This first show uncovers that Queen Victoria is responsible for Britain's wedding cake tradition, that the Puritans tried to ban cake because it was too pleasurable, and that cake baking contributed to women's liberation. The ten bakers tackle three increasingly difficult challenges as their cake-making ability is tested. They start with their signature bake – the cake they love that says something about them. Next up is the technical challenge – a blind recipe for Victoria sandwich that delivers drastically different results. Finally they tackle the ingredient even professionals fear – chocolate. Whose chocolate celebration cake will win the day? And which two bakers will leave the show at the end?
Red Button Special - Mary Berry presents her recipe for the perfect Victoria Sandwich.
Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins take the eight passionate home bakers who made it through the first round to Scone Palace near Perth to make biscuits and teatime treats. Judging their efforts are renowned baking writer Mary Berry and master baker Paul Hollywood. Over two days the home bakers are set three increasingly difficult challenges as they bake their signature biscuits, attempt many a baker's nemesis – scones – and finally a tower of petit fours with meringues, choux pastry and macaroons. As the bakers battle it out, Mel and Sue find out how the digestive became Britain's favourite biscuit; ask what's so Scottish about shortbread and discover why Sir Ranulph Fiennes has the world's most expensive biscuit. Which of the eight bakers will wow the judges with their originality and skill? And which two bakers will fail to make it through to the next round?
Red Button Special - Paul Hollywood presents his recipe for the perfect scones.
It is week three of the competition and the six remaining bakers are making bread in Kent. If they found cakes and biscuits challenging, it’s bread that’s considered the real test of a baker’s mettle. In the shadow of Sarre Windmill, the bakers will be kneading, proving and knocking back their dough under the watchful eye of baking writer Mary Berry and master baker Paul Hollywood. And as they battle it out to produce the perfect loaf, Mel and Sue will be tasting Britain’s earliest bread roll, finding out what happened to bread during the Industrial Revolution and relating the hidden history of the sandwich. Making bread is an ancient skill. Which of the bakers will best cope with the pressure and who will be the one who has to leave the Bake Off?
Red Button Special - Paul Hollywood presents his recipe for the perfect Crispy Cob Loaf.
It’s week four of and the remaining five bakers have travelled to Bakewell in Derbyshire. This time the bakers are reinventing an often neglected British classic – the pudding. There will be sticky toffee puds, peach and blueberry ”boy-bait’, rhubarb and orange betty and a cherry queen of puddings. But the surprise bake set by judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry really tests the baker’s ability to cope with the pressure. Will the bakers rise to the occasion? As the puds go in the oven, Mel and Sue roam the country finding out how and why puddings changed from ‘meat’ to ‘sweet’, visiting the birthplace of school puddings and discovering how puddings helped change Britain’s image overseas.
Red Button Special - Mary Berry presents her recipe for Hot Lemon Soufflés
It’s the penultimate round and as the travelling marquee pitches up in the Cornish village of Mousehole, it’s time for the bakers to get to grips with the most difficult of all baking skills – pastry. They bake their own versions of hearty British pies, get down to details with exquisite pastry canapés, and take a crash-course in crimping for this week’s surprise bake. While they’re rubbing-in and rolling-out, Mel and Sue will be finding out that Britain’s earliest pies really were humble, how pastry became an art form and how pies used to have a more sinister side. Then judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood will decide who will be the final three to go through to the final.
Red Button Special - Paul Hollywood presents his recipe for a Classic Cornish Pasty.
In the final, one of the three finalists was eliminated after the first bake, and only two bakers competed in the final day. For the first challenge, they were asked to bake 24 professional-quality tea cakes in 2+1⁄2 hours. For the final challenge, the 2 finalists were given 5 hours to bake 24 miniature tarts, 24 scones, 24 choux buns, and 24 brown and white bread finger sandwiches for afternoon tea on the garden lawn for 40 guests (including all the bakers from earlier rounds).
Renowned baking writer Mary Berry and professional baker Paul Hollywood explore the history of the Great British wedding cake. They look at its dramatic change through the eras, from the earliest Tudor creation and the extravagant Victorian period, to wartime Britain, the affluent eighties and the present day. Mary and Paul also set the ultimate challenge to the three finalists from 2010's Bake Off, to make and bake two spectacular wedding cakes each, one traditional and one contemporary, in just 16 hours.
The season begins with baking a sandwich cake. Then, Mary’s first technical is for angel food cake, using a bare bones recipe leaving some bakers deflated. The Showstopper explores all things chocolate.
For the signature bake, the bakers were asked to bake a savoury quiche in 2 hours. For the technical challenge, the bakers were asked to bake a Tarte au Citron using Mary Berry's recipe in 1+1⁄2 hours. For the showstopper, the bakers were asked to bake 24 mini sweet tartlets, in two different flavour combinations.
For their signature bake, the bakers were asked to bake a free form flavored loaf (not using a tin) in 3+1⁄4 hours. The technical challenge gave the bakers 3+1⁄2 hours to bake a Focaccia, using Paul Hollywood's recipe. The showstopper required the bakers to produce a 2 part display: a basket made of bread, then filled with 12 sweet and 12 savory rolls, in the space of 5 hours.
For the signature bake, the bakers were give 1+1⁄2 hours to make 12 biscuits of their choice; the biscuits should not be too soft, too hard or too crumbly. The technical challenge gave the bakers 1+1⁄2 hours to bake 24 brandy snaps. For the showstopper, the bakers were asked to produce a macaron display, consisting of 120 macarons in 3 different flavors; they had 5 hours to complete it.
The signature challenge asked the bakers to produce a hearty family pie using either a rough puff or flaky pastry, in 2+1⁄2 hours. For the technical challenge, the bakers were asked to bake a batch of 6 miniature pork pies (using a hot water crust pastry) in 2+1⁄2 hours, using Paul Hollywood's recipe. It was a 2-day bake challenge — to give the filling time to set overnight the pies were judged the next day. For the showstopper, the bakers were asked to bake a meringue pie — a fruit and/or custard pie topped with meringue — in 3+1⁄2 hours.
For their signature bake, the quarterfinalists were tasked to produce a cheesecake in 21⁄2 hours. For the technical challenge, the bakers were asked to bake a chocolate roulade in 1+3⁄4 hours using Mary Berry's recipe. For the showstopper, the bakers were asked to create a Croquembouche-inspired bake in 5 hours.
For the signature bake, the semi-finalists were given 2 hours to bake a layered mousse cake, with the judges seeking a light sponge and a rich mousse. In the technical challenge, the bakers were asked to bake 12 identical Iced Fingers to be filled with cream and jam, using Paul Hollywood's recipe. For the showstopper, the bakers were asked to produce a selection of three different pastries using the same laminated pastry dough — which must be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside — for all three.
For their final signature bake, the finalists were asked to bake 12 mille-feuille in 2+1⁄2 hours. For the technical challenge, the bakers were asked to bake a sachertorte in 2 hours and 40 minutes. For their final showstopper, the bakers were asked to bake 3 different types of petits fours: meringue, sweet pastry, and sponge-based, on the theme of British Summertime, within 4 hours.
In 2010, talented baking enthusiasts from all over Britain came together to compete in the first ever Great British Bake Off. Over six challenging weeks 10 bakers battled it out until finally a winner was crowned. One year later, this programme reflects on the highlights from series one. Catching up with the bakers to hear the highs and lows of their journey, where they are now and how The Great British Bake Off changed their lives. With judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, who give their own personal accounts and memories from the series.
The ultimate baking masterclass with The Great British Bake Off judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. For the first time ever, Mary and Paul get behind the workstations and bake. Revisiting the technical challenges from the series, this programme, in a step-by-step guide, demonstrates all tips and tricks you need to know at home to get a perfect result every time. First in a two-part series, this programme features how to bake Mary's take on a traditional British cake - a coffee and walnut Battenberg, her classic tarte au citron with a deliciously sharp lemon filling, Paul's traditional Italian flatbread focaccia, and Mary's brandy snaps.
The ultimate baking masterclass with The Great British Bake Off judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. Mary and Paul get behind the workstations and bake. The programme revisits the technical challenges from the series as Mary and Paul guide you through challenges faced by the bakers in this year's Bake Off. In a step-by-step guide they demonstrate all tips and secrets you need at home get achieve a perfect bake every time. The masterclass features Paul's luxury pork pies, filled with the perfect combination of pork loin and a quail's egg, and Mary's chocolate roulade recipe where Mary will show you how to get the perfect roll every time. Plus Paul's traditional iced fingers and Mary's sachertorte.
A year after taking part, we catch up with the bakers from series 2 of The Great British Bake Off. What was it really like to compete in the tent, be judged by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, and comforted by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins? And how has their shared love of baking and appearing on the series changed their lives?
