Sadly, this year of The Great British Bake Off has ended, with Italian baker Giuseppe being awarded the crown. After ten amazing weeks, showcasing ten different specialities and watching 12 amateur bakers go head to head each week, here are my top ten moments of the series of 2021.
1) 12 New Faces:
Okay I have avoided ALL spoilers and JUST finished this season of @BritishBakeOff and let me just say,
— Ash (@NoAverageDoctor) December 11, 2021
As someone who has watched all 9 seasons…this one has been my FAVORITE hands DOWN!
Wow CONGRATULATIONS @giuseppecooks !!! So deserving!
What a great season!
Episode: Ready…Set…Bake!
Cake Week:
With a new series of GBBO coming onto our screens, it was time for 12 new amateur bakers to enter the Bake-Off Family. Entering the series with a bang, the first showstopper of the new series wanted the bakers to define all laws of physics and take an anti-gravity cake. Being the first episode, each baker had to make an everlasting impression and combine their baking skills with the skill of construction. It was also the episode where we viewers were left guessing who was Prue Leith and who was baker Maggi?
2) Crunch Time:
Sleepnibbling. A new phenomenon of imaginary biscuit eating while not fully awake caused by watching Biscuit Week on Bake Off. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/E5bmyn5Dyl
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) September 28, 2021
Episode: Biscuit Brilliance.
Biscuit Week:
Episode two saw the bakers take a bite out of biscuit week, leaving them custard cream crackered. This week the bakers had to tackle building a 3D replication of their childhood toy, made solely from biscuits… The tent was transformed into Hamley’s toy shop as the bakers made biscuit toys ranging from rocking horses, pool tables, make up tables and aeroplanes. Star baker was awarded to Jurgen, who blew the judges away with his mechanic excellence and the delicacy of his biscuit.
3) Hollywood’s Week:
Paul Hollywood when someone suggests trademarking ‘Paul Hollywood Handshake’. #DoctorWhoFlux pic.twitter.com/9TwknEvInZ
— Chris Middleton (@chrismid259) December 5, 2021
Episode: The Best Batch
Bread Week:
Stepping into Hollywood’s domain, the bakers experienced the highest level of bread dread. The bakers had to ‘prove’ they could make the dough to impress Hollywood and Leith to stay another week in the competition. Giuseppe certainly achieved Hollywood’s attention and was congratulated for his flavour and appearance by Securing the first Hollywood handshake and winning star baker. My top moment of bread week was Amanda’s bread octopus, which allowed her skill of delicate design within bakes to shine through.
4) Pud, you believe it:
As it’s dessert week on the @BritishBakeOff we’ve been talking about & tasting sticky toffee pudding with @LiversidgeBaz at the @QueensKirkby 😋 Listen: https://t.co/XCD7QU84UR pic.twitter.com/ThfqHStMGk
— BBC Radio Lincolnshire (@BBCRadioLincs) October 12, 2021
Episode: Dessert O’clock.
Dessert Week:
The technical challenge of dessert week left Maggi in a sticky situation as she had left out a vital ingredient in Leith’s sticky toffee pudding recipe…Flour… leaving a gooey mess to be presented in front of her photo. This was a disaster after disaster for retried midwife Maggi. Sadly, she lost the technical challenge and failed to impress the judges in her showstopper, leading her to be the next baker to leave the competition.
5) The French Slap:
The french slap? Jurgen, you have our full attention #GBBO pic.twitter.com/xepyAdfUm6
— Biscuiteers (@BiscuiteersLtd) October 19, 2021
Episode: German Week
German Week:
This week was Jurgen’s week, and for his showstopper dough, he pulled out all the stops to impress the judges with his German expertise and introduced the tent to his kneading method. The French Slap. “It’s going to get noisy. I have got a powerful kneading method, which is called the French slap,” Said Jurgen.
6) The apple pie of your eye:
Last night’s Pastry Week viewing experience in a nutshell… #GBBO pic.twitter.com/eekwUJGc5l
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) October 27, 2021
Episode: A pastry Insight.
Pastry Week:
Being a lover of baking and cooking, Chrystelle’s curry pie showstopper allowed her to incorporate some of her family recipes into her bakes. The high liquid content of the curry didn’t put Crystelle off, and her curry pie awarded her star baker of pastry week as there was not a soggy bottom in sight. And let’s not forget… her Hollywood handshake during judgment time of the showstopper challenge.
7) Oh, Sugar!
Thanks for tweeting along with us for Caramel Week – although we appreciate the episode was SO tense that shaking fingers may have made tweeting quite tricky! See you next week for the Quarter Final! #GBBO pic.twitter.com/jk9bTlPPvR
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 2, 2021
Episode: Caramel week’s top ten moments.
Caramel Week:
This week the tent welcomed the Jurgenator back as he stirred far away from the word of simplicity with his showstopper bake. Being the most demanding showstopper, the bakers had experienced so far in the competition, Jurgen had his work cut out for him with his 107-step recipe. “One element is a caramel, another is a praline, and I have a shortcrust, and a layer of mango and passionfruit, then a chocolate Genoese. Under my dome, I will have a piped flower which ladyfingers will encase,” Said Jurgen, which seemed to have impressed and frightened both the judges.
8) Full of Finesse:
I hope Jurgen from bake off is having a good day
— cornbread bottom (@LardassDelRey) December 7, 2021
Episode: The Quarter-Finals Free-From Week.
Quarter-finals:
After weeks of Hollywood criticising Lizzie for her lack of finesse, she had finally understood the assignment with her showstopper gluten-free cake. Being dyslexic, Lizzie wanted her celebration cake to award her extraordinary self. With every rainbow colour, Lizzie used her cake to represent what happens within her brain and used sugar glass with numbers to further achieve her design. Lizzie has been crowned the new queen of ‘finesse’!
9) Handshake Hat-Trick:
Why is Bake Off so scared of doing a non-elimination/5 person semi finals?! Lizzie had no right going home 😭😭😭 #GBBO pic.twitter.com/lwfwJVWsdS
— Chris Ahjem (@ChrisAhjem) November 9, 2021
Episode: The Semi-Finals
Semi-Finals:
With tensions heightened this week, not one, not two, but three Hollywood handshakes were awarded to Crystelle, Giuseppe and Chigs for their signature eight layered slices. Sadly, for Jurgen, Leith handshakes haven’t gained as much status throughout the previous series of GBBO. Otherwise, it would have been an equal playing ground for the semi-finalists. Although Jurgen didn’t make it to the final, his pureness still managed to shine through, which is probably why he was a fan favourite in this series. “Going out on a high, I am so proud that I could pull off this showstopper. Don’t be sad. Please support my friends in the final on Tuesday; they deserve it!”
10) The Italian King of the tent:
Congratulations to Giuseppe – winner of The Great British Bake Off 2021! #GBBOFinal pic.twitter.com/bzKc0PxFDf
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 23, 2021
Episode: The Final
The Final:
After ten weeks of watching the three finals grow into extraordinary bakers, it was time for the winner of the bake-off to be announced. With the bakers completing their final bakes of the series, each baker showed through at different final stages, whether that was in the signature, technical or showstopper. However, when it came down to stepping into Wonderland, Giuseppe skills powered through, crowning him the winner of the 2021 Great British Bake Off. 2021? Italy completed it mate…