The Great British Bake Off season 16 is getting down to the wire, and with week six challenging the home bakers to bake their best pastries, everything is going to get flaky. The home bakers have been doing their best to move through the competition with ease, hopeful that their bakes will be able to keep them in the tent another week.
While Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith are judging the bakers for their complicated recipes, it’s been a tougher competition than other seasons as the bakers have been moving from week to week. The famous Hollywood handshakes have been scarce this season, and it’s clear that the bakers are feeling the strain of the competition. Follow along as Bake Off takes on pastry week.
Signature Bake: Savory Pastry Plait
The first bake of pastry week was a savory pastry plait, where the judges were looking for something impeccable. Infusing their bakes with their own personalities, the bakers were told to make a crisp, laminated, flaky pastry with a savory filling of their choice. With 2.5 hours to complete their bakes, the bakers had to plait their pastry, but could choose what pastry they’d use.
According to Prue and Paul, pastry week is one of the most intense weeks of the competition. Prue shared that if a baker can’t make a solid pastry, they don’t have what it takes to bake competitively. The judges explained they’d be looking for a pastry with flaky, buttery layers and a classic filling. While sausage was likely the most common, choosing a strong seasoned filling was key.
Each of the bakers chose a different style for their pastry. Iain Ross created a tofu and broccoli filled “Irish Stew” style roll, which Paul was concerned would be sub-par. Jasmine Mitchell chose to make a puff pastry filled with sausage, leek, and apple, while Lesley Holloway developed a Paul-inspired sausage and gooseberry roll.
Nataliia Richardson honored her roots with a chicken Kyiv savory plait, while Aaron Mountford-Myles created a Jamaican beef patty inspired pastry. Finally, Toby Littlewood created a chicken, bacon, leek, and cheese stuffed puff pastry, while Tom Arden used Hong Kong for inspiration behind his sausage roll, which included crispy chili oil.
The judging of the bakes proved Lesley and Aaron to be at the head of the pack, while Jasmine and Tom were more in the middle, and Nataliia, Toby, and Iain trailed behind. The majority of the critiques saw the bakers needing neater plaits and better flavoring, as well as more baking time to make sure their pastries weren’t underbaked.
Technical Challenge: Hot Water Crust Gala Pie
The technical challenge, issued by Paul himself, was a hot water crust gala pie. This pie, a large rectangular hot water crust, is filled with pork and has a line of hard-boiled eggs running through the center. Paul shared some advice to the bakers ahead of the challenge, letting them know to be neat and precise with their bakes.
While Paul and Prue discussed the necessities of the pie, they both explained that the pie was quite an old-fashioned delicacy. Explaining that the pastry needs a hole at the top of the pie to release the steam from the cooking meat within the pie, most of the bakers were befuddled at the idea of the pie itself.
Many chose not to include the steam hole, which caused mass confusion in the GBBO tent. The majority of the bakers had a tough time with the challenge, including the side of piccalilli that Paul requested to be included with the pies. With most explaining they had no idea what they were creating, pastry week descended into chaos.
After judging the bakes, it was clear that the bakers had struggled with their pastries throughout the technical challenge. Paul and Prue found several of the bakers hadn’t added steam holes into their pies, making the crusts incredibly soggy and, at times, far too thick. Ranking from worst to best, Aaron was at the bottom of the pack, followed by Tom, Nataliia, Toby, Lesley, and Iain.
The Great British Bake Off’s standout baker of the season, Jasmine, took the top spot for the technical.
Showstopper Challenge: Visually Stunning Sculpted Tart
For their showstopper challenge, the bakers were tasked with creating a visually stunning sculpted tart in just four hours. After practicing at home, the bakers were certain their ideas could come to fruition, but in the tent things were more difficult than expected. The judges shared they were looking for a story behind the structured pastries, which had to be at least one foot high.
Each of the bakers chose a different style for their tart sculpture. Tom chose to recreate the flavors and games of his childhood with a Danish inspired four-in-a-row tart, while Nataliia honored her grandparents with a lavish swan sculpture flavored with raspberry, pistachio, and chocolate ganache. Aaron and Iain both created mythical scenes with flavors from their homelands.
Lesley and Toby, on the other hand, created pastry sculptures that stemmed from their pasts and family members. With just four hours, the bakers struggled with getting their tart sculptures put together and flavored well, and there were several disasters as the bake went on. The judges would certainly have a lot to discuss when sampling the bakes.
As the judges tasted each of the bakes, some were able to impress them more than others. While all of the bakes were given compliments, Aaron, Nataliia, and Iain’s pastries found themselves to be a bit more difficult than the rest. While Jasmine was once again at the top of the pack, Toby and Lesley were close behind, leaving a tough deliberation ahead.
The Great British Bake Off’s Star Baker & Elimination Results
After the judges deliberated, though they felt that there were a lot of successes during the week, it was clear that there were some top performers. Both Lesley and Jasmine seemed to be at the head of the pack, but some were in danger. Aaron and Nataliia were both worrisome, leaving Paul and Prue with a tough decision to make.
The Great British Bake Off’s pastry week tested the bakers, but it was revealed that the star baker of the week was Jasmine, who took the title for the third week of the season. Sadly, the eliminated baker was announced to be Nataliia. While she stood out early in the season, Nataliia’s struggles took her out of the running to win The Great British Bake Off.