1236 – The Roaring Twenties | Great British Baking Off to Sleep S10/C7 Ep5

1236 – The Roaring Twenties | Great British Baking Off to Sleep S10/C7 Ep5

 

Gratitude Lists

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/08/well/mind/gratitude-health-benefits.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Lk0.szRn.0YQMk7zEhHh1&smid=url-share

 

https://www.headspace.com/articles/reasons-to-be-cheerful-the-compelling-science-of-gratitude-lists

 

https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/can-expressing-gratitude-improve-health

 

GBBO S10/C7 E5 Review

https://ew.com/recap/the-great-british-baking-show-season-10-episode-5/

 

https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/the-great-british-baking-show-season-10-episode-5-recap.html

 

https://jenrosewrites.blog/2019/09/25/the-great-british-bake-off-season-10-episode-5-my-thoughts/

 

The Roaring Twenties

https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2023/01/american-fads-and-crazes-1920s/

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/are-we-headed-roaring-2020s-historians-say-its-complicated-180977638/

 

https://www.thecollector.com/the-roaring-twenties-jazz-age/

 

Mocktails

https://www.axios.com/2023/07/29/mocktails-non-alcoholic-sober-bar

 

https://www.npr.org/2023/04/20/1170792278/fake-drinks-that-dont-taste-fake-the-rise-of-the-mocktail

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/elvaramirez/2019/05/22/make-mine-a-mocktail-why-the-non-alcoholic-drinks-trend-is-here-to-stay/

 

DOWN TO BUSINESS

I wouldn’t say I’m out of breath

I’ll start breathing deeper now

We’ll unbox the John August box

 

Deep Dark Night United

Ramada (SWM+)

 

PLUGS

Hand in Hand; The Midnight Mission; Trevor Project; Sleep With Me Plus; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-Racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline; Referral Program

 

SPONSORS

AquaTru; Helix Sleep; Wild Health; Polysleep; Odoo; Air Doctor Pro; Zocdoc; Progressive

 

INTRO

Feelings that weren’t invited to the surprise party

A Joyous Surprise

The joy goes both ways at a surprise party

I don’t associate with my thoughts and feelings as jumping for joy

What would a metaphor for if a metaphor could for fours?

Non-Surprise Party Surprising Feelings

I’m really good with the age of babes in arms

I do make 20% of babies cry

But  I’m really great at peekaboo otherwise

Or the pretend falling asleep

This only works with pre-toddler kids

Producer brain and talking brain are ganging up against me

Man, what if everyone in the airport had a pebble in their shoe

I have mixed feelings about making gratitude lists

Trying to be grateful for gratitude lists

I”m grateful to not be in an airport with a pebble in my shoe

Keep your lucky pebbles somewhere else than your shoe

I just got really distracted right there

It’s understandable if you’re skeptical

I’m here whether you’re asleep or not

The intro is part of a progression

We’re covering Bake Off tonight

I might discuss Prue’s bangles in this episode

 

STORY

We’re talking Roaring Twenties week

Sandi and Noel are reading scripts

Paul wrote the script for the week

Paul Hollywood’s GBBO, starring Paul Hollywood

Uh oh, a tart on the floor

This is like a thriller teaser

Jazz, Charleston, Flappers

Is Paul wearing an Oxford shirt?

Prue has a popping pink blazer and a cubist sweater

Noel has a pet sweater

Sandi has a smoother shirt on, maybe silk

Gotta love those polka dots on Sandi’s sweater

Custard pies from silent films

Don’t make it too rubbery

Prue likes Art Deco

Helena’s are bound to be weird – an ancient Greek sea creature

Paul smirks

Henry is making a Kool-Aid inspired custard

Rosie is doing domes with elderflower jelly

Michelle is doing edible flowers, inspired by her small garden

How is Michelle’s 20s-inspired?

I think they have to do blind baking first

Steph doesn’t like short crust

Steph – Zesty Citrus, Tart Citron

They’re loading their crusts with rocks or balls or something

Alice’s will have chocolate and orange

Blackberry custard for Rosie – dark purple

Helena is adding purple food coloring

David is keeping his classic

Flapper Girls on custards

Oh, a Matt Lucas shoutout / foretelling

Noel dressed as a flapper for Matt Lucas’s 30th birthday

Michael – mango, lime, ginger

I don’t understand how these flavors are 20s themed

Priya is doing double duty on the custards

Noel will cut fringes into people’s hair

Don’t overspill it or fill it

Time to decorate

Rosie says rabbits are tough to work with

Henry is working on a mirror glaze

Nothing is setting for Henry

David is concerned about his bake

They have to bake and then come out of the tins

I would not do well with this delicate work

One of Rosie’s tart falls

This is crushing

David is a really great artist

These are really pretty tarts overall

Look at those figs!

David – looks like it’s from a French patisserie, silky smooth, delicious, PAUL HANDSHAKE

Michael – great custard texture, perfect ginger balance, could’ve had more custard

Priya – looks like it got boiled, not enough decoration, amazing taste

Alice – orange extract is overwhelming

Steph – simplistic, but effective, set, beautiful color and flavor

Michelle – no blueberry flavor here, sugar top didn’t work, look neat

Henry – they look neat, needs more filling, less base, lovely flavor, overbaked

Helena – hers looks amazing, lovely color, too much lavender, soapy

Rosie – lost a tart, look great, pretty good jellies, pastry is damp, delicious flavor

Rosie hats custard

David is happy for a handshake

Technical has fryers

4 basic skills, which they must all get right

Paul and Prue are going fracking

18 Beignet Souffles, served with a sabayon

Fried choux pastry

The 2 spoon method for size

People have to remember how to make choux

You don’t want to scramble the eggs in choux

How do you make a ball out of a piped piece of choux?

Noel talks about doing a Face/Off with Rosie

Michael has to restart

Noel and Sandi are playing with walkie talkies

David’s second batch is also not good

Michael is tempted to quit but can’t

How do you even make a jam?

You gotta sieve the seeds for smooth jam

Michelle is skipping and dancing

It’s hard to cobble together 18 beignets

This was not an easy one

Priya – fairly round, not bad filling, good structure and taste, not sabayon

Michelle – look like potatoes, doughy, 

Alice – too dark, good texture, split sabayon

Michael – more like bellinis

Rosie – little dark, too much jam, split sabayon

Steph – inconsistent size, all baked through, too much jam

David – not a happy sight,  more like churros

Helena – nice color, delicious, not good sabayon

Henry – variety of color, more like heavy cream, uneven

David is in last place

Helena gets first place in the technical!

