The Great British Bake Off is a reality pastry competition where the most talented chefs in the UK compete to create the best cake, pastry, cookie, biscuit—you name it! It’s time to treat our eyes to yet another season because our taste buds just can’t handle it!
One week at a time, the amateur candidates on the show are removed until just the best all-around baker is left. For the fourth and tenth series, thirteen were selected, twelve for the fifth, sixth, and eleventh, and twelve for the subsequent two. Ten individuals were selected for the first season.
Each episode’s three challenges for the amateur bakers are centered around the week’s theme and consist of a trademark bake, a technical challenge, and a show-stopper. The three jobs are filmed over two days, with up to sixteen hours per day. Every year, the competition’s first week is referred to as “Cake Week.”
Recap
Saku informs us that Botanical Week “is quite different” as the bakers arrive. Matty mentions that he had to look up botanicals on Google, and Cristy replies that she doesn’t often work with them. Alison is the only one who looks overly enthusiastic about botanicals; she’s trying to make it seem cool by referring to them as “botty.” This moniker is short-lived.
The hallmark task is to celebrate spice by baking a dozen exquisitely fragrant spiced buns in two hours and forty-five minutes. While Paul yearns for twelve exquisitely sweet and spicy sticky buns, Prue claims that spice is the star, and she is eager to taste it. Prue also mentions that Paul will be looking for uniformity in the size of the buns.
Every baker is producing enriched dough, and many of them are adding fruit to it. Due to these two factors, the dough will take longer than usual to prove, increasing the possibility of underproving and producing finished buns with a tight texture.
Nevertheless, there are a lot of laughs in the beginning, most of them coming from Saku, who starts giggling as soon as she says she’s preparing Swedish cinnamon buns with a lot of cardamom. Prue tells her that it surprises her that Saku is attempting something different because she’s so accustomed to bringing Sri Lankan delicacies to the tent. Although I genuinely believe Prue is a little ignorant, this remark captures the essence of National Week.
Tasha’s goal is to create a bun that evokes the flavors of Christmas, using cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon in both the dough and the egg wash. The egg mixture and mulled wine are a grayish color, and Alison remarks to Tasha, “That is vile, babes.” I believe that the “babes” really mitigate the offense.
While Cristy is baking buns with maple, pecan, and cinnamon spices and a maple syrup glaze, Matty is the only baker who does not use a filling and instead incorporates spiced buns into his dough. Dana is using cardamom because the judges told her she used too much of it in a task a few weeks ago.
She hopes to make up for that today. Next, Dan is going to make lemon and orange buns with a fresh fig topping, while Josh is creating lemon and blueberry buns with a lemon curd filling. They seem delicious, and he describes them as the “type of buns you buy to eat outside a Greek taverna with a lovely espresso.”
Release Date & Where to Watch
The Great British Bake Off Season 14 Episode 7 will be broadcast by Channel 4 UK on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at 3:00 PM Eastern Time, United States. Each episode lasts around an hour, and in the upcoming list, you’ll find the time release schedules for the program.
- Pacific Time (PT): November 7, 2023, at 12:00 PM
- Central Time (CT): November 7, 2023, at 2:00 PM
- Mountain Time (MT): November 7, 2023, at 1:00 PM
- British Summer Time (BST): November 7, 2023, at 8:00 PM
- Central European Summer Time (CEST): November 7, 2023, at 9:00 PM
- Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST): November 8, 2023, at 5:00 AM on the following day
- Sydney Time (Australia): November 8, 2023, at 5:00 AM on the following day
During the hours and dates listed above, viewers in the United Kingdom can view the latest episodes of The Great Bake Off Season 14 on Channel 4, their website, or their app. Additionally, UK nationals can use Channel 4’s online platforms for free as long as they have their television login and email address.
