'The Great British Baking Show' Season 5 Episode 2 Recap: Bread Week

A man named Paul Hollywood once said, “Understand bread, understand baking.” And in the second round of The Great British Baking Show, all the contestants were willing and “bagel” to demonstrate their bread making skills. But before we dive into to the newest trio of challenges, let’s quickly review the results from the last round.

Season 5 kicked off with Cake Week. Charity CEO Victoria was named the round’s Star Baker. Her signature pear and pecan upside-down cake had a professional appearance and lots of fruit flavor. No doubt it was her impressive nursery rhyme-themed blackbird cake shaped like a pie that clenched the deal for Paul and Mary. Midwife and mother Natasha, on the other hand, failed to rise to any of the challenges. Her boiled rum babas came in last in the technical round and her hidden design showstopper cake was colorful and beautifully frosted, but the sponge was raw. Upon her elimination from the competition, she intends to go back home and use her baking skills for therapy and relaxation. If you want even more detail, the entire recap can be found here.

This time the eleven remaining bakers were asked to create three varieties of bread. In the signature round, they were assigned the task of making flatbread, a staple of most cultures. To be exact they had to produce and present twelve flavored flatbreads – six with yeast and six without. Th contestants were given two and a half hours to juggle the many steps necessary to achieve flatbread perfection which is shorthand for soft, easy-to-tear breads baked quickly at a high, optimum temperature.