The first heat of The Great Sport Relief Bake Off sees four well-known faces don their aprons in this charity special hosted by Mel Giedroyc. Baking for Sport Relief in this heat are actress Sarah Hadland, TV gardener Joe Swift, botanist and broadcaster James Wong and actress Angela Griffin. Only one baker from each heat can go through to the final. Their baking skills are tested to the limit as they face three classic Bake Off challenges - all devised by the Bake Off judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.
Heat two of The Great Sport Relief Bake Off and four more well-known personalities throw their oven gloves into the ring for this charity special. Host Mel Giedroyc and judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood are joined by renowned choreographer and dancer Arlene Phillips, Radio Four's Fi Glover, The Apprentice runner-up and now presenter Saira Khan and art historian Gus Casely-Hayford. Who will sink and who will rise to win a place in the Great Sport Relief Bake Off final?
The third and final heat in this Great Sport Relief Bake Off, a charity special hosted by Mel Giedroyc. The final four personalities take on more Bake Off challenges in hope of getting the last place in the grand final. Stepping up to the hotplate to have their baking scrutinized are TV presenter Anita Rani, singer turned fashion designer Pearl Lowe, BBC weatherman Alex Deakin and TV historian and archaeologist Alex Langlands.
The competition reaches its climax as the winners of the three heats take on their final challenges before Mary and Paul must decide who is the first ever Great Sport Relief Bake Off champion 2012. The standard is high and the competition is fierce.
The first episode is all about cake, and the pressure is on from the very first challenge. The bakers tackle an upside-down cake for their signature bake. The feared technical challenge sees the bakers tackle Paul's recipe for rum babas, a hybrid of cake and enriched dough. It is an unusual and and unfamiliar recipe that baffles some of the bakers. And to keep hold of their place in the bake off tent, the bakers attempt to produce a showstopping cake that reveals a hidden design when it is sliced into. Who will impress the judges and become star baker and who will be the first to leave The Great British Bake Off?
From the off the atmosphere in the Bake Off tent is charged as eleven bakers attempt to make flatbread. Tempting Paul and Mary with two varieties, the bakers are under pressure to produce 24 perfect flatbreads each. The feared technical challenge has the bakers in a twist as they attempt Paul's recipe for the notoriously difficult eight-strand plaited loaf. Remaining in the competition rests on pulling out all the stops in the showstopper challenge. Attempting a technique new to Bake Off, the bakers endeavour to make bagels. Boiled before they are baked, the eleven hopefuls have to produce 12 sweet and 12 savoury bagels. But who will impress and be named Star Baker and who will fail to make the grade and leave the Bake Off tent?
Things are hotting up in the Bake Off tent as the remaining ten bakers do their best to wow Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry with some unusual flavour combinations for their tartes tatin. Baking know-how is the all important ingredient for coming through the technical challenge unscathed. Mary's treacle tart seems simple enough, but its lattice top proves to be the undoing of some of the bakers. So the pressure is on - a showstopping tart is no easy task when baked under the gaze of Paul and Mary, but it is the bakers' best chance to achieve the accolade of Star Baker, and more importantly to avoid going home.
The bakers face three challenges, all designed for a sweet tooth. Starting off with a tempting array of decadently rich tortes, the bakers then face the technical challenge. This time it is a mainstay of French baking, the crème caramel, and for some there is more wobble than expected. Proceedings are rounded off with a mammoth six-hour challenge to produce a mighty showstopping layered meringue. But who will claim the accolade of Star Baker and who will hang up their apron for the last time?
The bakers turn their attention to pies. For their first task, they must master a perfect Wellington. When they have recovered, it is straight into a fiendishly difficult technical challenge - hand-raised pies. None of the bakers have used a pastry dolly before and it proves the downfall of many. With several bakers in the danger zone, everything rests on the showstopper challenge - American pies. Who will be this week's star-spangled baker and who will be leaving the bake-off?
The bakers go all out to impress Mary and Paul with two types of delicious sponge puddings. The technical challenge sees them face a Queen of Pudding, a recipe direct from the archives of the Queen of Bakes, Mary Berry. The final test is a showstopping strudel that stretches the bakers to their limits.
Facing three sweet dough challenges, the bakers start their campaign by creating their signature regional buns. Paul Hollywood opens his recipe vault for the technical challenge of jam doughnuts and in a final bid to hang on to their place the bakers produce a showstopping enriched dough loaf fit for a glorious celebration. But who will make it through to the quarter-finals and which two bakers will be saying goodbye for good?
It is the biscuit based quarter-final, and Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry are taking the challenges to another level. The signature bake sees the bakers' organisational and baking skills put to the test, as they attempt to deliver a huge batch of perfectly baked crispbreads. Then the bakers have to throw away the baking rule book as time and temperature work against them to produce six perfectly tempered chocolate tea cakes for the technical challenge. A place in the semi-final will be hard earned as the final challenge tests not only the quality of the bake, but how well it works as a building material.
There are only four bakers left vying for a place in the much sought-after final of the Great British Bake off. The weight of the occasion is getting to the most unflappable of the bakers as they frantically work against the clock to deliver petits fours to Paul and Mary's exacting standards. The hardest technical bake ever seen on Bake Off finds two of the bakers left wanting as their fraisier cakes collapse. It's possible to hear a pin drop in the kitchen as the bakers pull out the stops for their showstopping choux gateaus. Paul and Mary think they have seen it all until they are presented with a tribute to the Tour de France..
After weeks of pastries, cakes and bread, three bakers have made it to the final. They now must face the most demanding of challenges yet as every aspect of their baking skill is scrutinised. To prove themselves to judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry, they must create pastry perfection with a signature pithivier. Then on to one of the most intricate technical challenges ever devised - fondant fancies. Finally, it all comes down to their last ever showstopper, creating a masterpiece with a notoriously difficult chiffon sponge. After two days of baking, only one of the finalists can claim the title, winner of The Great British Bake Off.
It is the calm after the baking storm, and Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry take over the Bake Off tent to show how the technical challenges should be done. Free from the frenzy of whipping, piping and kneading, Mary and Paul tackle treacle tarts, rum babas, creme caramels, hand raised pies and Paul's infamous eight-strand plaited loaf. Going through every step of the first five technical recipes of the series, they show exactly how to avoid the mistakes some of the bakers made.
Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood are back in the Bake Off tent to show exactly how to tackle the remaining technical challenge recipes from the series. From the queen of puddings to chocolate tea cakes, jam doughnuts, fraisier cake and fondant fancies, Mary and Paul prove that no bake is too big or too small. They go through every step in detail to show how to avoid the mistakes some of the bakers made
With the Bake Off tent all to themselves, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood show, for the first time ever, which signature bakes they would have chosen if they had been in the bakers' shoes. Armed with sieves and spatulas, they show their signature sponge puddings, flat breads, wellingtons, sweet buns and tarte tatins. They go through every step of their recipes, with no soggy bottoms in sight, proving that anybody can give baking a go if they follow their advice.
Join The Great British Bake Off judges, Queen of Cakes Mary Berry and master baker Paul Hollywood for a very special Christmas masterclass. Showcasing everyone's festive favourites, Paul and Mary divulge in real detail how to make the perfect mince pies, Christmas pudding and Christmas cake as well as introducing some new tasty treats for the holiday season.
Comic Relief takes over the Great British Bake Off tent. Mel Giedroyc is on quality control duty whilst Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood resume their roles of formidable judges. Lorraine Pascale will be reporting from Ghana on how the money raised really can change lives. Jo Brand, Stephen K. Amos, and comedy duo Watson and Oliver are the first four to arrive in the tent. Facing signature shortbread as well as a dastardly technical challenge of custard slices and a showstopping portrait cake, they will be tested to the limit. But who will claim tonight's coveted title?
Comic Relief takes over the Great British Bake Off tent. Mel Giedroyc is on quality control duty whilst Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood resume their roles of formidable judges. Lorraine Pascale will be reporting from Ghana on how the money raised really can change lives. Warwick Davis, Duncan Bannatyne, Simon Reeve and Andy Akinwolere try their hand at signature iced biscuits and attempt pastry for the first time. One of them will also bake the smallest cake ever seen on Bake Off.
Comic Relief takes over the Great British Bake Off tent. The rules have been relaxed so a host of well known personalities can lay their baking skills bare in the name of Comic Relief. Each night different faces will battle it out to claim one of the four Comic Relief 'Star Baker' titles. Mel Giedroyc is on quality control duty whilst Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood resume their roles of formidable judges. Lorraine Pascale will be reporting from Ghana on how the money raised really can change lives. Olympian Ellie Simmonds battles it out with Kirsty Wark, Julia Bradbury and Bob Mortimer over signature scones, technically tricky chocolate eclairs and a show stopping novelty cake. Who will impress the judges enough to claim tonight's title of Comic Relief star baker?
