Bread Week. The two words that send shivers down the spine of any Bake Off contestant or fan. It is the week that feels seemingly unstoppable Star Bakers and embarrasses countless others.
Bread Week this season is somehow worse than any year before.
This week’s technical challenge calls for the bakers to create “flatbreads” filled with roasted grapes and bleu cheese. Sounds delicious, right? Well, not if you are in the tent this week, and your name is either Paul Hollywood or Nigella Lawson. Even the best of the best this season has nothing wholly edible to offer. In the annals of Bake Off, rarely have fans seen such a colossal failure across the board.
However, viewers need to call ol’ Paul out on this one. How on Gaia’s green Earth are bakers supposed to stuff a flatbread? Obviously, he has done it, and has done it well. This, however, feels like setting literally everyone up to fail.
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Regardless, there sadly is one baker who ultimately did fail this week — the wonderfully whimsical Molly. The 31-year-old accessibility coordinator from London is the first non-celebrity baker in the tent to use a wheelchair. A wonderful personality in the tent, Molly often teeters on the brink of elimination from the get-go. So, while it is a bit sad to see her actually go, it’s not unexpected. Yannis, who has also been on the bubble, survives this week with his very fun “Viennese Winter Market” Bread Display.
Sadly, another baker leaves the competition this week. The ebullient Nikki leaves right after the Signature Challenge, for personal reasons. Last week, viewers learned she officially withdrew from the competition because her mother Joyce fell ill. Sadly, Nikki’s mom ultimately passed away. Our hearts go out to her.
Tom Whittaker, who snags the Star Baker crown during Biscuit Week, takes home the Star Baker crown again, this time with his “The Great Gonk” bread display. This is a wildly creative Scandinavian Christmas-themed bake. The crown jewel of the display is a gingerbread gonk (or gnome) filled with sticky dates. The display features a “Julekake,” a Norwegian fruit bread flavored with cinnamon, ginger and cardamom. Tom accompanies his Star Baker piece with spiced gingerbread and orange-cranberry Chelsea buns.
Ultimately, Bread Week remains a killer week, and from an enjoyment factor, it’s always hard to watch a week where everyone has the worst week. Also, aside from Tom, the creative factor isn’t high, as most bakers opted for a Christmas-themed enriched bread for the showstopper. The choices feel uninspired, unlike last week during Audience Choice Week. Next week is Dessert Week (isn’t that most weeks?), so let’s hope for a much better time in the tent.
