're gonna say.

They don't look perfect to me.

So ugly.

OK, bakers, your time is up.

Please come and bring your bakes

and place them behind your
beautiful photos.

They are so ugly.
They look absolutely...

..rubbish.
I've got custard on my trainers.

On your meggings? On my megging?

Yeah. What's that?
Your megging, trainers.

OK, bakers, let's welcome back
our judges.

We missed you guys.

Paul and Prue are looking
for 12 identical custard creams

with their iconic pattern well
defined and filled

with a smooth custard buttercream

and they have no idea
whose are whose.

Not very easy, but you seem
to have more or less managed it.

More or less!

Shall we start over here, Prue?

They look a bit pale,
is my first thought.

They do look a bit pale.

There is a bit of definition
there... Yes, it's good.

..and they are pretty neat.

And they're not overfilled.

Nice snap.

That biscuit just needs
a bit longer in the oven.

It's got a slightly floury taste.

Moving on to number two.

Now these lost a little bit of
definition here.

The filling inside is a bit sparse.

Also it's not quite set. Mm-hm.

Still very soft.
And so's the biscuit actually.

Not much snap to that.

Again, I think it needs a little
longer in the oven. Yeah, it does.

This one unfortunately
has very little definition.

You can't read "custard cream"
on it. Yeah.

Well, filled though.
Difference in thickness and thin.

They're just not rolled enough
because the dough was quite soft.

The custard is
better than the biscuit.

Yeah, it is.

This has got a bit of colour
to it, which I quite like.

We expect a little bit more
definition, but it's not bad.

The piping's pretty good. Yeah.
Mm-mm.

And tastes properly baked. Mm-hm.

Moving on. Lovely colour,
pretty even on the top and bottom.

Very, very good. Well filled.
Mm-hm.

Needed a little bit longer
in the oven.

It's a pity because,
apart from that,

I would've said that's pretty
faultless. They look wonderful.

Now, this one's got a little bit
more colour on it.

There's a bit of definition here,

although it's washed out on
a few of them. Well filled.

The custard comes through really
nicely in it. Good flavour.

Same old problem.
A little bit underbaked.

Lost a bit of definition in places.

Yeah, and a little unevenly filled.
Yeah.

There is actually a little bit
of a crunch to that.

It's not bad, but it's a
bit... thick.

This one, a lot of them,
are misshapen.

That one's thin at one end
and fat at the other.

That one there's got no definition
on it at all.

That custard actually curdled.

It's a shame.

This has got nice definition.
Beautiful. Nice and equal.

Colour's right. It's got the
slight brown hue to it.

That looks really good.
Nice and thin.

Yeah, mm-hm. Now you're talking,
really crispy.

That's a custard cream.
In fact that's a lot better

than a commercial custard cream.
Very, very good.

These are a bit messy.
Uneven, no definition, the dough

was obviously very soft, very
difficult to cut.

It's like rubber.
Not a success, sadly. Mm-hm.

Hmm. Now these look great.
Don't they look good?

Even, they look very professional.

Sadly, slightly underbaked. You know
why, it's cos they're too thick.

Mm-hm, another couple of minutes
that would've been perfect.

It's a real shame.

Paul and Prue will now rank
the custard creams

from worst to best.

In 11th place, we have this one.

Keith, they're a bit of a mess.
Bit misshapen.

They look like they were done
in a rush.

In 10th spot, we have this one.

Saku, a real mess and too soft,
slightly underbaked.

In ninth place, we have this one.

Cristy, they're a bit uneven.

And so, you don't get
the definition.

Tasha's in eighth place,

Dana seventh,

Josh sixth,

Matty fifth

and Nicky in fourth.

And in third place,
we have this one.

Rowan, they're really nice,

they're just a little bit soft.

In second, we have this one.

Whose is this?

To be honest,
these were pretty good,

just not as good as number one.

Well done.

Which means the winner is this one.

Abbi! Pretty well perfect
custard creams, well done.

Oh, I'm just so, so relieved!

I mean, "Better than a commercial
custard cream."

That's high praise.
I'm really pleased about that.