Comic Relief takes over the Great British Bake Off tent. The rules have been relaxed so a host of well known personalities can lay their baking skills bare in the name of Comic Relief. Each night different faces will battle it out to claim one of the four Comic Relief 'Star Baker' titles. Mel Giedroyc is on quality control duty whilst Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood resume their roles of formidable judges. Lorraine Pascale will be reporting from Ghana on how the money raised really can change lives. Claudia Winkleman, Ed Byrne, Martha Kearney and Olympian Helen Glover try to impress the judges in the last round. Attempting to prove that they've got what it takes to claim the title of Comic Relief star baker, they attempt signature chocolate biscuits, get to grips with a family size lemon meringue pie and try to celebrate Comic Relief's 25th anniversary with a showstopping birthday cake.
Join The Great British Bake Off judges, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood as they showcase some of their favourite Easter recipes. In a step-by-step guide Mary and Paul will show you how to make the ultimate hot cross buns, a classic simnel cake, delicious chocolate custard tarts and a lemon meringue nest.
The Bake Off returns and for the first time ever, the tent welcomes a baker's dozen to do battle. Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins coax them through their baking trials, all the while under the scrutiny of the inimitable judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. With a range of baking styles and personalities, the Bake Off tent is packed with the best amateur bakers from around the country; from space engineer to student, teacher to dentist, psychologist to carpenter. But after ten weeks of whisking, crimping and piping, only one can emerge victorious. This time, nobody is safe because Mary and Paul may decide to lose not one but two bakers at any time. The judges set the signature challenges as true home baker staples so that they can immediately see the bakers' personalities and their range of skills and ideas, setting them apart from each other. The first challenge is a sandwich cake. While this might seem simple, there is a difficult choice to be made between going for the classic or being experimental. Something tried and tested might not stand out, but going for ambitious flavours and ideas could miss the mark. Mary's first technical challenge is for angel food cake, which is not the bakers' idea of heaven as they attempt to follow the bare bones of the recipe, which proves to be a recipe for disaster for some. The showstopper explores all things chocolate, and is their final chance to secure their place in the Bake Off and save them from being the first to leave the tent.
One week down and the remaining 12 bakers have 9 weeks and 27 gruelling challenges to get through before they can be crowned Winner of the Great British Bake Off. But having survived cake, now they battle bread. Knowing that Paul will be watching their every move and prove, they must bake 36 perfectly thin and crispy signature bread sticks, a technically tricky English muffin, and the most outrageous showstopping loaves of bread ever seen on television... from a Christmas wreath to a proud peacock and a psychic octopus. As the bakers try to perfect their breakfast muffins, we explore their rise in popularity in Georgian England, initially distributed by a network of muffin men, now immortalised in the famous nursery rhyme. Mel and Sue try to help but instead leave chaos in their wake, as Mary and Paul use the challenges to find out what type of bakers they are and exactly how far they can push their baking skills. They are looking for real talent and natural instinct, creativity and baking brilliance. At any time, two bakers might be asked to leave, making this year tougher than ever before... nobody is safe.
It's week three, and the heat in the kitchen is already too much for some, as the remaining 11 bakers get ready to deal with desserts. Mary and Paul are upping the ante. Having survived cake and bread, this is the first week we see the bakers having to multi-task across several different baking skills at the same time; a signature trifle combining biscuit, cake, jelly or custard in perfectly distinct layers; a technically difficult task of making floating islands, which result in various forms of unrecognisable landmass by the end of the bake and a showstopper that pulls out all the stops, getting the bakers to juggle 24 petit fours that the judges might finally deem acceptable. They are taking no prisoners, and for the first time ever, there's a baking burglary in the Bake Off tent and it becomes a crime scene. Mel explores the origins of the trifle and discovers how it was transformed in the Georgian era from an elitist dessert for the aristocracy to a dish that was accessible to the masses.
It's week four in the tent and the baking is getting serious, as the remaining bakers put on their pinnies to pimp up pies and tarts. From the country's oldest known cookbook, we discover the almost 700 year old history of the English custard tart. It might once have been popular at the decadent court of King Richard II but it is now a technical challenge in the Bake Off tent, one which causes more than the intended wobble for the bakers. Starting with what should be a home baker staple, their signature double-crusted fruit pies present a challenge to even the most experienced bakers, let alone the one baker who has a deep-hatred of all things fruit, and the showstopper sorts the bakers from the boys, as they set about making a filo pie centrepiece. Mel and Sue come to their aid as the bakers' nerves are stretched tighter than the filo pastry they are making from scratch.
Almost halfway through the Bake Off and the remaining eight bakers are faced with biscuits and traybakes. First up, a Signature Challenge that requires them to do something apparently simple - produce their favourite traybake. The bakers offer Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood their twists on everything from bakewells to banoffees and brownies. Next they face the thinnest Technical Challenge ever devised on Bake Off - the French classic tuiles, biscuits formed into fragile rolls and decorated with delicate designs of piped chocolate. And finally, a Showstopper of epic proportions as the bakers make 'biscuit towers'. Mel and Sue follow the trail of biscuit crumbs as the bakers produce architectural feats inspired by everything from ancient Japanese civilization to one of time travel's most feared enemies. Meanwhile, we discover how the Tottenham Cake, a pink, iced traybake produced by the Quakers of North London, became a match day treat at White Hart Lane.
It is week six in the tent and time for sweet dough week - but will it prove bittersweet for the bakers? They kick off with a signature tea loaf. Most of the bakers choose to make something connected to home, so Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood are presented with everything from locally sourced loaves from Yorkshire and Oxford to Devonshire-inspired panettone and Welsh bara brith. Meanwhile we explore the history of the Sally Lunn, and the story of the torta negra - the well-travelled tea loaf that creates a taste of Wales in the middle of Patagonia. The bakers face Paul's most twisted Technical Challenge yet and a Showstopper that draws on all of Europe for inspiration, creating 36 sweet European buns - from Swedish cinnamon buns to German schnecken and French brioches. Over halfway through and the stakes are high... but will their dough rise too?
With only six bakers left in the tent the stakes are getting higher and this week they face pastry. The remaining bakers bring the old fashioned suet pudding bang up to date, banishing nightmares of stodgy school dinners for good with their range of creative signature suet puds, from 'spotted dick with a kick' to fig roly-poly. Delving further into the history of suet takes us to the Isle of Mull, where the clootie dumpling has been at the heart of the community for centuries. The technical challenge this week proves to be hell on earth, as the bakers are set one of Mary's choux pastry recipes and they must make eight perfect religieuse. These are delicate choux buns filled with crème patissiere, topped with shining ganache and balanced delicately one on top of the other. As they reach the end of their pastry marathon, the bakers reach the showstopper and must make three different types of perfectly puffed pastries. One type must be filled, another must be iced and the third is up to them. From palmiers to cream horns, they have just four hours to impress the judges. On your marks...get set...BAKE!
It is the quarter final and there are just five bakers left. In the last seven weeks they have been tested on normal cakes, breads, pastries, pies and puddings so the judges are upping the ante. This week's challenges test them on how they cope working with unconventional flours and unusual desserts which push their creativity to the max. For the signature challenge, the bakers must make a loaf using non-traditional wheat flours, encouraged instead to use the rarer flours such as spelt, rye, potato or tapioca flours. Whilst the bakers get busy with their loaves, the programme explores the history of the National Loaf. This culinary creation was borne out of necessity during World War Two, when the Ministry of Food developed a flour to make imports go further and keep the nation healthy in times of rationing. The technical round sees the bakers challenged to each make a dacquoise, made with three layers of fragile coiled meringue, sandwiched with coffee custard and topped with hazelnut praline, a dessert which also happens to be gluten free. For their final challenge, the bakers must push themselves out of their comfort zone to create showstopping novelty vegetable cakes - which must also be dairy free.
It is the semi-final and there are just four bakers left. This time it is the French round, and the challenges include savoury canapes and opera cake.
It's the final of The Great British Bake Off! 13,000 applicants were narrowed down to 13 of Britain's best amateur bakers, and the 13 became three. There are just three final challenges standing between the bakers and the title of winner of the Great British Bake Off. Mary and Paul have chosen the final challenges to test the bakers on the areas in which they wanted to see how far they had grown in skill and creativity. The Signature Challenge asks them to create a technically difficult picnic pie - a savoury pie packed full of fillings that create a creative design, surrounded by shortcrust pastry with perfectly baked sides strong enough to be served out of the tin. The Technical is one of Paul's, as they are tasked to make 12 perfectly shaped pretzels, six savoury with rock salt and six sweet, flavoured with poppy seeds and topped with sweet orange zest and glaze. For the very final challenge in this year's Bake Off they must bake the ultimate showpiece in a baker's repertoire - a wedding cake. Three tiers that are their last chance to showcase their creative, baking brilliance. All of their efforts will be prepared for their family and friends at the GBBO summer garden party, who will be there to support the winner - but which of our female finalists will it be? Bake Off finalists; on your marks....get set......BAKE!