David has been up and down

Same for Helena

Michael is really stressed

A lot of outside shots

There’s like this outside lounge for them, I’ve never seen that before

Showstopper Time

Paul Hollywood is so alpha

Prohibition-Era Cake

You gotta put the alcohol in the cake

Based on your favorite cocktail

Too quiet for Helena

Prue wants wonderful design, delicious cake, recognizable cocktail flavor

#MenTears

Michael is making a bramble – gin and blackberry trickle

Helena – a cake from Bram Stoker – red velvet

There’s an actual fly on her head

Raspberry Kiss Cake with vodka

Putting sponges into the oven

Sandi wants to reenact the handshake with David

David – Amaretto Sour Cake

Michelle – Pina Colada Cake, in honor of a wild sister weekend in Liverpool

Priya is also doing Pina Colada Style

So is Alice

Steph is doing tinned goods, in honor of the 20s

Tinned pineapple makes a better curd

Lime and pineapple – tropical flavors

Henry is making a coffee liqueur

White Russian Cake

The Dude would like this cake

Rosie is also doing a White Russian, but with white chocolate ganache and vodka swiss meringue buttercream

Rosie better be brilliant

Testing and painting cakes

You don’t want an unstable sponge

Juuust the right amount of alcohol

Sandi tries Helena’s Raspberry Vodka

She’s gonna go lie down for a while

Priya is making a pina colada mocktail cake

People are frosting their cakes now

Priya talks about her kids

Sandi has wings on

Henry’s cake almost falls down

Alice’s cake is about to fall apart

It looks a mess, but I think it looks very 1920s

Cakes are too hot for buttercream

David knows it won’t help to get flustered

Maybe Henry’s last tiered cake

Drizzles, candy, toppings

Steph helps Henry

Priya is making a stained glass window

Judgment Time

Michael – really neat, original, nicely done, drizzle didn’t quite drizzle, nice sponge, not enough fruity flavor

Helena – Mixture of Sinister and pretty, not good outside decoration, very red, too bland inside

Henry – elegant, dramatic, lovely flavor, a little dry, good structure and design

Rosie – interesting, mirror glaze, chocolate ganache is too thick, Prue likes the alcohol

David – cakes have dropped a bit, nice flavor, grainy buttercream, good sponge

Alice – not good decoration, good pineapple pieces, clumsy, decent

Priya – half decorated, rushed, nice flavor, fondant too thick

Steph – this looks like a pina colada cake, nice drops right through, a lovely, novel flavor

Michelle – interesting cake, overthought, layers don’t match, equal sponges, nice texture, shaved coconut doesn’t work, too dry, lacks flavor

Fates are uncertain

Fish in the stream

Steph is near the top

Henry did good, so did David

A lot in trouble: Michelle, Helena, Priya, Rosie

2 people are near the bottom

Steph is Star Baker!

2 people are going home

Michelle and Helena

Everyone is shocked, particularly Helena

Noel is sad to see Helena go

Helena is grateful for her time, so is Michelle

Priya and Rosie are grateful to be staying another week

Alice celebrates Steph

Steph doesn’t know how good she is

She’s speechless

 

PATREON THANKS

Anita, Nicole, S, Gregory, Jennifer, Emily, Brittney, Dawn, Peter, Elizabeth, Sunny, Emma, Marie, Joey, Reid, Rachel, Snibbety, Dave, Sydney, Susan

 

SUMMARY:

Episode: 1,236

Title: The Roaring Twenties | Great British Baking Off to Sleep S10/C7 Ep5

Deep Dark Night United: Ramada (SWM+)

Plugs: Hand in Hand; The Midnight Mission; Trevor Project; Sleep With Me Plus; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-Racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline; Referral Program

Sponsors: AquaTru; Helix Sleep; Wild Health; Polysleep; Odoo; Air Doctor Pro; Zocdoc; Progressive

Patreon Thanks: Anita, Nicole, S, Gregory, Jennifer, Emily, Brittney, Dawn, Peter, Elizabeth, Sunny, Emma, Marie, Joey, Reid, Rachel, Snibbety, Dave, Sydney, Susan

Notable Language:

• A Joyous Surprise
• Metaphor For
• A pebble in your shoe
• Part of a Progression
• Prue
• Popping PInk Blazer
• Cubist Sweater
• Prohibition-Era Cake
• #MenTears
• Pina Colada Style

 

Notable Culture:

• Great British Bake Off

• • John August
  • Gratitude Lists
  • Art Deco
  • Kool-Aid
  • Matt Lucas

• Face/Off

• • Bram Stoker

• The Big Lebowski

 

Notable Talking Points:

• Feelings that weren’t invited to the surprise party
• A Joyous Surprise
• The joy goes both ways at a surprise party
• I don’t associate with my thoughts and feelings as jumping for joy
• What would a metaphor for if a metaphor could for fours?
• Non-Surprise Party Surprising Feelings
• I’m really good with the age of babes in arms
• I do make 20% of babies cry
• But  I’m really great at peekaboo otherwise
• Or the pretend falling asleep
• This only works with pre-toddler kids
• Producer brain and talking brain are ganging up against me
• Man, what if everyone in the airport had a pebble in their shoe
• I have mixed feelings about making gratitude lists
• Trying to be grateful for gratitude lists
• I”m grateful to not be in an airport with a pebble in my shoe
• Keep your lucky pebbles somewhere else than your shoe
• I just got really distracted right there
• It’s understandable if you’re skeptical
• I’m here whether you’re asleep or not
• The intro is part of a progression
• We’re covering Bake Off tonight
• I might discuss Prue’s bangles in this episode
• We’re talking Roaring Twenties week
• Sandi and Noel are reading scripts
• Paul wrote the script for the week
• Paul Hollywood’s GBBO, starring Paul Hollywood
• Uh oh, a tart on the floor
• This is like a thriller teaser
• Jazz, Charleston, Flappers
• Is Paul wearing an Oxford shirt?
• Prue has a popping pink blazer and a cubist sweater
• Noel has a pet sweater
• Sandi has a smoother shirt on, maybe silk
• Gotta love those polka dots on Sandi’s sweater
• Custard pies from silent films
• Don’t make it too rubbery
• Prue likes Art Deco
• Helena’s are bound to be weird – an ancient Greek sea creature
• Paul smirks
• Henry is making a Kool-Aid inspired custard
• Rosie is doing domes with elderflower jelly
• Michelle is doing edible flowers, inspired by her small garden
• How is Michelle’s 20s-inspired?
• I think they have to do blind baking first
• Steph doesn’t like short crust
• Steph – Zesty Citrus, Tart Citron
• They’re loading their crusts with rocks or balls or something
• Alice’s will have chocolate and orange
• Blackberry custard for Rosie – dark purple
• Helena is adding purple food coloring
• David is keeping his classic
• Flapper Girls on custards
• Oh, a Matt Lucas shoutout / foretelling
• Noel dressed as a flapper for Matt Lucas’s 30th birthday
• Michael – mango, lime, ginger
• I don’t understand how these flavors are 20s themed
• Priya is doing double duty on the custards
• Noel will cut fringes into people’s hair
• Don’t overspill it or fill it
• Time to decorate
• Rosie says rabbits are tough to work with
• Henry is working on a mirror glaze
• Nothing is setting for Henry
• David is concerned about his bake
• They have to bake and then come out of the tins
• I would not do well with this delicate work
• One of Rosie’s tart falls
• This is crushing
• David is a really great artist
• These are really pretty tarts overall
• Look at those figs!
• David – looks like it’s from a French patisserie, silky smooth, delicious, PAUL HANDSHAKE
• Michael – great custard texture, perfect ginger balance, could’ve had more custard
• Priya – looks like it got boiled, not enough decoration, amazing taste
• Alice – orange extract is overwhelming
• Steph – simplistic, but effective, set, beautiful color and flavor
• Michelle – no blueberry flavor here, sugar top didn’t work, look neat
• Henry – they look neat, needs more filling, less base, lovely flavor, overbaked
• Helena – hers looks amazing, lovely color, too much lavender, soapy
• Rosie – lost a tart, look great, pretty good jellies, pastry is damp, delicious flavor
• Rosie hats custard
• David is happy for a handshake
• Technical has fryers
• 4 basic skills, which they must all get right
• Paul and Prue are going fracking
• 18 Beignet Souffles, served with a sabayon
• Fried choux pastry
• The 2 spoon method for size
• People have to remember how to make choux
• You don’t want to scramble the eggs in choux
• How do you make a ball out of a piped piece of choux?
• Noel talks about doing a Face/Off with Rosie
• Michael has to restart
• Noel and Sandi are playing with walkie talkies
• David’s second batch is also not good
• Michael is tempted to quit but can’t
• How do you even make a jam?
• You gotta sieve the seeds for smooth jam
• Michelle is skipping and dancing
• It’s hard to cobble together 18 beignets
• This was not an easy one
• Priya – fairly round, not bad filling, good structure and taste, not sabayon
• Michelle – look like potatoes, doughy, 
• Alice – too dark, good texture, split sabayon
• Michael – more like bellinis
• Rosie – little dark, too much jam, split sabayon
• Steph – inconsistent size, all baked through, too much jam
• David – not a happy sight,  more like churros
• Helena – nice color, delicious, not good sabayon
• Henry – variety of color, more like heavy cream, uneven
• David is in last place
• Helena gets first place in the technical!
• David has been up and down
• Same for Helena
• Michael is really stressed
• A lot of outside shots
• There’s like this outside lounge for them, I’ve never seen that before
• Showstopper Time
• Paul Hollywood is so alpha
• Prohibition-Era Cake
• You gotta put the alcohol in the cake
• Based on your favorite cocktail
• Too quiet for Helena
• Prue wants wonderful design, delicious cake, recognizable cocktail flavor
• #MenTears
• Michael is making a bramble – gin and blackberry trickle
• Helena – a cake from Bram Stoker – red velvet
• There’s an actual fly on her head
• Raspberry Kiss Cake with vodka
• Putting sponges into the oven
• Sandi wants to reenact the handshake with David
• David – Amaretto Sour Cake
• Michelle – Pina Colada Cake, in honor of a wild sister weekend in Liverpool
• Priya is also doing Pina Colada Style
• So is Alice
• Steph is doing tinned goods, in honor of the 20s
• Tinned pineapple makes a better curd
• Lime and pineapple – tropical flavors
• Henry is making a coffee liqueur
• White Russian Cake
• The Dude would like this cake
• Rosie is also doing a White Russian, but with white chocolate ganache and vodka swiss meringue buttercream
• Rosie better be brilliant
• Testing and painting cakes
• You don’t want an unstable sponge
• Juuust the right amount of alcohol
• Sandi tries Helena’s Raspberry Vodka
• She’s gonna go lie down for a while
• Priya is making a pina colada mocktail cake
• People are frosting their cakes now
• Priya talks about her kids
• Sandi has wings on
• Henry’s cake almost falls down
• Alice’s cake is about to fall apart
• It looks a mess, but I think it looks very 1920s
• Cakes are too hot for buttercream
• David knows it won’t help to get flustered
• Maybe Henry’s last tiered cake
• Drizzles, candy, toppings
• Steph helps Henry
• Priya is making a stained glass window
• Judgment Time
• Michael – really neat, original, nicely done, drizzle didn’t quite drizzle, nice sponge, not enough fruity flavor
• Helena – Mixture of Sinister and pretty, not good outside decoration, very red, too bland inside
• Henry – elegant, dramatic, lovely flavor, a little dry, good structure and design
• Rosie – interesting, mirror glaze, chocolate ganache is too thick, Prue likes the alcohol
• David – cakes have dropped a bit, nice flavor, grainy buttercream, good sponge
• Alice – not good decoration, good pineapple pieces, clumsy, decent
• Priya – half decorated, rushed, nice flavor, fondant too thick
• Steph – this looks like a pina colada cake, nice drops right through, a lovely, novel flavor
• Michelle – interesting cake, overthought, layers don’t match, equal sponges, nice texture, shaved coconut doesn’t work, too dry, lacks flavor
• Fates are uncertain
• Fish in the stream
• Steph is near the top
• Henry did good, so did David
• A lot in trouble: Michelle, Helena, Priya, Rosie
• 2 people are near the bottom
• Steph is Star Baker!
• 2 people are going home
• Michelle and Helena
• Everyone is shocked, particularly Helena
• Noel is sad to see Helena go
• Helena is grateful for her time, so is Michelle
• Priya and Rosie are grateful to be staying another week
• Alice celebrates Steph
• Steph doesn’t know how good she is
• She’s speechless