I pulled that out the bag,
didn't I, really.

That is so much better than last
week when I came 12th.

I can have a drink tonight now!

Seventh place!

Just the Showstopper remains
before Paul and Prue decide

who will be leaving the tent

and who will be crowned
this week's Star Baker.

I'm really enjoying biscuit week.

For me, highlight, Tasha's
handshake. That was incredible.

I missed it. It was my first one,
it was amazing. Well deserved.

It was well deserved. She dropped
a little bit in the Tech.

I'd like to see her do really
well in the Showstopper. Yes.

So who do you think is in danger of
going? I think Keith is in trouble.

The actual marshmallow biscuit
he created looked awful.

I mean, really big lumps
of nuts on the top.

But the taste was very good.

I think Dana is in
a little bit of trouble.

Struggled in the Sig and she
was seventh in the Technical.

What about No Jam Nicky?
That was the funniest.

No Jam Nicky!
She had literally no jam whatsoever.

She picked two flavours,
rhubarb and ginger, which
really bring a flavour.

Beautiful flavours
and then hardly put them in.

Who is in line for Star Baker
at the moment?

Rowan. Tash.

I can't call it. I can't call it,
can you call it? Nobody can.

Not even the god of baking,
Paul Hollywood!

No, not even Paul Hollywood.

Morning, bakers.

For your Showstopper challenge,

Prue and Paul would like you to make
an amazing illusion biscuit display,

which is depicting
your favourite meal.

What if their favourite meal
is a plate of biscuits?

You didn't think about that,
did you, Paul?

Now, you can choose any style of
biscuit. It's completely up to you.

But it's got a taste amazing
and look visually realistic.

You have four hours,
which seems a hell of a lot of time.

On your marks. Get set. Bake.

I'm looking forward
to the challenge today.
It's a bit different, isn't it?

It's like something you never
think of doing basically,
so it's pretty cool.

I feel like I'm a very
creative person,

so I love coming up with new ideas.

So it's kind of like my way,
I can finally get inventive.

I'm very excited, I really am.

We've asked them to make a meal or
a banquet scene out of biscuits.

It could be burgers, it could be
pizzas, it could be anything.
Mine personally? Pizza.

They really have to be a little
bit artistic with this

and certainly a little bit of
sculpting knowledge would be useful.

Nearly all the biscuits they bake
are going to have to be a very

specific shape, so there is a real
danger of overworking the dough.

And we all know that if you
overwork the dough it gets tough

and loses its crumbly texture
and its cr*ck.

We want the biscuits
to taste good, look good,

but look like something else.

I want it to really have
that wow factor

because it is the Showstopper

and certainly for one baker
it's their last bake.

Hello, Josh. Hello. Hello, Josh.
Right, Josh, illusion bake.

What are you doing?
I am doing burger and fries.

I've got five different
types of biscuit.

I've got a gingerbread
for the chopping board

and then the burger
is going to be a Florentine.

Florentine, that's a very good idea.
It looks so realistic as well.

Josh's gingerbread board will
display his orange shortbread fries

and his towering burger complete
with his Florentine patties,

almond flavoured burger buns

and salad made from strawberry
flavoured sugar biscuits.

I love this idea. You've thought
this through really well.

Do you know what would
really help you?

If you get a real burger and chips
and put it to the side,

just so we've got something to look
at the difference between the two.

Shall we order it now? Yes.
You might lose it though.

It might disappear down Paul's neck!
See you, Josh. Well done.

Josh isn't the only baker recreating
their favourite fast food feast.

So I am making pizza.

It was an absolute no-brainer.

I literally probably have pizza
every Friday night.

Dana's gravity defined pizza

will comprise a maple pecan
shortbread base,

date rolled stuffed crust
and a tuile pepperoni.

What happened in the Signature?
Paul said he did like it.

He literally said those words.
What about Prue? Prue liked it.

It's not enough though, is it?
It was very good cop, bad cop.

You need blue eyes to like it,
don't you? Are you slightly angry?

Livid.

First batch in.