Each year thousands of people apply to The Great British Bake Off and only a handful are chosen, but what exactly is it like to take part? Talking candidly about their experience, the Class of 2012 return to the Bake Off tent to give a special insight to life inside the tent. They divulge how it felt to face the steely blue eyes and judgement of Mary and Paul, how they coped with having ingredients siphoned off by Mel and Sue, and to what extent practising bagels, pies, petit fours, meringues, hidden design cakes and gingerbread constructions took over their lives. Reliving their perfectly risen highs and soggy bottom lows, the bakers also reveal how their experience in a tent, in the middle of a field, in extreme weather conditions, has changed their lives.
Mary and Paul take over the tent for the ultimate baking masterclass. Mary makes a whole orange cake and angel food cake, Paul makes breakfast muffins and olive bread sticks, and together they make a chocolate cake showstopper.
Paul and Mary show what they would have done in dessert and pie challenges. Mary: 'Tipsy Trifle', floating islands and 'Wobbly Apricot Tart'. Paul: custard tarts and spanakopita.
Paul and Mary show what they would have done in the biscuit and pastry test. Mary: ginger spiced traybake and tuiles with chocolate mousse. Paul: iced tea loaf, sweet dough brioche tete, and apricot couronne.
Paul and Mary show what they would have done for the challenges in the final weeks of the Bake Off. Paul: wheat-free crusty rye loaf and sweet and savory pretzels. Mary: sussex pond pudding, choux pastry religious, and an opera cake.
Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry plan for Christmas in a special one-off festive masterclass, sharing their favourite recipes for Christmas classics and some less well-known bakes. They share their favourite recipes for Christmas classics such as stollen, mincemeat streusel and a gingerbread house that can be made with all the family, and some less well known bakes - Scottish black bun, Tunis cake and Paul's hand-raised boxing day pie - the perfect way to use up all the trimmings from the day before.
The Bake Off returns for four special Sport Relief programmes. In each episode there are four celebrity bakers facing three challenges set by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, each hoping to win the Sport Relief Star Baker apron. This time the tent has four different hosts to coax the bakers through their challenges: Sue Perkins hands over the baton to Jo Brand, then to Omid Djalili and finally Ed Byrne. Sue Perkins hosts the first episode, in which cricketer Michael Vaughan, James Bond and Downton Abbey actress Samantha Bond, Harry Potter actress Bonnie Wright and broadcaster Johnny Vaughan enter the tent. For the signature challenge they must make sandwich biscuits, for the technical challenge a tarte tatin and for the showstopper a 3D novelty cake, which must represent a sporting landmark.
Sue Perkins hands over the baton to Jo Brand to support the next four celebrity bakers through their three Sport Relief challenges. This time the battle is between Desert Island Discs' Kirsty Young, singer and actress Jane Horrocks, Olympic gold-medal winning long jumper Greg Rutherford and ice skating's Mr Nasty, Jason Gardiner. For the signature challenge Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood have set gingerbread biscuits, for the technical a banoffee pie and for the showstopper a representation of their jobs - in cake. From Kirsty's 'Dessert Island Dish' cake to Greg's sponge sandpit, who will impress and be the one to win the Sport Relief Star Baker apron?
Omid Djalili is host of the Bake Off tent. This time, those facing the judges are Olivier award-winning singer Michael Ball, broadcaster and co-founder of Comic Relief Emma Freud, singer and presenter Jamelia and Olympic gold-medallist Victoria Pendleton. As they warm up for their baking marathon so does the rivalry between Emma and Michael, but only one can win the Star Baker apron. For their signature challenge they face a traybake, for the technical they must make iced ring doughnuts, and for the showstopper layered cakes which must pay homage to their personal sporting heroes. With a cake the girth of Sir Chris Hoy's thigh, a fondant Jamaican sprint team and an almost life-sized Big Daddy, what could possibly go wrong?
It is Ed Byrne's turn to take up the baking baton and support the four celebrities as they face their three challenges in the Bake Off tent. The bakers on the starting line are impressionist Alistair McGowan, Saturdays singer Rochelle Humes, comedian Doon Mackichan and former Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton, who rowed the Amazon and trekked to the South Pole for Sport Relief. Will her baking prove as much of an ordeal? The bakers must make pizzas for their signature challenge, eccles cakes in the technical challenge and showstopping tiered cakes that represent sporting equipment.
The Bake Off is back for another year, welcoming the tent's youngest-ever baker and the oldest. All 12 bakers will be challenged on their baking skills from every angle by judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, all the while helped - or hindered - by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins. But their first hurdle is cake. As they enter the tent for the very first time, their first Signature Challenge is to make a swiss roll. But with such a seemingly simple challenge comes a risk - who will have the tightest roll? Whose roll will split? Should the bakers go for the classic or push the boat out to impress? Recovering from their first challenge, they face their first ever Technical Challenge. It's cake week... it's a Mary recipe... it's a classic cherry cake. But will the bakers be able to suspend the cherries and ice their cakes to the exacting standard of Ms Berry? As the next day dawns so does the Showstopper. The bakers must make classic British cakes... in perfect miniature... all 36 of them... 30 challenges, 12 brand-new bakers, two judges and two presenters, but there can only be one winner. On your marks, get set... bake!
One week down. Having survived cakes, the remaining 11 bakers are tested on biscuits. Serving up signature savoury biscuits, the bakers must push themselves on flavour to create biscuits that go well with a cheese course, and Sue learns the dirty secret behind the invention of the ice cream cone and the start of the UK ice cream industry. In the technical challenge Mary sets the bakers her recipe for florentines. With their chewy caramel sauce and lacy brandy snap texture covered in tempered chocolate, the bakers must follow Mary's basic instructions, adding up to a more exacting bake than expected. And finally a showstopper like no other - in the most ambitious biscuit challenge to date, the bakers are challenged to create three-dimensional biscuit scenes. They can make any scene they like as long as it is made entirely from biscuits and doesn't fall over... easier said than done in the Bake Off tent. The bakers are really put under scrutiny as the biscuits must taste as good as they look, as the judges make their decision about who will leave the Bake Off tent.
In week three, the remaining ten bakers get ready to brave bread. The boys are confident that this is their week, but the girls have other ideas. Knowing that Paul will be watching their every move and prove, the bakers must bake 12 perfect rye bread rolls, shaped in any way they like and using as much rye flour as they dare. Paul is enigmatic in the technical challenge, telling the bakers to 'be patient' with his recipe for ciabatta loaves. But which bakers will listen to his words of wisdom and which ones will lose their nerve? The bakers have their work cut out for them in the showstopper challenge, making a filled centrepiece loaf that will make an impact on a table as well as on the judges. Mary and Paul are looking for real talent and natural instinct, creativity and baking brilliance - but which one of the bakers has what it takes?
It's week four in the tent and the baking is getting serious. Having seen the bakers make cake, biscuits and bread, Mary and Paul up the ante - for the first time, we see how the bakers cope with multi-tasking across several baking skills at once. For their signature challenge the bakers must bake saucy puds - delicate sponges hiding a gooey saucy filling or a saucy surprise at the bottom. If baked for just a fraction too long the sauce won't ooze upon cutting, but they won't know if it has worked until they are judged. Sue explores the origins of the Paignton pudding - a pudding larger than a cow that caused a riot in Paignton in the 19th century. For the technical challenge, Mary sets the bakers her tiramisu cake. It's a new kind of tiramisu requiring the bakers to temper chocolate, bake beautifully thin coffee-soaked sponges and assemble to create perfect layers of sponge, cream and chocolate... but only if they read the recipe properly. For their final flourish the bakers are challenged to bake incredible showstopping baked alaskas made up of cake, meringue and ice cream... on the hottest day of the year so far. In the centre of a field in the middle of the English countryside the bakers have the odds stacked against them, as temperatures soar and tempers fray. There is still everything to bake for... on your marks... get set... bake!
Almost halfway through the Bake Off and the remaining bakers are facing pies and tarts. No self-respecting home baker is complete without being able to make all kinds of pastries, and today the bakers are challenged to do just that. Starting with a signature custard tart that gives more than one of them a wobble, the bakers must make sweet custard tarts of their own invention, ranging from 'rhubarb and custard' to 'chocolate and coconut' to a 'tropical Manchester tart' (a tart with tropical flavours made by a Mancunian). Paul sets the bakers mini pear pies; one of the more unusual technical challenges that the Bake Off has seen. The bewildered bakers get in a twist as they attempt to wrap poached pears in a spiral of rough puff pastry, whilst Mel investigates the ancient wedding centrepiece that was the aphrodisiac known as bride pie. Finally the bakers battle their biggest bake yet; three-tied pies. In just four hours they must create a towering collection of pies from any pastry or pastries they like. With 'three-little pig' pies and a 'pieful tower', Mary and Paul have their work cut out for them and Mel and Sue really will eat all the pies... On your marks, get set... bake!