Episode 1236 – The Roaring Twenties | Great British Baking Off to Sleep S10/C7 Ep5

 

[START OF RECORDING]

 

SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for the podcaster who’s a little bit…I wouldn’t say I’m out of breath, but I would say, hey, I got here; now I’m…I’m shallow of breath right now, but I’m gonna start to breathe deeper once I get off the mic. Otherwise my mouth will make too many noises. Okay, there we go. I just…I don't know if you caught that, but I’m breathing…and you might not be able to breathe easy, 'cause if you’re like me, maybe it’s thoughts, maybe it’s feelings, maybe it’s physical sensations. Whatever is keeping you awake, I’m here to take your mind off of it and keep you company while you fall asleep. That’s what Sleep With Me is all about, is keeping you company, being your friend in the deep, dark night, because I’ve been there.

 

A lot of other people listening have, and you deserve a good night's sleep. This show is very silly, though, as serious as I’m talking now. It’s a very goofy podcast. It does take some getting used to, so give it a few tries. Coming up here we’ll have the support that lets the show come out free twice a week, then a long, meandering intro meant to ease you into bedtime, then a bedtime story where we’ll do a unboxing and use the new Excel version of the Writer In Case You Need It pack by John August, and we’ll open a couple other things here…to be your friend in the deep, dark night, just like if you called me and you said, talk to me. I’m not gonna listen to you. I’d say, terrific. It’s time for Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. Thanks for making it possible, my patron peeps.

 

INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake. It could be thoughts, things on your mind that you’re thinking about like thoughts, thinking stuff, feelings, anything emotionally coming up for you related to those thoughts or feelings that are just there, surprise…feelings that…they’re not the kind of feelings you would invite to a surprise party, but they would have feelings about not being…they’d say, why wasn’t I invited to the surprise party?

 

You’d say, well, conceptually, the idea of a surprise party is that, in my mind, at least, is that it’s a surprise of…a joyous surprise. It’s kind of one of those two-way things. I never thought about it ‘til just now, but I’m surprised and I’m filled with joy and appreciation, but you’re surprising me with joy. To be honest, most of my thoughts and my feelings…I don't normally associate you with joy…jumping with joy and surprise. Also, I was trying to introduce a sleep podcast and no…not to totally blow your existence out of the water, but you’re…you’re not only a meta…you’re more than a sum of the fact that you’re just a metaphor for whatever I forgot that I was trying to make a metaphor for. A metaphor for…I wish…what would a metaphor for if a metaphor could for…four fors? You say, I’m sorry, what? I say, exactly.

 

That’s what it’s like being in my mind, and I don't even have a meta…that was a metaphor that made itself…you know what I’m saying? So, it could be feelings…oh, feelings that just are there are bedtime. You don’t even know…they surprised you, but not the surprise-party kind of surprise, or the peek-a-boo one. One of the few things I’m really good at is that peek…I don't say, actually peek-a-boo, but I’m good at…with those…the age of a child…not an infant, but a babe in arms. I don't want to brag, but…'cause other than the babies that I make cry by just being in their general vicinity, which is a percentage…I’d say 20%. The other 80%, when I have a opportunity to do that thing where I…usually I like to go behind a pole or an object, but I could…I do use my hands or my arms. I’m pretty good at that.

 

So, that’s another form of surprise. That one wouldn’t be bad for bedtime. You say, well, actually, I’m gonna close my eyes anyway. So, that’s another one I do do with kids I’m babysitting, like my siblings’ kids, is I do the pretend-falling-asleep thing if they’re…if we have eye contact. This doesn’t work with toddlers. It’s gotta be pre-toddler age. But you kinda look at them and then you kinda close your eyes to see if they’ll mirror your behavior and fall asleep while they’re doing it. I don't know if I’ve ever seen it work on the first fifty times, but fifty-one through ninety or a thousand has worked. Oh, but what…? Oh, so, thoughts, feelings, physical sensations could be keeping you awake. That’s what I was talking about. It could be changes in time, temperature, routine, weather.