With multiple batches to bake

in various shapes, sizes,
thicknesses and doughs...

That's going to go in the oven
for 36 minutes.

..the bakers will need to work
as efficiently as possible...

Right, behave yourselves.

..if they are to keep their biscuit
production line running smoothly.

There is just so much to do.

I've selected things and done them
at the right thickness,

so the oven temperature doesn't
really need to change much at all
throughout the whole bake.

I bake these, then they come out.
Then I bake my steamer basket.

Then I bake the other half
of my steamer basket.

Then I bake my dumplings.
Then I bake my other dumplings.

Then I do the batter ones
towards the end.

Just got to tick everything off to
make sure I don't miss anything.

I'm going to do like a cheeseboard.

I've made marzipan to go on top
of the biscotti to give you
the cured meat illusion.

What's happening here?
Is that bacon?

I knew it looked like bacon,
but it's not. What is it?
It's supposed to be Parma ham.

Oh, yeah, that's fine. Yeah, it does
look like Parma ham. Does it? Yeah.

Alongside her marzipan ham
covered biscotti,

Cristy's grazing board will feature
fondant-topped ginger biscuits

masquerading as slices of cheese,

and chorizo and orange
and pistachio biscuits

that will be stacked to make
an array of cheeses.

Oh, look at the bacon!

It's Parma ham.

It's Parma ham. It's not bacon.

Same thing, innit?
That's what I said!

It does look like bacon. All right,
don't laugh at me.

Cristy's not the only baker counting
on cured meat

to make an impression.

This is sugar cookie prosciutto.

I love a charcuterie night
with my mates.

It's quite nice to get everyone
around the dinner table,

and you can just kind of chill out,
talk to people,

eat some really smelly cheese,

and gorge on crackers and down
the wine. It's great.

Featuring prosciutto sugar biscuits,
and slices of bread

and cheese made from Polish
gingerbread,

Rowan's attempting a recreation of
his favourite student night in.

So you've got a cupboard full
of pinot

and a load of charcuterie in
the fridge? Yeah.

And that's your university life?

That's me, yeah. Question, how do
you afford all this?

This is like...
You're at university.

I'm at uni. Yet you're having
one of these boards?

You don't want to see my overdraft,
Alison. You don't. I don't.

The battle of the grazing boards has
a third contender.

It's like a cheese board is
what I'm going for.

There's going to be a brie,
camembert, Swiss,

some crackers. Yeah, I've got
tonnes to do.

Yeah, maybe too much. We'll see.

Matty's ambitious cheese board
will be made up

of six different biscuits,
including two shortbreads,

macaron grapes,
and garibaldi crackers.

Who do you think your toughest

competition is?
Anyone you're scared of?

Abbi. Abbi. It's so nerve-racking
being behind

Abbi as well, cos I can see
everything she's doing.

This is my steamer basket.

This is the lattice part of it.

So for my Showstopper, I am making
a dim sum brunch

because I love Chinese food.

And I like cooking it a lot,

it's like my favourite thing
to cook.

So I thought, you know what,
I'll give it a go,

make it out of biscuit.

Abbi's dim sum feast will
see marzipan

and cherry-filled brandy snap spring
rolls,

alongside a lemon and Earl Grey
biscuit steamer

and apricot and pistachio filled
biscuit dumplings.

And I'm also making fortune cookies,
which aren't technically an illusion

but it feels like it wouldn't be
complete without fortune cookies.

So, I've written some
little fortunes.

One says - Watch out, things are
getting "in tents".

Cos we're in a tent.

Also trying to impress with
an East Asian theme is Tasha.

I'm making a Japanese katsu.

When my friends and I go to

a new Japanese restaurant we always
kind of base

our judgment of the restaurant on
how well they do the katsu.

Tasha's biscuity take on her
benchmark meal will see orange

and almond biscotti chicken,

an intricately painted Palet Breton
biscuit bowl

and matcha Viennese cups.

You had an up and down day
yesterday.

I think in the technical you did OK,

but in the signature you smashed it
out the park.

I expect today to be as good as
your signature.

