Great British Bake Off - Back 16th August

[turnitup]

Yay

I loved series 1

Yes, another cock up from Rob this week. And I've forgotten her name - the woman who left - frustrating that she ignored the advice re salt. Surely whatever your own personal taste, the judge actually telling you the amount of salt he likes is a gift and to ignore that is just shooting yourself in the foot.
Had the impression none of them had ever made focaccia bread before.
And how many times does that one from the Wirral have to show she's just making it up as she goes along?

pancake, yes Ian came bottom in pretty much all 3 tasks last night. None a disaster but they consistently didn't like any of his flavours. Poor Urvashi, I felt really sorry for her, but she didn't listen to Paul "salty dog" Hollywood, so was a goner before he even tasted her rolls.

I can't warm to Ben. He is good but so competative, wheras as Jason is good but very endearing.

Agree it is weird they looked like they hadn't made foccacia. You can't practice everything but the recipes for the technical bake aren't exactly obscure.

I was thinking that even if you're good cook in yr own kitchen then the stress,lights, cameras and completely new kitchen would be enough to send me totally weird! Ref. the bread baskets they made !!

I loved the woman who stood up to Paul about the salt pastry good on yer girl!!!!!

I think I would freak at a different oven. I would need to take mine... I know it's hot spots.

You guys are so evil, I've now gone online to buy Mary Berry's books.
I bought the hardbvack Baking Bible as well as a cheap Kindle edition so I can have the recipes on the go...
I blame this thread totally!

who'd've thought flour was so dangerous ? Rob really shouldn't be there,pretty as he is. I am rather liking the jolly teacher - she makes mistakes but doesn't seem to mind. Jo sounds like a little girl - a bit irritating. And it's probably sacrilege to say it but I don't care too much for Mary Berry - Marguerite Patten rules !

Anonacfr - I have Mary Berry's Ultimate Cake Book. I think the baking bible has similar recipes but possibly more pictures than mine.

MaryAnn, I'll have a little look for your author...

Maryann, I like the jolly teacher too - weirdly she reminds me of Jo Brand (but in a good way). DH and I were yelling at the tv when they kept Rob in - he's messed up every single week.

Jason, Jason, Jason! I love him, he's like an enthusiastic puppy, so sweet and seems genuinely delighted and surprised in equal measures when his recipes work.
I can't warm to the neon pink sprayed cake man, he's way too competitive. Rob needs a darn good hair cut - although he is very pretty. If he lived in regency times I would say he was a fop.
I loved the apple tarts that the rather large lady did where they looked like roses - her cooking may not look the best but I always want to eat it.
Sorry I can't remember everyone's names. I do love this show though. I like Mary berry but paul 'salty dog' (I love that name!) is a bit up himself.
Roll on biscuit week. Yum!

Gigant Hi!(waves) Yes i like Jason too and Rob (he reminds me of a student who's just rolled out of bed in the afternoon with his hair all sticky uppy!!) not quite as up himself as a Regency fop or Paul salty dog IMO!

I would like them to try wheat or gluten free recipes that'd fox 'em!

I missed the first series and have only seen bits of episodes one and three of this series, and I love it. It's baking porn .

Not a cook or baker myself but tried to make scones - disaster - so intend to stick to watching instead.

Can I just say that after reading this headline, I am outraged that the woman got chucked off this week (afraid I can remember her name, begins with U). She is therefore the only one who followed the health guidelines (5g salt to 500g) and because she didn't want to be incredibly unhealthy by putting 10g in, she gets chucked. Also, a BBC programme is then recommending that if people make their own bread, they need to add double the maximum recommended amount of salt.

I don't think that a programme focussed on the joys of baking is going to be concerned too much about health really- her bread lacked taste -it's a competition to make the best tasting.best looking baked goods that you can- obviously anyone with sense would reduce the salt for home baking.

the salt bit got me too. I only use half a teaspoon for one loaf, no idea ehat that is in grams, but most recipes I have use one teaspoon.

Yy mousy I use one tsp for a loaf - I will weigh it later to see how much it is!
I really liked that lady but she was a bit silly because the salty dog had criticised her lack of salt the other week so if she was in it to win it she should have upped the salt even if it wasn't to her taste.

I can't be arsed to be outraged though because I don't know anyone who has homemade bread as their every day bread and as MaryAnnSingleton (always a calm head in a crisis I've noticed) said - you can always adjust recipes to your taste/health criteria.

according to some websites, 1 teaspoon table salt is about 5g.

Hold on to your over gloves ladies, I've weighed the salt. I used a measuring teaspoon and according to my rather lovely JosephJoseph digital scales () it was...

8g.

So the salty dog may not be quite as salty as we thought- he will, however, hence forth from this day onward be known solely by that name

Biscuits this week and macaroons. What's all the fuss about macaroons these days? Weren't they drunk by the Famous five et al with lashings of ginger beer?

Ew macaroons - didn't they feature in that Marje Antoinette film with Kirsten Dunst? I bought some Raymond Blanc miniature ones from Waitrose. They looked so pretty but were truly vile! I'm sure they'll still make drool on-screen, though.
< Saves syns >

I keep meaning to make macaroons but have never got round to it. I always wonder if they are the sort of thing that looks better than it tastes...

Funnily enough in Scotland when we say macaroon we mean a bar of weird white stuff (which is mainly potato and icing sugar!?!?!) covered in toasted coconut. Sounds vile but actually very nice.

Wonder what the technical challenge will be? They did macaroons last year so don't think it can be that again.

If I were trying to win I'd do some sort of salty peanut biscuit to keep the Salty Dog sweet, so to speak!

I prefer coconut macaroons myself. I did the same with the Waitrose ones too. Underwhelmed.

Coconut macaroons - now you're talking. And, in case anyone was wondering, I do know that the last Queen of France was in fact called Marie Antoinette and not Marje.

I like Marje Antoinette ! Macaroons to me are those big flattish almondf things on rice paper- crispy and chewy inside. I made some coconut ones once . Ds is hoping they'll do choux pastry soon -we made eclairs together once-it took all day but they were yum.

We live in the land of macaroons for 6 months a year. We try to be wheat free (not easy in France!) so we do try them; some are amazing others are soooo sweet they make yer fillings drop out!!

I'm glad to hear the Raymond Blanc one were an aberration; I'd love to try the real McCoy.

Mmmm the land of macaroons

I really want to try the focaccia recipe but have never even made bread. Do you think it would be madness to start with that. I will, of course, add a ton of salt