The Great British Bake Off Season 5

Synopsis

The fifth series of The Great British Bake Off first aired on 6 August 2014, with twelve contestants. Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins presented the show and Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood returned as judges. Twelve contestants competed in this series, and the competition was held in Welford Park in Berkshire. The programme was moved from BBC Two to BBC One starting this year, but the Masterclass episodes remained on BBC Two. A companion series, The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice, hosted by comedian Jo Brand, started this year on BBC Two.

Main Cast

Mary Berry

Age : 89 | Popularity : 6%

Paul Hollywood

Age : 58 | Popularity : 4%

Mel Giedroyc

Age : 55 | Popularity : 7%

Sue Perkins

Age : 54 | Popularity : 5%

Episodes

Episode 1

06 August 2014 - Cake

The baking challenge is back, welcoming the tent's youngest-ever baker and the oldest.

Episode 2

13 August 2014 - Biscuits

The remaining 11 bakers are challenged to create three-dimensional biscuit scenes.

Episode 3

20 August 2014 - Bread

In week three, the remaining ten bakers get ready to brave bread.

Episode 4

27 August 2014 - Desserts

As week four begins, the bakers must multitask across several baking skills at once.

Episode 5

03 September 2014 - Pies and Tarts

Almost half way through the Bake Off and the remaining bakers are facing pies and tarts.

Episode 6

10 September 2014 - European Cakes

Past halfway in their baking marathon and the remaining six bakers face three European cakes. For their signature challenge the bakers are asked to bake yeast-leavened cakes; a tricky cross between cake and bread that sees some of the bakers opting out of Europe... Mary sets the bakers their most demanding technical challenge yet in which they must make a Swedish princess torte. With 24 different stages and only two-and-a-quarter hours to do it in, the bakers have their work cut out for them, while Sue explores the events that led to the huge array of Danish cakes and pastries in the Danish cake table tradition. And finally, a showstopping finale that puts the hungry into Hungary... The bakers must make their own contemporary version of the dobos torte. Traditionally a multi-layered Hungarian cake, the bakers must go one step further and make a two-tiered dobos torte with an emphasis on all things caramel in every way they can imagine... but whose Bake Off will come to a sweet but sticky end? On your marks, get set... bake!

Episode 7

17 September 2014 - Pastry

Presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins set the remaining contestants three tasks involving pastry, beginning by asking them to make signature savoury parcels. For the technical challenge, they must prepare a cake that hails from the Brittany region of France - the kouign amann, which none of the bakers has ever heard of - before creating two different types of eclair in the showstopper round. Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood judge the hopefuls' efforts before deciding who is star baker and who is going home.

Episode 8

24 September 2014 - Advanced Dough

The nation's favourite baking contest is about to get a whole lot hotter in the kitchen, as it reaches the quarter-final stage, and just five amateur bakers remain. They've all impressed to various extents during Bread Week - at least sufficiently to make it through - but now their skills are thoroughly tested as they take on enriched doughs. They have a signature bake in which they must work with soft dough to create artful works, a technical that sees them recreate an Eastern European cross between bread and pastry, and a showstopper involving doughnuts.

Episode 9

01 October 2014 - Semi-final - Patisserie

It's Patisserie Week, and the remaining four bakers will need to demonstrate that they have skills worthy enough to see them through to this year's final. The bakers are challenged to make a signature baklava - two types of any flavour they like, before the technical challenge demands they knock up a German Schichttorte, a cake cooked in stages under the grill to create 20 layers of different coloured sponge. Finally, the showstopper sees the semi-finalists baking non-stop to create two entremets in which they should demonstrate as many personal skills and techniques as they can.

Episode 10

08 October 2014 - The Final

The three finalists face a Signature Challenge in which they have just three hours to prove they have mastered a pastry technique that usually takes a whole day. They then have to tackle a Technical Challenge without the aid of a recipe, before rustling up a Showstopper that turns sponge, caramel, choux pastry and petits fours into a winning combination.

Episode 11

09 October 2014 - Masterclass

After 10 weeks of stiff competition, calm finally descends on the Bake Off tent as judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry take up the reins to demonstrate how they would have tackled the contest's signature, technical and showstopper challenges had the roles been reversed. They begin with tasks from the first two weeks of the series, with Paul making a blackcurrant and liquorice Swiss roll and two types of savoury biscuits, while Mary prepares a cherry cake with lemon icing, Florentines and miniature classic coffee and walnut cakes.

Episode 12

10 October 2014 - Masterclass 2

Back in the Bake Off tent, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood roll up their sleeves, baking the challenges that they set the bakers in bread and desserts weeks on the Great British Bake Off. Paul takes us through his ciabatta technical and his show-stopping roquefort and walnut loaf one step at a time and Mary shows us how to make her layered tiramisu cake from desserts week. Paul shows his saucy side with chocolate volcano fondant puds and Mary finishes off with her flamboyant neapolitan baked alaska.

Episode 13

12 October 2014 - Class of 2013

We catch up with last year's bakers, who have come a long way since their time in the tent. This programme looks back at the golden moments - and recurring nightmares - of the bakers dozen from last year, as they revisit their time in the tent and share their memories as the Class of 2013.

Episode 14

15 October 2014 - Masterclass 3

Once again taking over the Bake Off tent, Mary and Paul tackle the signature, technical and show-stopper challenges from the second half of the series. Just as the challenges got harder for the bakers, Mary and Paul must also make their more elaborate bakes, showing us how to achieve the perfect results at home. Mary makes a swirling chocolate and orange tart and the most complicated technical challenge of the series, the Swedish prinsesstarta. Paul dusts off his pastry skills making mini sausage plaits and demystifies the delicious kouign amann, which so baffled the bakers in the tent. Finally, Mary constructs her own version of the two-tiered dobos torte, complete with caramel of all kinds, with hints and tips on how to achieve perfection at home.

Episode 15

16 October 2014 - Masterclass 4

In the final masterclass of the series, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood dust off the flour one last time, creating the signature, technical and show-stopping challenges from the last part of the Great British Bake Off. Mary makes a pair of chouxs with her lemon and raspberry eclairs, while Paul gets fruity with his cherry and chocolate loaf. Paul explains how to stretch your skills to make the technical povitica, followed by his show-stopping raspberry and chocolate doughnuts. And Mary finishes with her elaborate double chocolate entremets that will impress at any dinner party, giving helpful advice to inspire you to achieve the same at home.

Episode 16

16 December 2014 - Christmas Masterclass 2014

In the countdown to Christmas, Mary and Paul are getting festive in the kitchen. They have six brand new recipes to bake for the family this Christmas, inspired by rich traditions from all over Europe.

Crew

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