No pressure. No pressure. See you
later, Tash. Thank you.

Oh, my God.

While Tasha toils to recreate
yesterday's success,

one baker is hoping history won't be
repeating itself today.

I'm hoping to present you
with something that looks

a bit better than the two dog's
breakfasts

that I presented you with yesterday.

Well, they tasted great.

I've called it my Lee on
Solent lunchtime meal deal.

I work from home and I live near
the seaside,

so quite often when I make my lunch,
I'll go down to

the seaside and sit on the beach
for half an hour. Ah, that's lovely.

And eat your meal deal. See the
waves coming in, eat my meal deal.

And if I've been a good boy

and I've worked hard in
the morning, I treat myself to

a pink and white squirty ice cream.

Keith's Viennese biscuit

and raspberry buttercream ice cream
cone will sit beside his shortbread

ham and tomato sandwich with
a spiced biscuit crust,

and a portion of almond tuile crisps
contained within their cylindrical

gingerbread packaging.

I'm creating the two halves
of my Pringles tube.

But of course as soon as
the heat hits it,

it all flops down to the bottom
of the oven,

so I've got to really watch them.

So that goes in.

There's two things I've got to put
on - the timer and glasses.

So I can see what's going on.

I'm just going to brush
the garibaldi with some egg white.

I think it gives it a glaze.

That I'm then going to hide with
fondant. So why are we bothering?

These are the burger buns. They've
kept their shape really nicely.

While it's important
the bakers' biscuits showcase

a variety of tastes and textures...

Biscotti in.

This is the burger

and it's a Florentine burger,

so I've got walnuts, pecans
and almonds in there.

..Paul and Prue are expecting
convincing illusion biscuits...

These are the gingerbread cups.

..so the bakers need to get creative
with their moulds.

This is the steamer basket.

This basically is just

to hold everything in place
while it bakes.

And hope their choice
of biscuit is robust enough.

Trying to make a bowl.
This is the Palet Breton.

It's really strong. I tried
different doughs

and they just kind of melted in
the oven.

And Keith's gingerbread
crisp tubes...

BLEEP.

..have done just that.

I can't believe the state of this.

The two halves of the cylinder,
they've both slid off.

Yeah, a bit panicky.

I made sure I made plenty of
gingerbread

for fear of this happening.

But I can't afford
to get it wrong twice.

Bakers, you have halfway left.

Halfway left?

You're halfway left.

Halfway there.

I've got my next try at
the gingerbread cylinder.

I would say it's slightly better.
I just...

I'm really desperate for this
to happen.

As Keith's crisp tube takes
a second sh*t in the oven,

the other bakers' illusions are
starting to take shape.

Now I'm just assembling the little
pizza and the stuffed crust.

This is the camembert.

This is one of my two different
shapes of dumplings,

and I'm just filling it with
apricot and pistachio filling.

I've got my tomato rings
with the strawberry biscuit.

I've put some crushed
boiled sweets,

into there and they're going to
melt,

and they'll form the watery bit
inside a tomato.

Saku, is that real onions?
Yeah, that's real onion.

But you're not supposed
to do real onions, babe.

You're supposed to make it look like
onion. It is a side dish.

But it's real onions?

Really?

Alongside Saku's onions will be
a biscuit rendering of

a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast,
featuring coconut

and cardamom biscuit hoppers,

rotis of cheddar, rosemary and black
pepper,

and a chocolate and coffee
biscuit chicken curry.

Sri Lankan breakfast is
very filling.

So you can hold on for
the whole day until dinner time,

maybe lunch time for me, after
having that breakfast.

Of course Sri Lankan food is
the best in the world!

Without a doubt.

Saku might be trying to recreate

a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast,

but Nicky has some traditions
of her own.

I'm just sandwiching
the biscuits together now

to sort of resemble a wee bit
of steak.

So I'm doing a steak pie

because even now when I go home,

Mum always cooks a steak pie.

Beneath her shortbread pie crust,

Nicky's chocolate steak biscuits
will be sandwiched with

a hazelnut and orange ganache.