 

You could have something coming up, you could be going through something, you could have guests, you could be traveling. Whatever it is, I’m here to keep you company and take your mind off of it so that you could fall asleep. The only reason I run through all that stuff is so you know you’re not alone, that even if I haven’t experienced what you’re grappling with, whatever’s keeping you awake, I may be able to relate to how it feels, and if I can't, I can guarantee you someone else that’s listening right now can probably relate to how it feels, even if they haven’t gone through the exact same thing. All of us that are listening right now, even the part of me that’s listening while I talk which is kinda part of my job…the old producer brain, I call it…but my producer brain and my talking brain are like, yeah, I know how…it’s not easy, right?

 

It’s not easy because we all know this even though it’s hard to bring it to the surface. You deserve a good night's sleep. You deserve a place you could rest to get the sleep you need so your life is more manageable. You deserve that. You deserve a bedtime you don’t have to dread, and those of us that have repeatedly dreaded bedtime and had it looming, we know how it is and we know you deserve better than that. We want you out there flourishing, getting the rest you need so your world is a better place to be in. That means that affects all of us if your world’s a better place. It has a positive impact on everybody, and that’s…people say it sounds trite, or part of my brain rolls its eyes, and I say, that’s fine, that’s fine, but I know it’s true. There’s a pebble in the sand, or whatever they say. Pebble in my shoe.

 

It’s the inverse of that, right? You say, if everybody in the airport had a pebble in their shoe, holy mackerel. You thought…that’s what…I never put that on my gratitude list, but…gratitude list came up in another intro. There’s another one; if you don’t like making gratitude lists…this, I guess, is a new thing I’m doing every…occasionally whenever…when I accidentally remember it. But this is another one we could all agree on. Dear gratitude…however you…dear gratitude, today I’m grateful…even though I wasn’t in an airport today, I know someone listening was, and I’m grateful not everybody in the airport had a pebble in their shoe, even though part of my brain is already interrupting me to say, what if it was a lucky pebble? I’d say, what, are you…? I get it. Okay.

 

Dear gratitude list, I’m grateful that I wasn’t in the airport today where everyone had an uncomfortable pebble in their shoe, or even I had a pebble in my shoe or the majority of people, or even if one out of ten or one out of a hundred people…it would have probably been not great. So, just say that to yourself the next time you’re at the…the next time I’m at the airport, I’ll try to say that. Not that…I’m usually…once I get past…once I get into the airport proper through the thing, that’s the most relaxed I’ll ever be, because I think it’s the relief. It’s like, after the wave crests for me. But it can be…that’s one of those places where you just…you never knew it, but suddenly we found a new level…you say, holy cow, I’ve never been more grateful. What if these people all had pebbles in their shoes?

 

Oh, well, what if it was a pebble from a tropical beach they were…? I’d say, well…or that they’re returning…? I’d say, well, okay, here’s one more thing; keep your lucky pebbles or your pebbles that are part of a chosen journey…maybe keep those somewhere else other than your shoe. Sure, you might discover the pebble later on and be grateful for it. That’s a different story. This one is just some part of my brain interrupting me introducing a sleep podcast. Oops, I just got sidetracked again not even by my brain but by a outside…so, I was trying to set up a sleep podcast, I think. Oh, so, what…here’s how the show works. I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I’m gonna use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, superfluous tangents. So, I’m gonna go off-topic, I’m gonna get mixed up.

 

I think you’ve already seen, I don't know, eight minutes of that already…and double back. But all that is part of the show, and pointless…oh, super…creaky, dulcet tones is just, my voice is not traditionally soothing. The things to know is one, this show is not for everybody. Most people, this…find this show a bit off-putting, to put it mildly. There is…I have a website, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou, that has a list of stuff there that you could check out, and you could kinda see other sleep podcasts or other sleepy stuff. But give this show a few tries, honestly. That’s what most people that regularly listen say; oh, it took two or three tries. I didn’t like the show when I first listened or I didn’t know what to expect, and I was waiting around for you to be…make sense and get to the point, and then I…and then eventually I fell asleep.

 

Oh, now I understand. So, those are a couple things. If you’re skeptical or doubtful or irritated, why wouldn’t you be, right? If you’re…we’ve tried a bunch of stuff to fall asleep and it hasn’t worked for us, and you’re probably tired. So, that’s totally acceptable to come to the show that way. This is also a podcast you don’t really listen to. You could listen, but for…you could kinda barely listen, almost like sand going through your fingers or a out-of-focus picture. There’s some people that listen to me at a mumble. Some people listen to me across the room. But you can listen 'cause the show isn’t even here to put you to sleep. It’s to keep you company while you fall asleep. There is no pressure at all to fall asleep.

 

That’s why the shows are over an hour and there’s over 500 episodes ready to go if you need them or that you can pick from your favorites, because there’s no pressure. I’m here to keep you company, to be your bore-friend, your bore-sib, your bore-bae, your bore-bestie, your neigh-bore, your bore-bor, your friend in the deep, dark night and to keep you company, because there’s people that are listening that can't sleep or people that are having a stressful day that are listening. So, I’m here whether you’re awake or asleep, whether you’re listening or you’re not. So, those are a few things. What else do you need to know? Structure of the show; that’s the next thing, right? I send my…oh, no, yeah, the structure of the show.

 

The show starts off with a greeting where I say, friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, then I say something else so you feel seen and welcomed in and you say, oh, I could check this podcast out. I could see what…maybe I could listen to this, and I’ll see how it goes. So, that’s what the greeting does. Then there’s support so the show can come out free twice a week. Even though the show sounds free and easy, that comes from a lot of work going into the show, which isn’t important, but the support makes that possible. Then there’s support for listeners, then there’s the intro which is a show within a show. For some reason, I guess understandably, when people hear the support and they don’t like that part, then they lump the support and the intro in as one thing.

 

But the intro’s ten to twenty minutes long, a show within a show where I introduce the podcast somewhat unsuccessfully. But it is, for regular listeners…you could skip ahead, start the show at twenty, twenty-five, thirty minutes, and there is about 2% of people that do that. But for most regular listeners, it’s part of the podcast. It’s a progression, I guess. I don't know if I’ve used that before, but it is a part of a progression to bedtime where you could be getting ready for bed, in bed getting comfortable, starting to drift off, but for most people it’s part of a bedtime routine where you’re kinda getting stuff settled. Maybe you’re doing some other sort of chill activity. So, this eases you into bedtime. It’s kinda like a twilight between getting ready for bed and being in bed, falling asleep.

 

So, it’s kind of like…yeah, I guess that’s what it is. So, that’s the intro. Then there’s support for the show again between the intro and the story, then tonight will be a story…kinda like a story. It’s a episode of the Great British Bake Off we’ll be covering, bakers, and talking about, I don't know, what they baked, what I saw, what jokes I could notice, what…maybe…I don't know, what are bangles…? Did Prue have bangles on her…were they on her left wrist or her right…? I think they were on her right wrist. Not sure if that was this episode, though. Not sure if they’re called bangles. So, that’s the kinda stuff we’ll be talking about.

 

Yeah, I think that’s…oh, yeah, and then there will be thank-yous at the end of the show. So, that’s the structure of the show. I talked about why I make the show; you deserve a good night's sleep, and I talked about the fact, yeah, it takes a couple tries to get used to the show. But I’m really glad you’re here. I really hope this podcast can help you out and that you can get the rest you need. I really appreciate your time and you coming by, and I really hope I can help you fall asleep. So, thanks again for coming by, and here’s a couple ways I’m able to do it for you for free twice a week.

