🥖Fatbread Dough-saster

As I promised you last week, Bread Week has begun to separate the wheat from the chaff. Around this point every series, the yeast-rich bakers of true ability rise above the ordinary, run-of-the-mill pittas. That grigne split, the proud ear on a well-scored loaf, is opening up in the tent as the heat rises.

At the top end, our three Star Bakers, Tom, Clara, and Mo, lead the pack, each with top-end ability and the consistency to stay well clear of elimination. Tom took home his second Star Baker this week. There was no single blow-your-socks-off bake, but his neatness and his tent-leading three-dough Christmas gonk Showstopper earned him the award.

In unusual fashion, two bakers left the tent this week. Nikki baked her Signature and then withdrew to be with her family. She had shown real promise in recent weeks, and this paper sends her and her family its warmest wishes.

Molly, meanwhile, was sent home. She finished in the bottom three of the Technical for the third time this series and never quite delivered a bake that wowed. Paul's review of her Harvest Festival Showstopper was unforgiving: "sour", "the wrong choice", and "too dry".

That leaves Yannis at the bottom end. He was in the running to go home for the second time this series, and he is now firmly in the hot seat. Dare I say Gary belongs down here too? A man of his hardy, practical, Hollywood-adjacent complexion seemed built for Bread Week, yet he fell apart like an underbaked cheesy garlic tear-and-share and finished last in the Technical. He should have won the series' first Star Baker, and he has been falling from grace ever since.

The rest, Gabe, Connie, and Moyin, sit in the mushy middle of the roll. All have potential, but none has put together a complete week yet, and each has had bouts of poor baking. These are the characters who could rise to the occasion or sink to a soggy bottom in the weeks ahead. Time will tell.

A few rulings from me first, given the unusual circumstances of Nikki's exit this week.

• Nikki withdrew; she was not eliminated. A Fresh Bakes call on Nikki to go home banks no points.
• Nikki's Roll Model holders choose a new Roll Model, just as Molly's do. In a league where one player held Nikki and another held Molly, a withdrawn Roll Model takes priority over an eliminated one: the Nikki holder chooses first, and the commissioner will see to it.

This week also brought our first Nigella Second Servings. Congratulations to Gabe and Connie, whose bakes had Nigella coming back for more. A point each, served :-)

Piggybacking off Derrick's article, I ran the numbers on the top and bottom of the tent, counting the eight bakers still in. First, average Technical place across the four weeks:

• Top: Gabe (2.75), Mo (3.50), and Tom (3.75).
• Bottom: Yannis (8.00), Gary (7.75), and Clara (5.75).

Second, baker points with a twist: I took a point off for every week a baker was in the running to go home.

• Top: Tom (13), Clara (9), and Gabe and Mo (8 each).
• Bottom: Yannis (-1), Gary (3), and Connie and Moyin (6 each).

The numbers mostly back Derrick up. Tom and Mo sit near the top of both lists, and Yannis and Gary at the bottom. Yannis is the only baker still in the tent below zero.

Two bakers argue back. Clara is second on points but only sixth of eight on Technical average, held back by an 8th and a 10th before her 3rd and 2nd. And Gabe, consigned by Derrick to the mushy middle, has the best Technical average in the tent, with two Technical wins, and shares third on points. Mushy middle? More like rising dough :-)

Poor Nikki. It's devastating to lose a family member, especially your mother. Nikki's smile was infectious and brought such great energy to the tent, not to mention how much she had stepped up her bakes in recent weeks. She will be sorely missed, and I'm so sorry for her loss.

And Molly! 😢 I can't take it. Two of my favourite bakers gone in one week. Molly was a shining star and a lovely lady. She didn't have her best week, but I really think she could have gone far given different circumstances.

On a happier note, yay for Tom! I love his whole vibe, and he won another well-deserved Star Baker for his Christmas gnome-y thing. I feel I need a thesaurus for Nigella's judging (what is "beguiling"?), but I'm fairly sure the judges loved it.

My other big takeaway was the Technical. Seriously, Paul: if a few bakers have a rough challenge, that's on them. If every baker fails it, it's probably on you! One hour, with vague instructions about the filling. Ridiculous, if you ask me.

Oh, and why did Mo's muscle-clad bear Signature have nipples?