The Finals + Recipe Recap
Another season comes to a thrilling conclusion, plus 10 recipes to add to your repertoire.
The holiday season has sat upon us. I’ve been immersed in pie, Christmas cookies, and (my favorite!) holiday breads. Enough yapping, here is the final recap of this year’s Great British Baking Show.
Great British Baking Show Episode 10: The Finals
The finale of the world's comfiest television program brought back so many memories for me. I never expected to actually be in the finale of the Great American Baking Show. I was nervous, excited, terrified, and beyond happy to be there. In the final episode, with only three bakers in the tent, it’s eerily quiet. You’re exhausted. You miss having the tent chock full of your baking friends. But you know the end is in sight. You're in the home stretch.
To be totally honest, I expected Dan and Josh to make it all the way through. They stood comfortably in the top rung of bakers most of the time. Then Matty rose through the ranks and completely earned his spot in the finale.
Hot Takes
The finals on #bakeoff often seem like the dénouement of the show while also being its climax. Characters are gone from the tent. The pressure is on. Like David and Michael mentioned, sometimes the finale can be the least-fun episode to watch. There’s just less going on, and the atmosphere changes. But it’s still A+ television.
Luckily these three didn’t put too much pressure on themselves and tried to enjoy their last minutes in the tent. (In our finale episode, I told Paul that I “just want to have fun,” which was completely true. I had made it to the end, I had no expectations to win, and I just wanted to have as much fun as possible while doing my best.)
None of the three finalists are major cake decorators. (Which is fine by me.) Each year we usually have a couple buttercream artists—those bakers that have spent years practicing show-stopping tiered cakes. They usually make it to the finale (e.g. Sandro, Kim-Joy, Frances, Stephen, among others) I count myself in the crowd with Matty, Josh, and Dan. I can frost and decorate a layer cake, but I only do it when I have to. (I’d rather have a simple filled cake or sheet cake any day, plus my family dislikes buttercream.)
We didn’t get much narrative about Matty or Dan’s baking journey throughout the season. We know that Josh learned to bake from his nan, but what about the other two? We finally discovered that Matty’s girlfriend/fiancée applied for him and was his biggest cheerleader. It was so nice to see that aspect of Matty.
Favorite Bakes
Everyone’s eclairs! What a fantastic challenge! Eight eclairs with two flavors is such a do-able challenge that can be executed well.
Matty’s showstopper cake was really impressive: interesting flavors, thoughtful artistic design, and who cares about a little lean. He clearly did research on how to decorate a cake in a way that suited his skills.
I loved/hated the lardy cake technical challenge. I’m endlessly fascinated by niche bakes, and I was so happy to see some old-school British bake as the final technical challenge. It sounds…interesting to eat. And before folks knock lard, it’s darn tasty! I desperately want to find the best lardy cake in England and taste one! (Can someone help me with that?)
For Heaven’s Sake
The technical challenge. Did they have enough time to proof that bread? Since putting the lardy cake in the proofing drawer would have melted the butter and lard, they needed to keep it out on the counter. Depending on the weather, the tent could have been hot or cold. If it was an ideal 72F, then it would have taken ages for those enriched, somewhat-laminated, fruit-laden doughs to rise. If any of you have ever made croissants before, you know that they take ages—as in hours—for their second rise. I’m not sure the bakers were set up for success with this technical.
The judges gave Josh such a hard time for his “simple” flavors. Josh, I love a classic flavor. Height-of-season produce cannot be beat. I relate so much to Josh’s choice of flavors, because they resonate with me. I don’t need to throw the whole spice cabinet into a cake when I have amazing strawberries. Yes, the judges want to taste something unique and surprising. But, when I bring a bake to my family, they often prefer something classic without too much fuss. Also, I thought his piping was outstanding. What a bunch of hooey!
Thoughts on our new winner: Matty!
First of all, Matty wins on his grin alone. Second, the winner gets pride and a cake plate, that’s all. All of the lads in the finale should be so proud of themselves. All three of them showed themselves to be fantastic guys and top-tier home bakers. Matty brought a humble joy to the tent. He was always smiling and laughing, even at the disastrously liquid steamed pudding. HE didn’t take the show too seriously. Although he doubted his skills, he is a very smart baker—planning bakes that played to his strengths yet pushing himself when he needed to. He (and Josh) knew how to plan bakes that can be done successfully in the parameters of the tent and the challenge. Most importantly, he always smiled and laughed, even when things didn’t quite go as he wanted them to. We want to see bakers enjoying themselves in the tent. Yes, there will be drama when something goes awry, but taking it all in stride with a good attitude is key.
One thing I think about a lot: The person who comes out on top is not necessarily the “best baker” in the tent. They’re the best person at playing the Baking Show game that season. There’s not one type of “best baker.” I learned this from my fellow bakers. They’re all incredible bakers, all with different skills, talents, perspectives, and creative visions. I can’t say that one of us is better than the other. Honestly. For certain bakes, techniques, or skills, I still call or message a fellow baker to help me out. Bakers can also learn, grown, and evolve.
Overall thoughts on this season
I adore this show. While some seasons may be better than others, I enjoy every single season. The back-to-basics challenges and incredibly lovely cast (as always) made this a season to remember. The technical challenges stood out to me, from the iconic Bake-Off Chocolate Cake (where’s the raspberry?!) to the disastrous steamed treacle pudding to the caterpillar cake. Most importantly, Allison brought life, humor, and energy into the tent. She managed to bring out the best in Noel, play with and comfort the bakers, all without hogging the spotlight.
The judge’s comments on the challenges and critiques have let me down a bit. I feel like they’re on repeat and a bit vague. I know that’s inevitable with baking, but I want more of the nerdy bits about each challenge. I like the history of the bakes and want more insight into Paul and Prue’s techniques.
Recipe Roundup
Since many of you are on to holiday baking and many of you are new, here is a round-up of the 10 recipes I shared throughout the season. I truly love each of these recipes, and all of them could claim a spot in your repertoire. If you make any of them, please let me know!
I want to thank all of my readers for joining me on this little journey over the course of the season. It’s been fun (and challenging!) to make a new recipe each week.
Need a new recipe? Whip up my Christmas Stollen, now available on the Food & Wine website! If you’re new to baking with yeast, I wrote up a little explainer for that, too. If you try the Stollen recipe, I strongly suggest using 20 grams fresh yeast in place of the instant yeast. Next week, I’ll write up a newsletter full of Stollen-baking tips for all your holiday needs!
What’s coming up next? I have a few holiday newsletters coming up, some collaborations with other bakers/food folks, and a ton of exciting adventures in the New Year!
Are there recipes, tips, or other baking topics that you want to explore? Let me know in the comments or send me a note on Instagram!
Happy Baking,
Martin
I've been waiting this recap! Definitely had Josh as the favorite going into the finale, but thrilled for Matty. It was a really fun group this season. And agreed - Allison was the best addition!