 

Alright everybody, it’s Scoots here. We’re talking Roaring Twenties Week. What is this, Episode 6? Episode 5, Collection 7. Great British Bake Off baking show, Great British Bake You Off to Sleep. So, let’s see. Roaring Twenties Week; that’s where we’re at. Let’s get this thing roll…let’s get this show a-going, huh? Starts off with Sandi and Noel reading scripts. Okay…a couple more buttons, here. This is my first time. I’m just kidding. I mean, I’m not kidding 'cause I gotta make sure the subtitles are on so that I can read the dialogue. Alright, here we go. So, Sandi and Noel…Paul’s the director. Paul’s written the script for the week. There’s a script? Yeah. Apparently he wants it to set the right tone…Sandra Thomson and Neil Folding. Alright, Sandra, action.

 

Welcome to Paul Hollywood’s Great British Baking Show, starring Paul Hollywood. Paul has a bull horn and it’s some…I said, this sounds like a little bit of a thriller. We kinda have the tease; meringues, flappers, old-fashioned fear…freaking out…smiley face. Pressure building, of course. Commenting, stuff going in the oven…tarts, it looks like, and even a tart on the floor. That’s the Great British Baking Show. Oh, we get…this one…this…I feel like…I don't know if they’ve done this before. There’s not…so, we get the bakers going into the tent. It seems like a nice day. A little breezy, but everyone…no one has coats on. Michelle talks about how it’s not easy to go from Great British Bake Off back to the tent.

 

David talks…and they’re going back to the roaring twenties; jazz, Charleston, flappers, the Kellogg-Briand Pact…tent…walking, talking heads. Tough going home…four individually highly-decorated custard pies. Custard should set. You got two-and-a-half hours. On your mark, get set, go. Oh, let’s take a look at what the judges are all wearing. It looks like…I’m having trouble pausing. Okay, so, Paul…he looks cool doing this. He always has his hands half in his pockets. He has jeans on and is that…would that be an Oxford shirt? A button-down…Prue has on this really popping pink blazer, then a sweater. I don't know what design you’d call that, but…I don't know if it’s cubist, but I’m gonna say that…and a necklace with yellows and pinks and some reds.

 

Her frames match her sweater, her necklace matches her blazer, and she also has bangles on one of her wrists that kinda match everything. Now, Noel has on a pet sweater. Or, no, it’s a long-sleeve…is that a long-sleeve shirt? But it’s a shirt. It’s a long shirt, too, almost like you could picture him…well, not really. Not long enough to wear…I mean, it wouldn’t be comfortable as a pajama shirt. I mean, I’ve seen that in movies, but it’s like, it has buttons. But it’s kind of a orange, sherbert background with puppies and cats on it, hand…like, drawn; not hand-drawn. Then Sandi has a smoother shirt on, maybe silk? It’s a gray or black or navy background with pink polka dots. Gotta love those polka dots. So, that’s our fashion update.

 

So, custard pies…oh, so these are the ones from slapstick films, a slapstick staple. They’re not throwing around today, but that’s what they would use on set, apparently, or what they were supposed to be…stunt pies from silent movies. Those would have a heavy, thick crust. These are gonna be shortcrusts that Paul wants to melt in the mouth. Don’t make it too rubbery. Gotta chill it down. You gotta cool it down. Watch out, as they said. Gotta have a theme of the twenties, which…Prue likes art deco, flappers. We want the decoration to reflect that. An art deco flapper. Everybody’s running around, obviously, trying to get their dough chilled and start making their fruits or mousses or whatever. Custards, right? Helena’s working. They start with her. We’re looking forward to your custard pies.

 

Bound to be weird, Prue says. It’s gonna be a Ancient Greek sea creature out of the sea. Like a gorgon? A bit. Lemon and lavender, meringue sea foam, modelling chocolate, lemon shortcrust. But Prue says, is it from the twenties? Sandi says, sounds fantastic. Paul looks at the camera, smirking. Then we have…Henry looked up the drink Kool-Aid…was founded in the twenties in America. The original flavor; lemon and lime. So, lemon-and-lime custard tarts with…the other flavor was raspberry, so he’s gonna put some raspberry curd hemispheres. Henry’s kinda cool. I like…he reminds me of Scoots during the day. But yeah, I said, that’s gonna be a sleep podcast. We’ve talked about Kool-Aid before. People are trying to stick to their schedules. Rosie’s also doing domes with elderflower jelly.

 

Hemispheres of jelly with flowers injected into them. So, that’ll be cool. Brand-new. No horse vaccines, eh? 1920’s glamour…floral jelly domes, matcha tea shortcrust, and…let’s see. Michelle’s doing edible flowers. A small garden…she’s got a lot of flowers. Grow them in the garden. Blueberry white-chocolate creme brulee. I don't know what the twenties theme is, though. Michelle had a hard week last week. Yeah, it was brutal. Paul’s part wolf. Did you know that? Okay, then we got Michael, Steph…everybody’s getting their pastries out. Chilled…you gotta roll it, pat it, mark it with a P for Priya, who’s rolling hers out. You want to…? I think they’re doing blind baking, too. They put some sort of marbles in there. I’m sure I looked it up. Shortcrust isn’t a favorite of Steph’s. Paul’s right over her shoulder. It’s my nemesis.

 

She says, hi, Paul. Thanks for being over my shoulder. Steph’s is zesty citrus; torched lemon meringue, fresh fruit, and…a classic tart citron with a bit more zest. ‘Cause they…yeah, they fill their blind bake with some sort of, I don't know, balls. I don't know what they are. Rocks? Marbles? Beans? I don't know. But everybody’s are going in the oven, and you don’t want them over-baked. A tiny bit of color…what could go wrong? Everything, Michael says. We see some grass. Noel and Sandi are doing different 1920’s characters. Everybody’s making their custard. Somebody’s got eggs, somebody needs an egg…basic custard; egg yolk, sugar, cream, vanilla. But you better have a good pie. Orange extract is Alice…you will taste orange. Chocolate and orange custard pie with piped chocolate, orange curd, and…how should it be?

 

With a wobble in the middle. Okay. Blackberry custard for Rosie. Dark purple; why not? Helena’s adding purple food coloring, but not everyone’s that adventurous. David’s classic vanilla custard…that’s it. In the twenties, David says, they would…I don't know about their custard, so I’m doing fancy flapper custard. Flapper girl biscuits on custards. Actually, we get a Matt Lucas shout-out here. That’s interesting. I never…I didn’t pick that up when I watched it. When Matt Lucas turned thirty, Noel went to his birthday party. He dressed as a flapper girl. Interesting. Never felt so alive. Now David, you’re a shoe in if you punch them with flavor. He goes, oh, mine aren’t flavored. So, a lot of sequence of stuff. A lot of people mixing. They go to Michael’s. Tell us about your custard. Mango and lime ginger. Ginger in the pastry.

 

That’s a lot of ginger, Prue says. Yeah, mango, lime, ginger. Mango jelly disks, meringue kisses…so, most of them are not twenties-themed, though. I don't understand it, but maybe the flavors are. Something…I don't know. They’re talking about disks. I missed it. Then we go to Priya. Priya’s doing double duty. Two custards; a lemon custard and a raspberry custard. The raspberry is quite sweet. The lemon’s sharp and creamy. Lemon shortcrust, sliced fruit…takes it out of the oven. Everybody’s taking theirs out. Half an hour left. Noel’s gonna give people haircuts on their fringes. You gotta fill it to the brim. No shallow…nothing shallow, but don’t overfill it. Don’t spill it 'cause it’ll burn the edge. So, everybody’s trying to get theirs in the oven full of liquid without messing it up. Then Henry’s on his meringue.