Past halfway in their baking marathon and the remaining six bakers face three European cakes. For their signature challenge the bakers are asked to bake yeast-leavened cakes; a tricky cross between cake and bread that sees some of the bakers opting out of Europe... Mary sets the bakers their most demanding technical challenge yet in which they must make a Swedish princess torte. With 24 different stages and only two-and-a-quarter hours to do it in, the bakers have their work cut out for them, while Sue explores the events that led to the huge array of Danish cakes and pastries in the Danish cake table tradition. And finally, a showstopping finale that puts the hungry into Hungary... The bakers must make their own contemporary version of the dobos torte. Traditionally a multi-layered Hungarian cake, the bakers must go one step further and make a two-tiered dobos torte with an emphasis on all things caramel in every way they can imagine... but whose Bake Off will come to a sweet but sticky end? On your marks, get set... bake!
Presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins set the remaining contestants three tasks involving pastry, beginning by asking them to make signature savoury parcels. For the technical challenge, they must prepare a cake that hails from the Brittany region of France - the kouign amann, which none of the bakers has ever heard of - before creating two different types of eclair in the showstopper round. Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood judge the hopefuls' efforts before deciding who is star baker and who is going home.
The nation's favourite baking contest is about to get a whole lot hotter in the kitchen, as it reaches the quarter-final stage, and just five amateur bakers remain. They've all impressed to various extents during Bread Week - at least sufficiently to make it through - but now their skills are thoroughly tested as they take on enriched doughs. They have a signature bake in which they must work with soft dough to create artful works, a technical that sees them recreate an Eastern European cross between bread and pastry, and a showstopper involving doughnuts.
It's Patisserie Week, and the remaining four bakers will need to demonstrate that they have skills worthy enough to see them through to this year's final. The bakers are challenged to make a signature baklava - two types of any flavour they like, before the technical challenge demands they knock up a German Schichttorte, a cake cooked in stages under the grill to create 20 layers of different coloured sponge. Finally, the showstopper sees the semi-finalists baking non-stop to create two entremets in which they should demonstrate as many personal skills and techniques as they can.
The three finalists face a Signature Challenge in which they have just three hours to prove they have mastered a pastry technique that usually takes a whole day. They then have to tackle a Technical Challenge without the aid of a recipe, before rustling up a Showstopper that turns sponge, caramel, choux pastry and petits fours into a winning combination.
After 10 weeks of stiff competition, calm finally descends on the Bake Off tent as judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry take up the reins to demonstrate how they would have tackled the contest's signature, technical and showstopper challenges had the roles been reversed. They begin with tasks from the first two weeks of the series, with Paul making a blackcurrant and liquorice Swiss roll and two types of savoury biscuits, while Mary prepares a cherry cake with lemon icing, Florentines and miniature classic coffee and walnut cakes.
Back in the Bake Off tent, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood roll up their sleeves, baking the challenges that they set the bakers in bread and desserts weeks on the Great British Bake Off. Paul takes us through his ciabatta technical and his show-stopping roquefort and walnut loaf one step at a time and Mary shows us how to make her layered tiramisu cake from desserts week. Paul shows his saucy side with chocolate volcano fondant puds and Mary finishes off with her flamboyant neapolitan baked alaska.
We catch up with last year's bakers, who have come a long way since their time in the tent. This programme looks back at the golden moments - and recurring nightmares - of the bakers dozen from last year, as they revisit their time in the tent and share their memories as the Class of 2013.
Once again taking over the Bake Off tent, Mary and Paul tackle the signature, technical and show-stopper challenges from the second half of the series. Just as the challenges got harder for the bakers, Mary and Paul must also make their more elaborate bakes, showing us how to achieve the perfect results at home. Mary makes a swirling chocolate and orange tart and the most complicated technical challenge of the series, the Swedish prinsesstarta. Paul dusts off his pastry skills making mini sausage plaits and demystifies the delicious kouign amann, which so baffled the bakers in the tent. Finally, Mary constructs her own version of the two-tiered dobos torte, complete with caramel of all kinds, with hints and tips on how to achieve perfection at home.
In the final masterclass of the series, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood dust off the flour one last time, creating the signature, technical and show-stopping challenges from the last part of the Great British Bake Off. Mary makes a pair of chouxs with her lemon and raspberry eclairs, while Paul gets fruity with his cherry and chocolate loaf. Paul explains how to stretch your skills to make the technical povitica, followed by his show-stopping raspberry and chocolate doughnuts. And Mary finishes with her elaborate double chocolate entremets that will impress at any dinner party, giving helpful advice to inspire you to achieve the same at home.
In the countdown to Christmas, Mary and Paul are getting festive in the kitchen. They have six brand new recipes to bake for the family this Christmas, inspired by rich traditions from all over Europe. Paul kicks off the baking with St Lucia buns, which are saffron buns traditionally eaten throughout Advent in Scandinavia. He puts a twist on the traditional mince pie, making a mincemeat and marzipan couronne, while Mary makes a French galette and offers alternatives to traditional Christmas cake and Christmas pudding. She makes a fruit-filled genoa cake and white chocolate and stem ginger cheesecake. The baking is topped off by Paul's kransekake - a spectacular tower of rings of delicate mixture that will bring everyone to the table.
Bake Off returns with four special programmes for Comic Relief. Sue Perkins presents as Joanna Lumley, Jennifer Saunders, Lulu and Dame Edna face Mary and Paul's challenges.
The Great British Bake Off returns with four special Comic Relief programmes. Mel Giedroyc welcomes Gok Wan, Jonathan Ross, Abbey Clancy and Zoella to the Bake Off tent.
The Great British Bake Off returns with four special Comic Relief programmes. Jo Brand welcomes David Mitchell, Michael Sheen, Jameela Jamil and Sarah Brown to the tent.
The Great British Bake Off returns with four special Comic Relief programmes. Ed Byrne welcomes Victoria Wood, Alexa Chung, Chris Moyles and Kayvan Novak to the tent.
The four Comic Relief Bake Off star bakers are interviewed by Jo Brand, and one of them is declared the overall winner of The Great Comic Relief Bake Off 2015.
The 12 new bakers don their aprons and head for the iconic tent for cake week. Starting with cake week, the bakers' first signature challenge is to make a madeira cake. It's a well-loved cake, but which of our bakers will try to impress by reinventing this classic, and who will play safe in a bid to get perfect madeira with its traditional crack? With one challenge out the way, the bakers face their first technical - Mary's frosted walnut cake, a pre-war classic that is as British as they come. Light sponge sandwiched with buttercream and covered with sweet meringue, this technically challenging cake is one of Mary's favourites, and no-one wants to disappoint the queen of baking. Day Two, and the bakers have to go all out to impress with their first show-stopper, the black forest gateau. This retro classic from the 70s has it all - chocolate, cherries and cream. It's ripe for a reinvention, and these 12 bakers are ready and willing. 12 new bakers, 30 new challenges. On your marks, get set... bake!
With cake week over, the remaining bakers must prove themselves with biscuits. The signature challenge is to create 24 biscotti. Twice baked, these Italian specialities have to be crammed with flavour and have a crisp crunch. It's a delicate balance between underbaked and bendy, or overbaked and rock hard. Paul chooses the technical challenge, arlettes, a labour-intensive reverse puff pastry biscuit from south west France. Wafer-thin, flaky and swirled with cinnamon, delicious to eat but devilishly difficult to make. And finally, the show-stopper is to create and build an edible biscuit box filled with 36 biscuits of a different flavour. Judges Mary and Paul want to see the bakers exercise their creative muscles with clever construction and beautiful decoration, while not forgetting that flavour is king. The pressure is on, and the clock is ticking. Who will claim Star Baker, and who will be leaving the Bake Off tent?
The ten remaining bakers tackle quick breads, baguettes and 3D bread sculptures. Starting with the signature challenge, the bakers must tackle a Bake Off first and make quick breads - with no proving necessary, the bakers have an hour and a half to get creative with their flavours. Ranging from sweet chocolate loaves to manchego and prosciutto stuffed bread, the finished loaves are a delight, and one even earns a handshake from Paul. In another Bake Off first, Paul sets baguettes as the technical challenge. A seemingly simple recipe, everyone knows what a baguette looks like... or do they? The pressure of the tent gets to a few of the bakers, and the finished baguettes result in one of Paul's most brutal judgings. For their show-stopper, the bakers must make edible 3-D bread sculptures. As one baker says, 'it's doughverload', with another making enough bread to start up his own bakery. Mary and Paul have to work their way through a bicycle, a snake, an array of flowers, a lion and even the Brighton Pavilion, all made of bread. The results are impressive - so much so that one baker renders Paul speechless by making the best bread sculpture he's ever seen.
