Great British Bake Off Technical Bakes | Cake, Biscuit, Bread

Hello! The Great British Bake Off is one of my favourite programmes out there on TV, it might possibly be my favourite, from the innuendos, the puns and the loss of rationality over cakes, I get eggcited every week. I could possibly admit to wishing away my year waiting for it to be on. This year I've taken my love of it to a new level and am baking the technical bake each week and will be telling you how they've gone... think Julie and Julia but not to anywhere near the extreme, I have something like 10 weeks, lets go.

Week 1: Cakes

The first challenge was Mary's Cherry Cake, link to recipe here,  this wasn't my most successful bake in anyway at all, firstly I don't own a bundt tin which is basically a massive ring doughnut shape so I Yo to the Lo'd and used a standard old cake tin, this wasn't the answers to my prayers I had hope for and basically the top of the cake started to look very dark (a bit black) but unfortunately the middle was a bit squidgy (raw) meaning that 2/3 of the cake was edible. Alas it wasn't all misfortune I had made the mixture thick enough so that the cherries were suspended throughout the mixture and hadn't sunk to the bottom of the cake, which was one of the main things being noted when the bakers were making it on the show. So overall I'd say it was an alright bake and give myself 6/10.

 

Here's a fun fact from the Guardian 'Waitrose reported a 25% lift in sales of the processed cherries' this was due to the so called 'Bake Off Effect'. I think I am part of the proof.

 

Week 2: Biscuits

 

 

one of my favourite things melting butter and sugar, its divine

This challenge was to make Florentines, something I had never heard of and I don't think the bakers had either, well most of them. One of my faves Martha new what she was doing. My personal thoughts on this recipe is I have never been so sticky making anything glace cherries are sticky, candied peel is sticky and the worst offender golden syrup. What have I learnt from this recipe, I urgently need to find better baking parchment or an alternative as I took for ever slowly peeling the paper from the back. You do not need 200g of chocolate that's for sure, I had loads extra next time I will be using half the amount. Overall these tasted delicious but with the baking paper issue I am going to give myself 7/10.

 

Week 3: Bread

Finally (for now) the challenge was Ciabatta, time and time again I have said I can't make bread, I am not good at it, but its something I would like to improve on. On GBBO Mel and Sue asked Paul if he had any advice for the bakers he said one word 'Patience', and boy oh boy do you knead it (hehe) this recipe was like looking after a small child. After mixing together half the flour, water, and yeast, then kneading it, next instruction leave to rise for at least 6 hours, you can see where the patience was needed! Tip *start making this the night before*. I would say the recipe was easy to follow, although I would have liked my bread to rise a bit more in the oven when it was actually baking, it still tasted good though in my lunch. Overall I am going to give myself a 6.5/10, I don't think I had enough patience for this one.

 

I'm a bit scared for my friends to try my other loaf of it at Hanna's dinner party #thefearisreal

 

Thanks for popping by!

xxx