 

A small window of time for your decorations. Bugsy…suckers…so, a lot of different decoration. Helena’s funny. Rosie’s making her flowers. They say, which animals are the most difficult? Rosie says, rabbits are tough to work with. It cracks Noel up. Rabbits are not my thing. Give me an angry stallion. Noel says, how about a crab who’s having a bad day? Okay, Henry’s working on a mirror glaze which is setting in the freezer. Michael says, Henry loves the mirror glaze. Henry groans. Nothing’s setting for him. My freezer dislikes me. Henry has a blue tie on. Okay, out of the oven…Steph’s come out, Michael’s come out. Still got some wobble. David’s waiting on his. Not baked yet. He’s a little worried. Michelle’s getting ready to blow-torch hers. David’s waiting. It’ll be quick. How much time? Ten minutes. Okay. Crunch time.

 

Then you gotta take them out of the tins. This is a delicate process, apparently. So, that’s another reason why I probably wouldn’t bake. So, yeah, then we have…Rosie’s doing hers and literally…she’s being very careful, but it shoots off the pizza peel onto the floor. To say Rosie’s deflated is a understatement…can’t salvage that. Henry tries to help, but…they say, just focus, everybody, but it’s crushing. Rosie’s like, that’s it. I’m going home. Five minutes left, and still decorations going on. Priya’s painting stars. David’s decorating…a really good artist, David is…flapper girls. People are putting their flowers or their decorations on. Helena’s getting her gorgon thing going, or her sea creature. A lot of beautiful designs. These are really pretty tarts. Overall I’d say…look at those figs. Holy cow.

 

Rosie’s jelly didn’t set, but still some popping colors. Time is up. Yeah, so, they set it down, see what’s up. Hugs go around. Who do we start with here, David? It looks like…from a French patissiere shop. Very professional. Neat on the outside. Look flirty, almost, Noel says. Base is the perfect custard amount. Well-cooked. They take a bite. That’s custard pie; silky, smooth, delicious. Paul pauses, reaches out…handshake. Impeccable. Perfection. Filled to the top…level. Holy cow. Could use a tiny bit more filling, maybe. Then they go to Michelle, or Michael. Sorry, Michael. Well done. Custard texture looks good. Lovely and silky. Michael’s trying to breathe. The ginger balance is perfect. Baked beautifully. Oh, just a little more custard in there. Well done, though. Beautiful pie. Wow. Thank you. Then we have Priya.

 

Oh dear, it looks like you boiled yours, they say. What happened? Oh, she also ran out of time on her decorations. It bubbled up or something. So you brought it out and then it sinks down. But tastes amazing, Paul says. Too bad, though. You boiled it. Then we have Alice; orange and custard. Prue takes a bite. Is there booze in there? Orange juice, orange zest, orange extract. Oh, don’t do the orange extract. It overwhelmed it. We have Steph; simplistic, but effective. Color looks okay…golden. The custard looks set. Flavor’s beautiful. Pastry’s fantastic; flaky, loose, delicious. Lots of citrus. Then we go to Michelle’s. Paul takes a bite. Getting any blueberry? I don't have any blueberry in there…taste. Too bad. Sugar top didn’t really work, but they do look neat. Thank you. We go to Henry. They look neat. Thick base, though.

 

Could have used more filling, less base. Paul…the flavor’s good, though. Lovely zing, Prue says. Over-baked and too little of it, though. Then we go to Helena. Hers looks amazing. The design’s incredible. Lovely color; lavender…but too much lavender. Oh, boy. A little bit soapy. Oh, god. Not bad. Not brilliant, but not bad. Then Rosie; lost my…one of my tarts on the floor. Okay, well, they look exquisite. Love the jellies. But they didn’t all make it on top. Some of them melted. Okay, not totally finished, but color’s…pastry’s damp. Not crisp. The matcha comes through. Not one of my favorite flavors, but fair enough. Love the blackberry. Flavor’s delicious. Then we do the talking heads. Rosie says, I despise custard. Henry says, it was thick, but I should have rolled it out more. David’s happy. Yeah, I got a handshake.

 

Michael’s happy for David. It’s alright so far, but technical…it’s always a disaster. We see a bird in the sky. Deep fat fryers for everybody, but other than that, it’s a mystery on their technical. Paul…or Noel skates out, kind of, or slides out. Any words for advice, Prue? Four basic skills of the challenge. You gotta get them all right. So, Paul and Prue, they’re gonna leave the tent, you lovelies. They’re going fracking. Okay, eighteen beignets souffles. Everyone looks at them. What? It’s a fried choux ball with raspberry jam. Crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside. Uniform in size and shape, served with a sabayon. A sabayon? What’s that, a souffle? What’s a souffle without a sabayon? Hour and a half…on your mark, get set, bake. Everyone’s groaning. Michelle’s like, I never heard of this.

 

Profiteroles, maybe, Helena says? There’s six instructions, Michael says. That’s it. Okay, 1920’s…these were popular then, Prue says. You gotta make choux pastry which shouldn’t be hard, but not many people have fried choux before. Usually you bake it. Then you gotta get perfect-sized balls and drop them in. Two-spoon method, Prue suggests. Quenelle-shaped, or something? There should be soft, stretchy dough, lots of air. The sabayon’s kind of like a custard you dip it in…and then the jam. Like a little cloud of flavor. Fantastic, light, airy beignet souffles with a perfect sabayon. Not much to ask, is it? Okay, then everybody’s trying to measure out…what’s ‘pat the choux’? Choux pastry, maybe? I kinda forgot what…how to make that. But everybody’s trying to figure that out. This is so hard.

 

Butter and water…shoot the flour and mix it in…but that’s what part of the choux is, maybe? You gotta cook it off and make it a paste and then cool it down before you add the eggs? ‘Cause you don’t want them to scramble. When do you put in the eggs? It looks like mashed potatoes. So, add the eggs bit by bit. Don’t want to shock it. Sandi says to Alice, hey, are you smiley? She goes, I have no idea what a choux should look like. Henry says it should drop, but mine’s not dropping nicely. Helena’s like, I think I have it right. Henry’s like, mine’s pipe-able. So, maybe let it sit, David says. I have no idea. Okay, three…pipe it into a spoon, an oiled spoon, and drop. Make eighteen balls. That’s so easy. 190…pipe your choux. Some people’s are runny, some people’s…but how do you make a ball out of a piped piece of choux?

 

So, people are experimenting. Most people are using a single-spoon method, putting it in the oil, seeing if it pops up…puffs up into something. But then you also have to cook both sides. Noel talks about the movie Face/Off. He goes, what if I…what if we did a switch? I was a vet and you were a stand-up comedian? There’d be some angry stallions. I don't know. They talk about it…so, then we got more frying. Some people’s are balls, some people’s are just pieces of fried dough. Crispy on the inside, soft on the inside. What? Henry…or David says, mine’s gross. It’s raw in the middle. Michael has to start again. His is too runny. We get a drone shot…Noel and Sandi are playing on old-fashioned walkie-talkies or kids’ walkie-talkies. No batteries. David’s trying to make his choux pastry again. So is David, I guess.

 

Steph’s making hers, frying her choux balls. Second batch for David’s looking the same as the first. Most people’s…Michael’s is still too soft. It won't hold together. He’s freaking out. Keep going, Michael. He wants to quit, almost, and leave the tent 'cause he can't get his to stay together. They say, maybe take a break, but he says, I can't. I can't do it anymore. But if I leave, I’ll just stop altogether. Noel says, why don’t you take a five-minute break? No, I’m gonna keep going. He goes, you’re gonna do it. They’re really encouraging. You can do this. Everybody’s counting out to make sure they have the right number, then you gotta make a jam. Nothing on the instructions. Just make a jam; berries, sugar, maybe.