For the nine bakers left, it's time to tackle the sweet ending to every meal - desserts. The signature challenge comes in the form of a French classic - creme brulees. The bakers need to achieve the perfect wobble of the creme and an audible crack of the brulee. It's not easy though, as they have to brulee under the grill, not with a blow torch. While some will reach perfection, others will serve up scrambled egg and custard soup. Mary picks the technical challenge, and it's a European medley - the spanische windtorte from Austria, with a nod to Spain and some Swiss and French meringue thrown in. It maybe only be meringue, cream and soft fruit, but it's tricky to construct and needs to be decorated with delicate fondant violets - if only the bakers knew what a violet looked like! Not one, not two, but three baked cheesecakes make up the show-stopper. Mary and Paul are looking for faultless baked cheesecakes, beautifully flavoured and stacked in a show-stopping way - easy? The bakers don't disappoint with their inventive ingredient combinations, but not all of the tiered cheesecakes are structurally sound.
The remaining bakers have to try and bake without sugar, gluten or dairy this week. The signature challenge sees the bakers having to create a variety of sugar-free cakes, from an upside-down pineapple cake to carrot cakes. The technical challenge features gluten-free pittas. For their showstopper, the bakers have to make dairy-free ice cream rolls.
The remaining bakers have to prove their skill with pastry. They have to make frangipane tarts for their signature challenge and the technical challenge sees them having to make a traditional cheese-filled pastry from Cyprus called the flaouna. The showstopper is the classic 70’s canape, vol-au-vents. Bitesize puff pastry.
In a Bake Off first, the entire episode is devoted to the period of history that gave birth to modern baking - the Victorian era. The signature challenge is a stalwart of the Victorian dinner table, game pie. Pie moulds, pheasant, pigeon and pastry are the order of the day as the bakers must create beautifully decorated pies, stuffed with all manner of game to tantalise the judges' taste buds. For one it's the chance to use a genuine antique from 1850, while others take a more modern approach and dabble with spices. Mary dusts off her antique cookbooks to find a technical recipe that dates back to the late 1800s. The bakers battle with time as they must first make a perfect fruit cake, and then create their own sugar paste and marzipan and indulge in some very detailed royal icing in a bid to create a cake that resembles a tennis court. For the show-stopper, the bakers make charlotte russe, a dessert much loved by the Victorians which has a silky bavarois centre surrounded by sponge fingers and topped with jelly. A tricky construction at the best of the times, but the added pressure of the Bake Off tent takes its toll as not everyone manages to get their jelly to set or the charlotte russe to stay standing. Although one baker does manage to create a masterpiece that even Queen Victoria herself would have found amusing.
No series of Bake Off would be complete without testing the bakers on patisserie, and what better time to do it than the quarter finals? The five remaining bakers must work their way through childhood favourites and delicate french fancies to a mountainous choux pastry masterpiece.
The pressure is on, as the remaining bakers must get to grips with one of the most difficult ingredients, chocolate.
Bake Off 2014 was compulsive viewing and caught the imagination of the country. This programme looks back over the incredible bakes of the last series, from Luis's amazing 3D biscuit scene, via the technically challenging schichttorte to Ian's binning of his baked alaska. We hear what the bakers from 2014 really thought about their time in the tent, share their memories and catch up with what they have been doing since.
Only three of the original twelve bakers remain. They've made it to the final. Over 27 challenges, they've worked their way through every baking discipline Mary and Paul have thrown at them - from cakes to bread, pastry to puddings, and biscuits to chocolate. Along the way they have tackled recipes from the 70s and 80s, they've gone back to the Victorian era, they've made gluten-free bread, strange meringue concoctions, incredible constructions out of biscuits, bread and choux... They have all survived, and now they face their last three challenges. The signature challenge sees the finalists tackle enriched dough to create delicious filled iced buns. The technical requires them to conquer something they have all struggled with, and finally, for their last ever showstopper, they must make a classic British cake. Mary and Paul expect nothing short of perfection. So who will hold their nerve? Who will be crowned winner of The Great British Bake Off 2015? On your marks, get set... bake!
After ten weeks of baking highs and lows, calm descends on the Bake Off tent as Mary and Paul take up the reins to make the signature, technical and showstopper challenges that they set the bakers in the first couple of weeks of the series. Step by step, they take us through the recipes, methods, tricks and tips to ensure that even the most amateur bakers can get it right at home every time. Mary kicks off with a classic madeira cake followed by her frosted walnut cake. Paul makes hazelnut and orange biscotti and shows us the right way to make the technically tricky arlettes. He then demonstrates how to make a foolproof plait. Mary provides a handy tip on how to stop ramekins from slipping in a bain marie and closes the show with her take on the retro classic black forest gateau.
Back in the Bake Off tent, Mary and Paul roll up their sleeves, baking the challenges that they set the bakers in Bread and Desserts weeks of the Great British Bake Off. Paul is in his element as he shows how to make soda bread in under an hour and then bakes baguettes, perhaps the most iconic of all French breads. Mary makes cappuccino creme brulees without a blow torch and creates the classic meringue cake which foxed the bakers in week 4 - the Spanische windtorte. Paul shows us how to decorate a pie and Mary reveals her tip for making a checkerboard cake before going on to bake a tiered white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake.
Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood make the challenges they set the bakers. Mary bakes her version of a sugar-free carrot cake and Paul makes a lime and passion fruit charlotte russe.
In the final masterclass of the series, Mary and Paul heat up the ovens and get out the mixing bowls one last time to create the signature, technical and showstopper challenges from the last part of the Great British Bake Off. Mary makes a tennis cake based on the 19th-century recipe that was the technical challenge from Victorian week. Paul makes two types of cream horns - the first filled with a mocha creme pat and the rest with a limoncello tutti frutti cream. Mary shows us how to be delicate, precise and perfect with her mokatines, and Paul gets to grips with an epic construction in choux pastry - le religieuse a l'ancienne.
After the drama and deliciousness of Bake Off, the much-missed Mary and Paul are back to bring a generous dollop of baking cheer to Christmas this year. Step by step, they take us through stunning recipes that all the family can make during the festive season. Mary kicks off with a pavlova wreath and Paul makes a Chelsea bun Christmas tree. Mary makes a decadent trifle layered with fruit compote and Paul puts leftovers to irresistible use with his turkey and ham pie. Mary makes a truly beautiful rosace a l'orange and Paul closes the show with his magnificent towering pandoro.
Mel Giedroyc hosts this first episode featuring comedian Jason Manford, EastEnders actor Maddy Hill, former England goalkeeper David James and businesswoman Samantha Cameron. The contestants face three challenges - making canapes using rough puff pasty, preparing a Paris-Brest, a French dessert, and finally, creating a 3-D cake in the shape of a sporting trophy.
Celebrities take on baking challenges for Sport Relief. Jennifer Saunders hosts this second episode as four celebrities face their three challenges set by judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. The bakers on the starting line are former Labour politician Ed Balls, writer and presenter Victoria Coren Mitchell, sports commentator Chris Kamara and singer and actress Kimberley Walsh. The bakers must make 24 identical American-style muffins for their signature challenge, football pies in the technical challenge and, finally, show-stopping tiered cakes representing an extreme sport. Interesting flavours and confusion abound in this baking battle. Who will bag the coveted title of star baker? Whilst the bakers aim to inspire others to raise money, Denise Lewis visits a project in Tyne and Wear where she meets Linda and Hughie. Hughie was diagnosed with dementia six years ago at the age of 59. Denise finds out how money raised really does make a difference to his quality of life.
Four more celebrities head to the famous Bake Off tent in aid of UK fundraising event, Sport Relief. Judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood set three tasks to test each celebrity's baking prowess, while comedian Ed Byrne is on hand to guide them through. The celebrities taking up the baking baton this time are ex-Spice Girl Geri Horner, BBC world affairs editor John Simpson, footballer and pundit Jermaine Jenas and 1990s pop sensation Louise Redknapp.
Celebrities take on baking challenges for Sport Relief. Sarah Millican hosts this fourth episode, featuring Alison Steadman, Ade Edmondson, Will Young, and Morgana Robinson.
Twelve new amateur bakers enter the iconic tent and take on three cake-making challenges.
The remaining bakers face three biscuit challenges. Who will see their dreams crumble?
The bakers face an ovenless technical challenge and a three-flour showstopper.
For the very first time on Bake Off it is Batter Week. Mary and Paul have set three challenges to test the bakers on some store cupboard classics.
Mary and Paul set three challenges to test the bakers on three different types of pastry, including a technical challenge that sees them baking a classic British tart.
For the very first time it's Botanical Week. The bakers can use anything that grows as they face a citrus signature, a leafy technical and a three-tier showstopper.
Three sweet challenges will mean a bitter end for one of the bakers as they face a sweetly filled signature, a French technical and a mousse marathon showstopper.
For the first ever Bake Off Tudor Week, the bakers must tackle pies, biscuits and a marzipan showstopper. Which of them will make it through to the semi-final?
The semi-final sees the bakers tackling three patisserie-based challenges, including a French pastry, a yeast-based cake and a multiple mini-cake showstopper.
It is the final, and with just three of the original twelve bakers remaining. The theme for the final is a Royal Bake Off, as the tent plays host to three challenges to impress the Queen.
A catch-up with the contestants from The Great British Bake Off 2015.
The tent has been decorated and the invitations have been sent out for two very special Christmas episodes of The Great British Bake Off. Eight bakers of Bake Off past return to the tent to compete once more. In this first episode there's another chance to see Mary-Anne from Series 2, Ali from Series 4, Cathryn from Series 3 and Norman from Series 5.
The tent has been decorated and the invitations have been sent out for two very special Christmas episodes of The Great British Bake Off, featuring returning contestants from previous years. A festive welcome awaits four more returning bakers, Chetna from Series 5, Howard from Series 4, James M. from Series 3, and Janet from Series 2.
Cake Week sees the bakers take on a fruity challenge. Prue sets her first technical - a kids' party favourite. Plus, the trickiest showstopper ever set in the first week of Bake Off: an illusion cake.
For biscuit week, Paul and Prue set the remaining 11 bakers three new challenges, including a tricky filling, and a final showstopper that is literally game-changing
Paul and Prue set three tough challenges for the remaining 10 bakers in bread week, including an ambitious sculpture showstopper
For the very first time on the show, it's caramel week, with three sticky challenges for the bakers, including a super sweet signature and a double Dutch technical
Prue and Paul are seeking perfection in pudding week, with a staggering technical challenge and a multi-layered showstopper that's not to be trifled with.
The bakers face a tough triple challenge with a savoury signature, a multi-layered technical, and an ambitious traditional pie that pushes them to the edge.
The bakers face a Sicilian signature, a deceptively tricky technical, and a fiddly showstopper in the hottest temperatures ever recorded in the tent.
Our five bakers are stepping back in time and using unfamiliar recipes for Forgotten Bakes week. There's a sweet and savoury signature challenge and Prue sets a boozy technical.
It's the semi-final and the last four bakers are three patisserie challenges away from the biggest day in their baking lives. But first up, there's no business like choux business.
Twelve bakers started, just three remain. Who will succeed with the demanding final challenges, including a high-end patisserie showstopper, to be crowned winner of The Great British Bake Off 2017?
Noel, Fielding, Sandi Toksvig, Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood return to the tent for a traditional Christmas get-together and welcome back four former contestants to compete once more. Paul Jagger (2015), Beca Lyne-Pirkis (2013), and Selasi Gbormittah and Val Stones (both 2016) face three festive challenges as they compete to impress judges Paul and Prue in the signature, technical and showstopper rounds and carry off the coveted title of Christmas Star Baker.
To welcome in the New Year Noel Fielding, Sandi Toksvig, Prue Leith, and Paul Hollywood welcome back four more contestants from the show's past to compete once more, with Benjamina Ebuehi, Rob Billington, Rav Bansal and Sandy Docherty taking on a series of challenges.
The bakers make a personalised signature biscuit, which must be about them and also a place in the British Isles. There's an iconic Technical. And it's crunch time with a spectacular 3D Showstopper.
The 11 remaining bakers face a tough test in Cake Week, including a crowd-pleasing signature challenge, Prue's first technical challenge, and a chocolate collared showstopper.
The ten bakers have much to prove with a fruity teatime Signature; an international-flavoured Technical; and an ambitious Showstopper.
The bakers must create a cracking meringue Signature, a wobbly Technical, and a complex chocolate Showstopper that promises to reveal all.
Paul and Prue set the bakers a classic teatime Signature. There's also an Arabian Technical and a fiddly Showstopper.
Paul and Prue are looking for perfection - with savoury and sweet samosas, a classic French Technical, and a daunting majestic pie fit for a banquet.
It's a Bake Off first with Vegan week, including a savoury pastry Signature without butter, a cracking Technical, and a risky but spectacular Showstopper.
Velkommen to Danish Week with a bread Signature requiring style and substance; a spherical Technical; and an elaborate pastry Showstopper fit for a Danish birthday party.
The remaining bakers are just three patisserie challenges away from the biggest day in their baking lives. But the heat is really on now from Signature to Showstopper.
Paul and Prue set three challenges to test the bakers' skills, including an intricate, multi-layered landscape Showstopper that could win them the title.
Former contestants Jane Beedle and Andrew Smyth from 2016, and Liam Charles and Flo Atkins from 2017 join Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding for festive-themed challenges. It's down to judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith to decide who wins the Christmas Star Baker title. Plus, British rockers The Darkness perform their hit, Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End).
Noel Fielding, Sandi Toksvig, Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood are reunited in the tent. Joining them are Kate Henry from the 2014 series, Dr Tamal Ray from 2015, 2016 winner Candice Brown, and finalist Steven Carter-Bailey from 2017. All hope to impress the judges with their skills and take home the title of Festive Star Baker. Music is provided by the London Gay Men's Chorus.
The bakers must tackle a complex fruit cake, a retro Technical, and a Showstopper that takes the bakers back to their childhoods.
It's crunch time with Biscuit Week, starting off with a luxurious chocolate coated signature bake, then a snack with family significance for Paul and an eye-catching showstopper.
The bakers tackle a signature bake designed to be shared; a deceptively simple summer staple in the Technical; and an ambitious Showstopper.
Prue and Paul set some tricky challenges for the remaining bakers, including a Technical that dates back to Henry VIII and a Showstopper that's usually found at Indian weddings.
The challenges inspired by the roaring twenties include a slapstick Signature and a tiered Showstopper special.
The cake layers stack up in an elegant and challenging bake. There's also a spherical celebration cake and a Technical where success lies in precise decoration.
The bakers draw inspiration from around the world, including something deep fried and Italian, and a spectacular Indonesian celebration cake.
The remaining bakers have their knowledge of pastry tested to the max with a savoury take on a French classic, a multi-layered Moroccan Technical, and a towering Showstopper.
It's the semi-final, and the remaining bakers are tested on their patisserie skills, with a domed Signature dish, a towering Technical and a display case Showstopper.
The stakes couldn't be higher as Paul and Prue set three challenges that test every aspect of the bakers' skills. Who will be crowned 2019's Bake Off champion?
Noel, Sandi, Prue and Paul are back in the tent for their traditional Christmas get-together. Joining them for the celebrations are Tom and Yan from 2017, and Briony and Terry from 2018, competing in festive themed challenges for the title of Christmas Star Baker They’ll round off Christmas with legendary British rock band Status Quo, as they perform their smash hit "Rockin All Over The World”
The Great Festive Bake Off sees Noel, Sandi, Prue and Paul welcoming brand new bakers to the festive tent for the first time. In the form of the Derry Girls star cast. Baking up some New Year's inspired bakes, and competing for the coveted Star Baker title are Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie-Lee O'Donnell, Dylan Llewellyn and Siobhan McSweeney. Together they'll see in the New Year with London Community Gospel Choir.
It's Cake Week and the bakers put their twist on the classic Battenberg, face a turning-out technical challenge and pay tribute to their heroes in the showstopper
It's Biscuit Week and the bakers make a sophisticated fruit, nut and chocolate combination for the signature, produce two tropical technicals, and create an elaborate table setting showstopper
It's Bread Week, and the remaining bakers have a lot to prove in a sweet and savoury signature, a technical that honours the NHS, and an ambitious, artistic showstopper.
It's Chocolate Week and the bakers tackle a deceptively simple traybake signature, a technical packed full of chocolate and nuts, and a white chocolate celebration showstopper.
It's Pastry Week and the bakers put their stamp on a Cornish classic in the signature, go retro in the technical, and make a showstopping classic tart hidden within a cage.
It's a Bake Off first - Japanese Week - and the bakers tackle steamed buns, a layered technical and a showstopper inspired by kawaii, the Japanese love of all things cute.
It's 1980s Week, and the bakers put their twist on the classic quiche in the signature, tackle a retro treat in the technical, and keep their cool with an ice cream showstopper.
It's Dessert Week, and the bakers tackle a miniature cheesecake signature, a 17th-century technical and a showstopping jelly art dessert cake, for a place in the semi-final.
It's the semi-final. The bakers' patisserie skills are tested in a booze-soaked signature, a tricky technical and a delicate showstopper showcasing their finesse and precision.
The bakers pull out all the stops in a set-custard and puff pastry signature, a choccy-nut technical and a magnificent dessert tower showstopper. Who will be crowned the winner of Bake Off 2020?
We look back at some tasty treats from Norman, Flo and Kim-Joy, get a second helping of some of the most confusing cakes to grace the tent and give a nod and a wink to the bakes that made us all blush.
We look back at how it all started for Val and Liam, pay homage to the nation's favourite squirrel, delve into the mystery of the Star Baker curse and get to grips with the famous Hollywood handshake.
We pay homage to the first five winning bakers, including Edd and surprise-winner Nancy, and relive their epic highs and lows, from their first Signature challenge to their final Showstopper.
The second of two specials paying tribute to the winners from past shows, made to celebrate the series' 10th anniversary. The second programme focuses on the five most recent winners, including Nadiya, Candice and Rahul, reliving their most memorable moments, from their first Signature challenge to their final Showstopper.
Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith and Matt Lucas are joined by Tom Allen to celebrate Christmas in the famous white tent. Joining in the festivities are Jamie and Rosie from 2019, Ruby from 2018 and James from 2017, all back and ready to battle in the festive fight for the Christmas Star Baker title. Plus, Alexandra Burke performs her magical version of Silent Night.
Noel Fielding, Matt Lucas, Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood see in the New Year with past bakers Helena and Henry (2019), Nancy (2014) and Rahul (2018), and a cosy sing-song around the piano.
Bake Off is back, as 12 new bakers make their way into a brand-new bubble. The bakers tackle mini rolls, a nostalgic teatime classic, and cakes that defy the laws of physics.
It's crunch time for the bakers in Biscuit Week, as they put their twist on brandy snaps, make a jammy childhood favourite and create an interactive toy made entirely from biscuit.
It's bread week, and the bakers have a lot to prove as they put their twist on a classic Italian focaccia, make a Greek-inspired snack, and create ambitious designs in milk bread.
The bakers put their twist on the classic pavlova and take on a toffee technical, before creating a delicate dessert wrapped in intricately patterned sponge for a splendid showstopper.
It's a Bake Off first, as the bakers make traditional German biscuits and a torte fit for a Prince, before rising to the challenge with a showstopping tiered cake using yeast.
It's Pastry Week and the bakers tackle choux pastry doughnuts and a tricky Turkish technical, before creating a savoury, delicately designed showstopping pastry pie packed full of flavour
It's Caramel Week and the bakers put their twist on a classic caramel tart and produce a family favourite biscuit bar, before making a showstopping dessert encased in a sugar dome.
It's Free-From Week and the remaining bakers explore alternative ingredients as they make a Signature without dairy, a hearty vegan Technical and a gluten-free celebration cake.
It's the semi-final. The bakers' patisserie skills are tested as they make delicate layered slices, a French classic and opulent entremets displays. Who will make it to the final?
The bakers make a classic carrot cake and create a grand Mad Hatter's tea party banquet. Who will be crowned the winner of The Great British Bake Off 2021?
It's A Sin's Olly Alexander, Nathaniel Curtis, Lydia West and Shaun Dooley compete for the coveted Christmas Star Baker title, and the London Community Gospel Choir perform All I Want for Christmas.
Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding see in the New Year with 2018 Bake Off runner-up Kim-Joy and fellow baker Jon, and Hermine and Rowan from the 2020 Bake Off bubble.
Bake Off is back as 12 new bakers enter the iconic white tent. It’s cake week, and the bakers tackle a striking sponge and a scaled-down version of a home close to their hearts.
It’s biscuit week, and the bakers tackle illusion macarons and a fruity favourite, before unleashing their creativity by making a dramatic 3D mask entirely from biscuits.
It’s Bread Week, and the bakers put their stamp on a classic pizza, get in a twist with a perfect pastry and tackle a showstopping Smörgåstårta, a decorative Danish sandwich cake.
It’s Mexican Week, and the bakers take on the sweet bread pan dulce, tackle a Mexican street food staple, and make a showstopping version of the milk-soaked tres leches cake.
It’s Dessert Week and the bakers get all steamed up in the Signature, tackle a classic lemon meringue pie, and create a showstopping sponge cake with a hidden surprise.
It’s Halloween Week and the bakers make apple cake, a s’more-ish Technical and a spooky showstopping piñata. Whose bakes will be eerie-sistible enough to earn them star baker?
It’s Custard Week and the bakers put their twist on floating islands in the signature, tackle a summer staple, and make custard the star and basis of a showstopping set gateau.
It’s Pastry Week and the bakers tackle vol-au-vents, a delicious savoury snack and a 3D pie-scape depicting their favourite childhood story. Who will pie-oneer into the semis?
It’s Patisserie Week and the semi-final, as the bakers tackle mini charlottes, a vertical Technical challenge and an opulent Swedish Showstopper. Who will soar into the final?
The last remaining bakers make a perfect picnic, a summer classic and a baked celebration of our planet. Who will be crowned the winner of Bake Off 2022?
Gaby Roslin, Sir Tony Robinson, Miquita Oliver, Terry Christian and Claire Sweeney compete for Christmas Star Baker, and the English National Ballet perform the beautiful Swan Lake.
2021 Bake Off finalist Chigs, 2020’s Lottie and Manon and 2018’s Antony battle it out the become the first Star Baker of 2023, before seeing the New Year in with a Riverdance performance.
It's Cake Week, and a new batch of bakers tackle perfect vertical layers, an iconic chocolate cake and a showstopping sponge menagerie of animals, to showcase their architectural skills.
It's Biscuit Week and the bakers get stuck into a marshmallow Signature and a custard classic, and make their favourite meal out of biscuits in an illusion-themed Showstopper.
The bakers make a classic cottage loaf and head to Devon for the Technical. Whose plaited centrepiece will get the Breadmaster himself, Paul Hollywood, in a twist?
It's Chocolate Week, and the bakers take on a tricky torte and a showstopping chocolate box. Who can smoothly make it through to the next week, and who'll have a meltdown?
It's Pastry Week and the bakers tackle savoury picnic pies and a classic French rough puff pastry, before creating showstopping decorative sweet pies. Who has the upper crust?
In a Bake Off first it's Botanical Week. The bakers tackle a spice-filled Signature, herby Technical and a showstopping floral dessert. Who will blossom, and whose thyme is up?
It's Dessert Week and the bakers take on a retro crème caramel, a classic treacle sponge and a showstopping meringue bomb. Who will peak and who'll wobble?
It's Party Week and the bakers have a ball with a sausage roll and make an 'anything-but-beige' buffet. Who will put on a semi-finals-worthy spread and who will be a party pooper?
It's the semi-final and the bakers make elegant, buttery patisserie and a puff pastry layered Italian celebration cake. Who will achieve complete and butter perfection to make it to the final?
The finalists make a pastry Signature, a sticky Technical and a showstopping celebration cake. Whose choux will see them through to be crowned Bake Off 2023 winner?
It’s England vs The Great British Bake Off, as the famous tent heads to St. George’s Park, with Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Newcastle’s Kieran Trippier & Al-Ettifaq’s Jordan Henderson going head to head to prove their baking skills to Paul Hollywood. Baking their football idols in gingerbread form, there’s mixed fortunes for the Three Lions stars with Rice coming across some major issues while creating John Terry and Trippier feeling the nerves of the occasion as he looks to produce a gingerbread man in the form of Wayne Rooney. With Jordan Henderson looking to produce England icon Paul Gascoigne & Trent Alexander-Arnold creating Steven Gerrard, the former Liverpool pair are already in the good books of baking expert Paul Hollywood. Which England player can earn a Hollywood handshake and whose Bake Off dreams will crumble?
Paul and Prue celebrate Christmas 2023 with the 'Baker Ghosts of Christmas Past', in a festive fete that also includes a performance from the Citizens of the World Choir.
Familiar faces from Bake Off past - Maxy, Jürgen, Maggie and Mark - battle it out to win the first Star Baker of 2024, before seeing the New Year in with a performance from Bone-Afide.
The new batch of bakers elevate a loaf cake, tackle a Technical with a twist and make bamboozling illusion cakes. Whose cake fakery will earn them the first Star Baker award?
It's Biscuit Week and the bakers make Viennese sandwiches, a retro minty favourite and dramatic puppet theatres. Who'll take centre stage, and who's delivered their final act?
It's Bread Week and the bakers take on a savoury Signature, an instructionless Technical and Horns of Plenty. Who'll rise to the occasion, and who will knead to dust themselves off?
It's Caramel Week and the bakers make irresistible caramel biscuits and turn up the heat with showstopping mousse cakes. Who gets a taste of sweet success, and whose mousse cuts them loose?
It's Pastry Week and the bakers tackle a frangipane tart and Paris-Brest, complete with a freestanding podium. Who'll be put on a pedestal, and whose dreams will flake away?
It's Autumn Week and the bakers make sweet autumn-inspired pies and transform veg into showstopping celebration cakes. Who's got their eyes on the pies, and who'll be leaf-ing the tent?
It's Dessert Week and the bakers tackle exquisitely filled meringue nests, steamed suet puddings and a beloved Italian dessert. Whose meringues will peak, and whose tiramisu will get them through?
It's a Bake Off first as the bakers get groovy for 1970s Week with towering profiteroles and a retro favourite. Whose gateau will steal the show, and who'll make the semi-final?
It's the semi-final and the bakers show off their patisserie prowess with buttery breakfast pastries and a classic-but-theatrical Technical. Who'll make final-worthy fruit entremets?
The finalists go all out with Signature scones, afternoon tea and tiered celebration cakes. Whose chance of winning has come and scone? And who'll be shedding tiers of joy?
