For me it is hands down getting rid of week one elimination. It works well on the kids one, and the fact that this year there was no round one elimination..it completely changed the series for the better. I remember last series Amos came SECOND in his first technical (the only bake he had no practice for and had to rely on by instinct he did amazing first time) and because of how nerves affected his showstopper in particular he went out round one. It just felt so unfair to me, I felt like the technical proved he had a lot to give. Christiaan this series on the other hand, had two bad bakes, also came second in the technical , and given a chance..he hardly put a foot wrong again. How many good bakers have gone too soon because they can't cope with the pressure first episode? If we took the first two weeks into account, it would be a better gauge of who is genuinely not up to the standard of the rest (a bit like Hazel this series) and who week 1 jitters effected (like Christiaan.)

My pesto star bread, and cinnamon raisin loaves and a garlic herb 7 strand braid that I was too tired to prove long enough. It was delish, just not pretty.

Not sure if this is the recipe the show used but it was fun making it. I used this recipe.

https://daysofjay.com/2022/11/24/cinnamon-star-bread/

Personally, I'd like to see some of the bakers who went out really early like Amos, Imelda, Tom from Jürgen's series, Keith and Abbi from Matty's series; and others who I think could have gone much further if they'd been given another chance. I look at the Instagram feed of some of these and feel like they have so much more to give, and would love to have seen what they could come up with in a more relaxed episode .

And of course, Jeff from this series. So sad he had to quit. I would love another opportunity to get to know him .

I’m a new fan of the show, so I’m sorry if this has been asked / talked about already. So I wonder why they don’t use toothpicks to see if something is baked through? Is it not professional or not allowed? Kind posts please, again, new fan 😁

Deviated from his version by adding in olives! First time attempting a design of any type and it was fun to do

Also used Josh Weissman’s Hokkaido bun recipe (credit to u/Lavenderfaux) - added 3 Tbsp gochujang paste and 4 large cloves of garlic lightly cooked (then cooled) in 1 Tbsp unsalted butter before adding to the dough. Omitted 1 Tbsp butter from Josh’s recipe. Turned out wonderful - heat creeps on slowly and the garlic is noticeable but not overpowering. Hoping to see Dylan’s recipe released soon.

Bake Off has just announced the contestants for this year's JBO . Even though I'm a lot older than the likely targeted audience, I love it. I was thinking recently about a list of reasons I love junior bake off. If you watch it, what do you like. Here are my favourite: 1. How supportive the children are - You can tell JBO is not a show in which contestants are using it as a platform to start a career. As a result, the show is free of the contestants fearing if they help others too much they endanger themselves. The kids just love to help eachother! The way that a 12 year old will stop what they are doing to help a 9 or 10 year old is just so endearing. The way they comfort the eliminated contestant too is so sweet.

1. How genuine the children are - I love the GBBO, but let's admit it there can be a false humility on the main show: A shocked face when the only baker who has done well gets star baker , always wanting to strike a balance between not sounding too confident but also having self belief.. occasionally I feel the adults can fall into the trap of saying something because they feel it's the expected response. But the kids are so honest - if they are in line for star baker, they say! If they think someone else is in line for elimination as well as themselves, they say. There's no political correctness, no polished lines. They are just wonderfully honest and themselves.

2. It rejects home baking - I actually love how high the standard on the main series has been, but it's not longer about home baking, no matter what they say. It's basically a launch pad for talented bakers who haven't started a career in baking to have a chance to do so. It's so fun to watch, but doesn't always reflect the everyday baking efforts of your average home baker. Not so with the kids. They are messy, clumsy and there are rainbows and unicorns a plenty. There's a lot of bakes that show a child did it, with the occasional masterpiece thrown in each episode. Unlike the main series, which I love but can't really relate to anymore, this reflects children's home baking. They are talented, but it's often obvious it's made by a child. You can actually follow along with some of the recipes, and imagine making some of the creations. It really reflects the spirit of a home baking competition. What would make your top 3?

I remember Paul saying this about something that was raw. Can anyone hunt down which episode and segment this was? I can't seem to find it. Thank you!

rewatching and laughing again at Carole's complete lack of understanding how avocados work, and calling it "glockiemolo." Love her. Watching her peel an avocado is pure Bake-Off gold.

Noel’s sweaters and fashion in general is one of my favorite parts of bake off.

i understand these are home bakers and i think it’s lovely they don’t do it for a cash prize. but i’ve also heard they don’t get paid anything for their time on the show? i’m sure this show brings in so much money to netflix, and it would not exist without the contestants. sure, they sign up knowing this. but at what point does that become exploitative? profiting of their labor and time without paying them for it?

edit: i love that they don’t do it for the money! i think it makes the show so wholesome and unique. to be clear, i am NOT arguing for a cash prize. i simply believe that if netflix and channel 4 are profiting off your labor and you aren’t making a DIME from it except for “exposure” that’s not fair, even when it comes to this lovely show

That's a Wrap! For my final post in this series, I thought we would take a look back, week by week, at everything I made and at what I’ve learned.

Also, it’ll make a handy contents page for the series! Perfect for anyone who wants to catch up, revisit a favorite week, or see this whole challenge at a glance.

They named it differently but I could spot this dick from a mile away!

Welcome to the world, Debeshi!

…but as an American viewer, I think it would be so fun to have an American* week! 🙈

Chocolate chip cookies, key lime pie, buckeyes (maybe just because I’m from Ohio?!), angel food cake, banana pudding..

*I know many “American” foods have international origins. I just mean bakes popular in America.

Anyone else?

Trust me this is the easiest brownies recipe ever I’m not promoting anyone I’ve tried so many recipes but this is the only one came out so good shiny and crackly top is always my need, give this a try ❤️

i seriously love this show so much. i’ve been going back and rewatching old seasons after finishing the newest collection that just finished, and it’s made me realize that there really is nothing like it with american contestants. the contestants are so kind to each other, and so supportive and helpful which makes me so happy and it’s so awesome to watch. in the US most things like this are played for money which i feel like doesn’t foster this kind of support between the contestants. so beautiful to see how kind these people are even when they’re competing against each other.