 

People are temperaturing their jams, so you must have a jam…you’re supposed to make smooth jam, Steph says, so she sieves hers. Fifteen minutes…then sabayon. What’s a sabayon? A custard, maybe? Castor sugar, eggs, syrup, and masala. Whisk it together. Cook it in a double-boiler type of thing and get it to the ribbon stage. Some people are making it on the stove. Some people are making it in a double-boiler. Nice and thick you want it. Okay. Helena says, mine’s alright. Five minutes left. Michelle’s skipping and dancing. Everybody starts piping their jam into their choux balls. Scoot, you gotta…some people’s aren’t…it’s not easy…and trying to find eighteen of them. Some people don’t…I don't think everybody has eighteen. Then sprinkle with icing sugar. So, everybody’s trying to put theirs together.

 

This is not a easy one. Time’s up. Bring them to the table. Okay, so, perfectly-formed souffles filled with raspberry jam. Beautiful sabayon. So, they say, okay, where should we start? Okay, we start with this one. It’s Priya’s. They’re fairly round. They look light. Not bad filling. Structure’s there…and tastes good. Okay. Interesting sauce; not what we asked for. Then they go to Michelle’s. They look like potatoes. The color’s not bad. Doughy inside…plus, sabayon’s there. Then they go to Alice’s. Too dark. Texture’s good. Nice, light, and airy. Sabayon’s split, though. Then they go to Michael’s. A few issues…more like bellinis. No volume. The sabayon is very, very good, though. Then they go to Rosie’s. Color’s not bad; a little dark. Cooked through, though. Too much jam, but they taste okay.

 

Sabayon’s not whisked enough…split badly. Steph’s are all different sizes and shapes, but they’re baked all the way through. Too much jam. Flavor’s okay. David…they say, not a happy sight. They look like churros. They’re raw inside…not a sabayon. Helena’s; this doesn’t look bad. Nice color, aeration…too much…not too much jam. Delicious. Sabayon’s not good; split and thin. Henry; variety of colors. They are cooked on the inside. Structure’s good, but uneven. His is more like a heavy cream. Okay, so then they go from worse to best. David’s in last place…a fair disaster. Then Michael, then Michelle, then Alice, then Rosie, then Steph, Henry. Second place is Priya, and…don’t know what happened with her sabayon. In first place is Helena. Everybody cheers, hugs her. Your beignets were perfect.

 

Structure and jam was lovely. You did split your sabayon, so just barely scraped in. She says, I don't care. I’ll take it. Bless all the bakers…the talking heads. They all wanted me to win. They were all so happy. She takes hugs instead of handshakes. David says, I did good on one and terrible on another one. Michael’s really stressed. Then we see…yeah, these outside shots…more outside shots than we’ve…I’ve seen before or noticed before. So, he’s sitting on a bridge, then Steph and David are on a couch and Michael comes…or Steph and Henry, then Michael comes and sits with them. Then we get a couple boom shots, then we have the bakers walk into the tent again…nice day. Alright, this is the big one now. Table talk…David was flip-flopping. Handshake on the signature, last place in the technical.

 

Helena didn’t do well, but…then she’s first in the technical. Prue’s worried about Priya. She has to do something amazing. She didn’t do well. I’m not a baker, but when you say she boiled it…not a good thing. This challenge is really gonna be make-or-break. Michael’s been stressed. He’s doing alright though, but he’s…Paul says, what’s with the emotion? They say, oh, you’re so steely…alpha male, Paul. No emotion. Don’t you get a funny feeling when you like someone? He goes, oh, I thought that was a tummy-tum-tum. Okay, then we’re back to the tent. We get everybody’s heads…roaring twenties. Prohibition-era cake. So, prohibition…no alcohol. So, put the alcohol in the cake, eh? 1920s-themed two-tier cake based on your favorite cocktail…a visual spectacle of the era.

 

Twenties cocktail culture…four hours. On your mark, get set, bake. So, then everybody’s getting it prepping. It’s too quiet for Helena. Four hours to produce…you gotta think backwards, Paul says. How long is it gonna take to decorate? An hour? Maybe more? So, you gotta be out of the oven…plenty of time. Then Prue wants three things; a wonderful design, delicious cake, and the taste of a recognizable cocktail. Real men cry, #mantears, Michael says. Celebrate your chosen cocktails. Coconut extract, coconutty, pineapples, coffee, liqueur, caramel, cream. Most bakers are introducing alcohol drizzles, which cannot be added until the sponges are baked. So, everybody’s trying to get their cake batter in. They start with Michael. He’s doing a bramble; gin, lemon, blackberry trickling through it.

 

Hopefully they’ll be drizzling through the layers like a bramble. Brambling cake; creme de mure, buttercream, blackberries. Simple, elegant, but will I get it done? Let’s see. We got, whatever, two hours and forty-three minutes or something. Helena’s doing a cake from Bram Stoker’s adaptation…1922. Red velvet…they laugh at that. There’s also a fly on her head and they joke about that. It’s a kiss, Raspberry Kiss Cake, with vodka. Homemade raspberry vodka, vanilla, buttercream, cream cheese icing in-between the layers…is that a real cocktail? Prue says. Yeah, she says. It is. Have you ever had a kiss of a something or other? So, they joke back and forth. Oven’s at 180. Twenty-five minutes for Michael’s. Steph’s putting her sponges in. Rosie, Helena…into the oven. Alice is in front of hers. So much to do.

 

Fillings are another opportunity to supercharge your flavors, eh? Adding the booze, Henry is. So, yeah. Then Sandi wants to reenact the handshake with David. She goes, you went from hero to zero, huh? He goes, yeah. It was not great. But you know you’re more optimistic. Oh yeah, I could be optimistic. Amaretto sour cake…aromatic, amaretto-soaked, aromatic butters…bitters, buttercream. Says, yeah, I don't have…really drink alcohol. Then Michelle is going…I went with my sister at Liverpool. We had a wild weekend. Copious amounts of cocktails…and I made this cake. So, I made this cake for my sister. Dancing Queens Pina Colada Cake; coconut sponge, pineapple filling, coconut flakes, sprinkles and gold leaf, geode effect of the faultline. Prue says, I love coconut and pineapple. So does Michelle.

 

Michelle isn’t the only one; Priya’s also doing a pina colada style. Swiss mutter…other people are…Swiss something, buttercream…so, let’s see what we got. Alice is also doing a pina colada; rum sponges, coconut buttercream, art deco modelling, caramelized rum pineapple. So, hers is kinda like a pineapple upside-down-cake style? They say, Paul…or, Paul makes fun…gives Prue a hard time about the 1920s. They like that she’s doing something a little different. Even though a lot of people are doing pina coladas, there’s a lot of different twists on it. Steph is using…tin goods were all the rage in the twenties, obviously. So, her pineapple cake is using tinned pineapple, 'cause apparently that gets a better curd, canned pineapple juice.

 

So, Sour Lime Pina Colada Cake; Swiss meringue, buttercream, candy shards. She goes, I’ve sat on a sunbed in the sea in one of those all-inclusive hotels. Then, let’s see what we got. Alice taking her cakes out…everybody’s cakes are either in the oven or coming out. Henry’s making some strong coffee liqueur. The strongest coffee in the world…well, wait rose…White Russian Cake; coffee buttercream, hazelnut praline. So, The Dude would like that cake. But he’s doing a 1920’s tower. Rosie’s trying to flip her cakes now that they’re out of the oven. She’s also doing a White Russian Cake. Totally different, though; chocolate ganache, vodka, Swiss meringue buttercream, and…it’s a lot to do. Hope you pull it off. You need to, Prue says to her. She says, I better be brilliant. That’s what they meant.