Rosehip marzipan peas and shortbread
chips will sit alongside on

a plate of decorated gingerbread.

I believe Dan is doing
a pie as well.

No pressure again. Just seems

to be all I ever do is get
under pressure, doesn't it?

Yeah, cos Dan's pretty good.

So, I don't know how I'll get on.

So I am doing a cheese
and onion pie.

When I shout from the kitchen,
"What pie do you

"want for tea this weekend?",
it's always cheese

and onion pie.
Yeah, so it's a firm favourite.

Sat on gingerbread plates,

Dan's shortbread pie pastry
will be sliced

to reveal pistachio
shortbread onions

and an orange curd cheese sauce.

Nestled next to his pie will be

a generous portion of shortbread
peas and vanilla biscuit chips.

Quite a mess, your work station.
It's giving me a panic att*ck.

I know. I'm in the process of
clearing my decks at the moment.

You know who loves that? Paul
Hollywood.

Like, this would freak him out.

Yeah, I know. He'd just be like,
"Argh!" That's why he

was just like tutting and shaking
his head walking past me before.

Have you ever seen one
of his work stations?

No. Denim.

Starched denim.

Bakers, you have one hour left.

It's so exciting, just one hour.

Ooh. Cannot begin to tell you how
relieved I am with that.

Ah!

With his crisp tube trauma in
the past, Keith is free

to finish his final batches...

I'm making these things called tuile
biscuits

to represent crisps.

..and the rest of the bakers can
start bringing their illusions

to life with decoration.

So, yeah, I love this bit.

I'm just painting up
the gingerbread plate.

It's quite hard cos the icing's
not set.

This is what makes it look
like bamboo.

Doing some lattice work here
to achieve the red

and white chequered parchment you
usually get your burger served on.

Cut this, cut this.

Chuffing heck. I'm looking around

and everybody's is so good
and realistic.

This is shocking.

Bakers, you have 30 minutes left.

I'm putting melted chocolate onto
these florentines just

to make them look like the burgers.

Is there anything I can do
to help you? No.

Do you want to get on my shoulders?

No. OK, maybe later.

But thank you.

This is royal icing which is
the tomato sauce.

My favourite bit actually is
the tomato rings.

They look really, really pretty.

This is meant to represent the seeds
of the tomato.

The top of the camembert,
I've just torched it.

This is white chocolate

and this is creating
the cheese pull for the pizza.

Just got to make the brie look like
the brie.

Yeah, we're getting there now,
aren't we?

Bakers, you have five minutes left.

Scissors, scissors, scissors!

Get some chips on,
let's see how they look.

I do like my chips on
the darker side.

Just piping the grapes
and the olives.

How long do we have?

Bakers, you have one minute left.

Tuile pepperoni.

Taking it to the wire.

They're little gherkins.

Right.

Bakers, that is time up.

Please step away from
your Showstoppers.

It's so bad.

First time in three things I haven't
had an absolutely mad panic.

Have I forgotten anything?

Josh's is BLEEP outrageous.

Yeah, that's sick, innit?

It's judgment time for the bakers'
biscuit illusion banquets.

Tasha, would you like to bring up
your Showstopper, please?

I think it looks good.

Thank you.

It's very pretty.

It does give the illusion of being
a chicken katsu.

Um, I'll take a little bit of the...

It is a Palet Breton lemon-flavoured
bowl.

Hmm. Mm. Good, isn't it?

That biscuit is nice
and sharp with flavour.

Limoncello comes through nicely.

Let's have some of the chicken.

This one is an orange and almond
biscotti coated in white chocolate.

That biscotti's delicious.

Oh.

I love the crunch, the flavour.

The texture's spot on.
Really good.

Both of those biscuits are perfect.

You have set a bar that's
a little bit high.

Well done.

Thank you so much.

Well, I think that it looks
wonderful.

Let's have a look at this.
That's the ginger.

Ginger's got a good flavour,
nice and warm.

Is this a biscotti? Yeah.

Almond and dried cherry.

Biscotti's very nice,
it's nice and tangy.

I think you've done well.

It's smart, it's neat. Well done.

Thank you, guys.

We'll start...
We'll have a look at these.

These are...

It's a spiced black pepper
gingerbread type thing.

Good flavour.

Texture's softened slightly,

uh, because of the topping on it.

The illusion bit doesn't work
all that well.

After a while, you realise that's
maybe salami on top.

Is that right? Yeah.

But I do like the flavours,
your flavours are good.

Yeah.

It's a terrific illusion. I mean,
as soon as you look at it,

it really looks like a cheeseboard.

These sort of crackers,
this is the one I want to try.

I saw you making these.

Yeah, they looked as if they were
stuffed with cranberries.

Very crumbly shortbread.

It's lovely. Yeah.

Well done, Matty. Thank you, Matty.

Thank you, cheers.

I think it's clever.

I'm not quite sure I've seen
many tomatoes...

..like that. No.

They're from the south coast. We...

We have very good...

We have very good growing
conditions,

and you get that redness.
That's amazing.

I do like the way you've done
the bread. Oh, dear.

It's very soft.

Great flavour.

Your flavours are always good.

The issue is, I shouldn't be able to
push my finger in like that. No.

It's too soft.

The ham slice in the middle,
is that the same?

Yes.

That is much better baked.

Right, the ice cream.

It's vanilla-flavoured Viennese
and raspberry buttercream.

Slightly raw inside the biscuit.

You struggled on this one a bit,
Keith.

I have to say, I've never seen
a pizza that deep.

Neither have I, to be honest!

But that's the dream.

So, the bottom two are the
shortbread,

and the top is just a vanilla
biscuit with the date filling.

Well, I enjoyed all that a lot.

You've done a really good job
with that.

I think the flavours and textures
are clever.

And it's so original.

I mean, I love the date-stuffed
crust.

Thank you, Dana. Thank you.

I like the look of this,
this is clever.

Love the steam basket. Very nice,
steamer basket, it's beautiful.

Absolutely perfect.

And what's in these?

So, it's an apricot, pistachio
and thyme filling.

Filling is very strong,
but it's delicious.

And the biscuit is crisp
and flavoursome.

It looks like a dim sum.
This looks lovely.

So, I think you've done a decent job
with this.

The illusion works.

Thank you very much.
Thank you. Well done.

These are the rotis?
Very delicious.

That is fantastic.
They're so good.

That in its own right should be
a well-known Sri Lankan delicacy.

OK. Let's try a hopper.

The spices in there are good,

but I think you could've done
more with that.

Perhaps if you'd have made the egg
a little bigger

and done it with spring onion,
a bit of chilli,

so that it looked more colourful.
Yes.

It's just beautiful. Amazing.

Are these chips shortbread?

Uh, just vanilla,
like a sable biscuit.

They taste nice,
but they are a little bit burnt.

Let's have a look at this pie.

What is the biscuit here?
This is...

It's, like, a pistachio shortbread
in there, as well.

Do you know, I think it's
absolutely delicious. It is.

I think it's a triumph,
I really do.

I think you've done a great job
on the biscuits,

except for the overbaking slightly.

And the filling is wonderful.

Well done. Excellent.
Well done, Dan.

Thank you very much. Thanks.

It's a good looking thing.
I mean, it's...

It's neat. It's quite well detailed,
and it is neat.

Right, let's try the shortbread.

To be honest, your chips do look
more like shortbread fingers

than chips.
- They do, don't they?

They do, don't they?

What is the beef?

The beef is a chocolate biscuit
with chocolate ganache,

with orange and hazelnuts
through it.

The chocolate and hazelnut
are beautiful.

The texture falls apart
in the mouth.

And the ganache just tops it off.

It's a good sandwich biscuit.
Mm.

And what's the bowl made of?

Gingerbread.

Gingerbread. Gingerbread.

The flavour of the ginger's very
gingery. It's too thick and
underbaked.

Just needed longer in the oven...
Yeah.

..and thinner, and it would've
been better. Yeah.

Josh, it is so neat,

and so clearly what it is.

I think it's a little triumph.

I think it's a big triumph.

This is the orange shortbread,
isn't it? Yeah.

That's beautiful. Beautiful.

Delicate. Light.

Hmm.

Oh, look at that.
Look at that tomato.

Look at that tomato. Let me hold
it up. That's clever.

You can see through it.

Isn't that amazing?

Let's try this chocolate one.

There's walnuts, pecans
and almonds in there,

and then some currants
and some cherries, as well.

It's chewy, it's crispy, it's zingy,

it's full of flavour.

I think overall you've created...
something a little bit special.

You don't often get illusion stuff
that tastes

and looks as good as that.
Thank you.

That's amazing, mate. Yeah, well
done. Cheers, thank you. Well done.

That was incredible, wasn't it?

Wasn't expecting that at all.

Know what, mate?

Oh, come on.

I'll come to you.
Oh, thank you. Oh, wow.

That was amazing.
Honestly, it was seriously good.

Amazing.

I think Josh has pipped Star Baker.

But that's fine.

Another time.

I was...

..touching distance,
and then it was gone.

I'm actually quite good at
making a real steak pie,

but maybe not so much out
of biscuit.

So, I've got a right to be
a bit concerned, I think.

It's decision time for
Paul and Prue.

Who will be crowned Star Baker

and who will be leaving the tent?

What a Showstopper.
You got your handshake out.

Ah. Yeah, it was delayed.

It was, because I was so full
of biscuit.

It... Everything was numb.

And then, eventually,
it hit me, and I went,

"Hang on a minute, I owe him
a handshake." That was so good.

Josh is definitely in the running
for Star Baker. Yeah.

I mean, he was sort midway,
but he's just escalated himself

into the position of challenging
for Star Baker.

I'm really thrilled about Tash,
cos I think she's up there, too.

I agree. I mean, she's hardly
put a foot wrong.

Who do you think's in danger
of going?

Keith. Yeah, Keith.

The thing is with Keith, he's got
flavour, he's delivering good taste.

Nicky has struggled a bit, as well.

I mean, when you look at her bakes
and look at everybody else's,

you think, "Oh, hang on a minute.

"It's not as good as we initially
thought it was."

Well, I'm glad I'm not in your
shoes, judges.

We'd quite like to have eaten


Bakers, well done,
it's been an amazing week

and it was a fabulous show stopper.

Fortunately, I've got the great job
of announcing which one of you

will be Star Baker this week.

And the person who is Star Baker
this week is...

..Tasha.

Now, sadly, I have the job
of letting go of one baker.

And with just getting to
knowing you all,

we're absolutely adoring you.

But the baker leaving today is...

..Keith.

Sorry, Keith. That's all right.

I feel fine. There's nothing sad
about this moment.

Thank you very much. It's been so
lovely to meet you, Prue.

I've had the most fantastic time.

I said to somebody, the first
weekend there was bruises

up and down my arms where I was
pinching myself every half hour.

So, I don't know how many hours
I'm going to spend in the rest

of my life banging on about this.

Very happy to still be here.

So, yes, happy.

But sad at the same time,
because Keith's gone.

Well done.

Tasha's such a deserving Star Baker
this week, because her signature

yesterday - and I tasted her
signature - it was incredible.

So, it was well worth Star Baker
for the week on its own.

The handshake, I'll remember that
for a long time.

Well done.

It's the weirdest feeling,

because you put all this time
and this energy and...

At the end of the day,
it's biscuit, or it's cake,

or it's something that you eat.

But...

..it means so much.

And, yeah...

Yeah, it's... it's a really
good feeling.

Next time - it's bread week...

I'm really nervous.
You're nervous about this one?

I just don't want him to not
like it.

It's all about Paul? Yeah.

..as the bakers take on a classic
cottage loaf signature.

Oh! It's enormous.
Oh, my God.

A traditional technical...

..that leaves some hot under
the collar.

Cool those balls!

And a plaited show stopper...

Help me, Lord.

..that has them tied up in knots.

Stressful.

Oh!

Chuffing heck.
You just want an easy life.

Are you a Star Baker in the making?

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