 

Then Noel says, Sandi, me and you are gonna have a sack race. So, I’ll give you a head start. They’re halfway through. Stuff’s still coming out. People are testing their cakes to make sure they’re done, painting their cakes, make sure they taste good. Don’t want to be…you don’t want to have a soggy, unstable sponge, and you want to be able to taste the alcohol but not too much. It could be dry and…too much, not too little. Yeah, so everybody’s, whatever, drizzling their cakes. Sandi tries Helena’s raspberry vodka right from the bottle. She says, holy cow. She goes, I’m gonna go lie down for a while. I’ll be back. Priya’s has no alcohol, so that’s what I would have to do. It’s a Mina Colada Cake; passion fruit sponge, coconut buttercream. So, it’s a mocktail. Priya’s like, I gotta do well, otherwise I’m definitely out. One hour left.

 

Noel has a fake cocktail, turns it upside-down…people are trying to decorate and stack their layers and make it look nice. Dark chocolate ganache…somebody…oh yeah, so people are frosting their cakes. Priya’s talking about kids and watching her…who is that Ewok and that polar bear and the glamorous posh lady? They’re talking about the pina colada cakes, Paul and Prue. It’s gonna be interesting. Who’s gonna do the best bake? Be interesting…most 1920’s design. All down to the showstopper. Everybody wants to do well. They want them to do well. We could judge it from here, which would make it difficult. We see the tent. Sandi’s got wings on. Cakes are wobbling…trying to check their stabilities. Henry’s worried. His cake almost fell down.

 

Alice is trying to assemble her cake without it falling apart 'cause she had that bad luck earlier. She gets it layered on, but it looks a mess, she says. I think it looks very 1920s, my opinion, but…so, tiers are getting assembled. Now you gotta decorate. It’s very hot now; everybody’s talking about it. Buttercream’s melting. People are shaking. David’s calm, though. Do you get flustered? You know it’s gonna be fine? David says, well, I can't change it now. Paul says, you’re like the Dalai Lama. Go chat with Michael, 'cause he gets stressed. This is Henry’s first tiered cake and maybe his last. We see an iron owl. Ten minutes left. People are still doing piping and decorating and drawing, and, yeah, trying to get everything assembled; putting gold on, piping flowers, putting drizzles on…candy on there.

 

Steph has to help Henry 'cause his workstation’s a bit of a mess. Priya’s making kinda stained glass windows. David’s fancying his up. He said, I’m just doing extras. Time is up. Rosie’s kinda freaked out. But it’s time for the judgement of Paul and Prue. We see everybody’s cake. We start with Michael’s cake. It’s actually really neat. Original, nicely done, and it’s stark 'cause you got blackberries, black icing, white icing. Piping’s good. Michael breathes. Your drizzle didn’t quite drizzle through the layers of the cake. Looks more like a smudge, but I like the sponge. Too bad we don’t have that fruit coming through. But you got the color, just not the flavor. But nice cake. Then we have Helena’s cake. They say…it’s such a mixture of sinister and pretty, Prue says. She says, that’s me. Everybody laughs. But I don't like the outside of it.

 

Piping doesn’t work. I think that was Paul. A very red cake…they take a couple bites. Henry’s crossing his fingers for Helena, but it’s bland inside and dry. No vodka. Henry’s outraged at that. But if you shut your eyes, it’s a sponge cake. Then we go to Henry’s; elegant, dramatic, very twenties. Prue likes that. His fingers are even more crossed for himself, obviously. Lovely flavor. A little dry. Okay, but structure and design is good. Thank you. We have Rosie’s cake. Say, this is interesting cake. It’s got this mirror glaze and it’s thick ganache. Paul says, wow, that’s not…it’s like a chocolate bar, the ganache, and Prue can taste the alcohol. Like the sponge. Flavors are beautiful, but the thickness on the outside of the cake…otherwise it’s a really good cake. Not perfect, but…then we have David.

 

His cakes are a little bit dropped in, but they say, geez, this naked cake look is good. Nice and lemony. Good flavor. Buttercream’s grainy, though. Paul does not like that. It should be silky smooth. Sponge is baked well, though. Then they go to Alice; okay, drawing is not good on the…could be neater. There’s nice pieces of pineapple in there. It’s just a bit clumsy having the pieces in there. It could be fantastic. It’s a good cake, but could be fantastic. Then Priya goes. They say, yours looks half-decorated. It’s rushed. Nice flavor. More passion fruit, maybe. Overall, the cake’s nice, but the fondant’s too thick. Then Steph is up. If this is supposed to be a pina colada cake, it looks like one. Let’s see how it tastes. The knife just drops right through. Is that good or bad? We don’t know. Looks appetizing. I like the colors. Love the lime sponge.

 

It’s delicious. I’ve never had anything like it, and that’s a first for me. It really works…clever. Thank you, Steph. Michelle goes and she…Prue says, the cake’s interesting. It’s pretty but it’s overthought…too many concepts at once. The layers don’t match. So, they take a slice. Sponges are nice and equal. The texture’s nice. Shaving…flakiness of the coconut doesn’t work in the cake, though. It’s too dry. Lack of flavor. A smaller cake with more pineapple and no coconut…but more full flavor. Then she says, that couldn’t have gone worse. I feel like I was getting in trouble at school. Rosie says, I don't know what’s gonna happen to me. She said it wasn’t perfect. Priya wants to stay for another week, but it could be the end of the dream. Helena says, normally the showstopper saves me, but I did…I don't know.

 

I hope it’s enough. We see a stream, we see fish in the stream…we go to table talk. Okay, who’s the top of the pack? Steph. Steph’s in good shape; a consistent baker. Good week…lime knocked out. Henry did a decent job. Flavors were good. Elegant cake for Henry. David’s great decoration…artistic…he backed his style up with substance. Who’s in trouble? Well, there’s a lot of trouble. Michelle, Helena, Priya, Rosie. At this point, when you look over all three challenges, there’s two people falling away. I say, okay. We see everybody’s heads…waiting. They say, okay, unfortunately I got the wonderful job of announcing a person who’s Star Baker. The person who’s won Star Baker is Steph. So, Steph puts her hands over her face. She says, again? There’s two of you this week. Two more people are going home.

 

There’s two people going home; holy cow. So, that’s a rough one. Sandi has to announce it, and it’s Michelle and Helena. They’re kinda…everybody’s kinda shocked, I think particularly Helena. Michelle was like…geez, no surprise, she says to Prue. I’m happy I got to Week 5. I got to be Star Baker. I’m bringing that geode cake to Extra Slice. But it’s been emotional and I made a lot of good friends. Friends for life, yeah. Helena…also, sorry we had to get rid of your sister, Noel. But she says, I’m okay about it. I had an amazing time. Learned I can take criticism and laugh with it, which I’ll make positive, so I carry on.

 

Priya’s like, holy cow, I dodged it, man. A cat with nine lives. Rosie and her really hug it out. Rosie was like, I thought I was gone. So, how do I come to terms with that? She says, I don't even understand. Prue said, I was really close. Alice lifts up Steph and swings her around. Steph’s Star Baker two weeks running. She doesn’t know how good she is, Prue says. Steph says, I feel like I’m in the middle of the road, so it feels a bit weird. She’s chewing her finger. I’m speechless. Like, what? At a loss for words. That’s the conclusion of the episode. It ends there, and yeah, another relaxing episode of the Great British Bake Off. Goodnight, everybody.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

(Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes)