1479 – Bread Week | Great British Bake You Off to Sleep S12/C9 E3

Episode 1479 – Bread Week | Great British Bake You Off to Sleep S12/C9 E3

 

SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, hello, bakers. Oh no, wait, this is not a Bake-Off episode. I guess it could be, though. Who’s saying I…who said I couldn't make a Bake-Off intro? I don't think anybody did. So, hello, bakers. It’s time for Sleep With Me, the podcast that’s here to put you to sleep. Tonight we’ll be talking eventually about the Great British Bake Off baking show, but it could take quite some time to get there, because this show is about meandering, it’s about friendly banter that does…barely makes any sense. It’s about a calm, comforting distraction in the deep, dark night. Maybe we bring you some sleepy joy and delight. It’s about me being here for you.

 

So, I’m glad you're here. If you're new to the show, it is a very, very different podcast, and that’s I guess intentional and just natural. I’m naturally very, very, very different. Maybe you are, too, and maybe knowing that’s a good thing that both of us are, maybe that makes you feel welcome here, that I am a bit different. I’m a bit just different than other people. Not perfectly…don't like me get that unique…don't let me over-unique myself. Speaking of which, I’d like to visit a few unique areas. That’s a new thing. Instead of a park, it’s a unique area. This podcast exists in a unique area, too, though. It’s not here to directly put you to sleep, but it’s not here to be listened to, either, and that’s what takes some getting used to, having a podcast that’s just a friend in the deep, dark night.

 

So, see how it goes. Most regular listeners say, hey, it took two or three tries for me to get used to this podcast. So, if you're new, see what happens. What we got coming up is support so that paying for the show is optional, then a long, meandering intro meant to ease you into bedtime, and then later on to put you to sleep I’ll be talking about Great British Bake Off baking show off to sleep, Episode 3, I believe, in the series we're doing right now. So, I’m really glad you're here, and welcome. If you're here night after night after night, we could really use your support to be here for you and everybody else. So, consider these messages or checking out one of these sponsors. Thanks.

 

Intro: 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, whether those are thoughts on your mind, thoughts about the past, the present, the…think…thoughts that are thinking or thinking…thoughts that just appear at bedtime. I don't know…no offense to my great ideas or my not-so-great ideas, but they always seem to appear…say, what was that idea I just had? During the day that happens. I say, that was a great idea. So, my great ideas are a bit more like vapor, and my not-so-great ideas or my persistent ideas, they tend to make an appearance right at bedtime.

 

They say, yeah, well, you know what they say about the persistence of memory. Actually…well, you are…how come I’m not as persistent as my persistent memory, which is not particularly persistent at remembering things? You're just…here's a nice compliment for you, though it doesn't help me sleep; you are very persistent. So, there is…I've always…these are the opportunities we have to discover ourselves, right? I never consider myself a persistent person. I mean, unless it was really important to me. But I say, wow, my thoughts at bedtime…thoughts are persistent. My feelings…I don't know if anything…feelings come up for you at bedtime. They could be related to those thoughts, they could just be persistent feelings or feelings about something you're going through, you're getting over, you're in the middle of, or you have coming up. All those seem to persist. Yeah, I know. If I try to resist, I can't…they do persist. But I say, at bedtime? That’s what the show is really about. We’ll get there.

 

But it could be thoughts, feelings, physical sensations related to the thoughts or feelings, or you have thoughts and feelings about your physical sensations or all three, it could be changes in time, temperature, routine, work schedule, you could be in the middle of something, you could be getting over something, maybe you're traveling, maybe you have guests. I don't know, maybe you work a bit of a different schedule or a lot different schedule or your schedule just changed, you're in the middle of something tough, you have something tough coming up, or you just got through something tough or something really good or that you have expectations about. Whatever it is, the only reason I list any of that stuff is so you get the sense you're not alone and you're not alone with it being tough and it getting in the way of the sleep that we want, we need, and we don't seem to have control over, at least the same control that other people do, that it’s not…that it just doesn't come just like it does for other people.

 

That’s what I’m here to try to help with, but I want you to know that there’s so many people listening right now that are also here to welcome you, and welcome you in a indirect way and to let you know, yeah, they've been through something similar or something different, but they can relate to whatever it is that brought you here, and that they're rooting for you, and in the most kind, rebellious way possible, they are sending you kindness, because they don't…they may not know you, but they know what their relationship with sleep is like, right, and that they wouldn't wish that on anybody, or that they just want to get to sleep tonight 'cause they have something, and they've been there, right, or someplace similar. I don't know, that’s like the shared part of the show, and it’s very…I think a rare thing nowadays to have this shared sense of kindness and comfort that’s also indirect and it’s…it comes with very little expectations.

 

We're just all here together and spread out at the same time, because we’ve all been in this place — and maybe it looks a little bit different for everybody — where it doesn't feel so good and not everybody in our life, even the people that really care about us, can understand. Maybe we can't even understand it, and we’ve tried and tried and tried. The more we try and try and try…well, you know how it goes if you're here. So, this is the only time in the show I really point it all out so that you say, huh, maybe I can let my shoulders down a little bit here. Maybe I can breathe a little bit easier here. Maybe I am among friends. Maybe this is the right place here, 'cause I know I’m welcome here and that other people get it, and that…I'm gonna tell you, and other listeners are nodding along; you deserve a bedtime where you could get the rest you need, not just so your life is more manageable tomorrow but so that you get the rest you need on a regular basis so you could be out there in the world living your life, flourishing.

 

Our world is a better place with you in it, and you deserve a bedtime you don't have to dread, a bedtime without rigmarole, that you could either look forward to or at least feel neutral about. That’s what I’m kinda here to attempt to provide. So, that’s what I mean when I say I’m glad you're here and that other people are glad you're here. You could feel that comfort, you could receive it, you can give it, or you could just watch it floating on the sky like some sort of northern lights and fog and nice clouds combined together. So, see how it goes. The way this show works is I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, and superfluous tangents. So, I go off topic, then I get mixed up, then I forget what I was talking about, then I repeat myself or I talk about something else, and I use a lot of filler words and I don't make a whole lot of sense. I’m not exactly funny and…it’s different than what you would expect for a sleep podcast.

 

When most people get here…and I don't know if this is your experience right now if you're new…that you're skeptical, you're doubtful, maybe you're even a little frustrated or disappointed, because you…maybe you were searching for something to help or someone recommended the show, and you had understandably a reasonable expectation of what a sleep podcast would be, and this show is really not anything like it, right? So, you're like, what is this? I was looking…I thought this was a sleep podcast, but you're just rambling. So, that’s a understandable way to get here. I would be skeptical and doubtful, too, and frustrated, because I’ve tried tons of different stuff throughout my entire lifetime to help me sleep, and nothing ever consistently helped. Other than now having a bedtime routine, nothing worked regularly for me. That’s why I ended up making this show thirteen, fourteen years ago, because I was like, how come there isn't something that’s in-between the serious stuff and the stuff we repurpose?

 

So, if you've been looking for something, just give the show a few tries and see what happens. Most regular listeners, people that support the show now on a monthly basis, said, when I first got here, I didn't like the show. Then on the second try I was like, I don't know about this show. But then on the third try I realized, oh, he’s always going nowhere. Oh, he always does never make sense. Yeah, all of a sudden…I didn't know some pod…a podcast like this could exist or help me, but now that I listen I realize I’ve been looking for this my whole life. So, just try it and see how it goes. If it doesn't work out or you already know right now for sure it’s not gonna work out, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou…that’s a website I have set up. It has other sleep podcasts and sleepy stuff on there because everything I said up to this point is still true. Like, I still…you still deserve a good night's sleep, and we’ve all been there.

 

So, we're still wishing you well, even if you don't like me at all. That’s totally cool. You just check out another sleep podcast and see what works. The other thing that takes some getting used to about this podcast other than me and the style of the show is the fact that it’s a podcast, and if you're a regular podcast listener or you listen to other stuff, the idea that this is something you kind of listen to…you could listen to but you don't need to, that does take a little bit of getting used to. Not too much, though. So, this is kinda like an out-of-focus picture or sand passing through your hands, a TV on in the other room or a show streaming under your pillow, clouds in the sky or like a breeze in the trees, someone like a roommate or a friend that just goes on and on and on, and you have a problem paying attention to them after a while. But at the same time it’s kinda soothing and relaxing, like nice water passing through your toes or a professor or a seminar or a presentation or something you can't quite stay awake for.

 

It’s something like that, particularly times you've repurposed things that are just not interesting to you, but they're interesting enough to offer that…I don't know, that level of comfort and active background noise or whatever it is. I’ve done it my whole life…that quiets something else down and distracts us from whatever it was that was keeping us awake or whatever it was running, run, running, you know? So, it’s a podcast you don't really listen to. It’s also a sleep podcast that I’ve been making since 2013…2013…2013 — I guess you could say it either way — that’s not here to put you to sleep. This is a sleep podcast where there is no pressure to fall asleep. I’m gonna be here over an hour, so you don't have to fall asleep in twenty minutes or thirty minutes. There’s over 600 episodes in the free, ad-supported, listener-supported version ready to go, so even as you become a regular listener, you’ve got plenty of stuff to listen to and to choose from, 'cause there’s no pressure to fall asleep.

 

I’m here to keep you company while you fall asleep, to be your distraction, maybe sleepy joy and delight, maybe comfort. I don't know, maybe to offer you some space. Or if you…'cause the thing is, there’s people listening who can't sleep at all or who are waking up or who need a break during the day, whether they can't sleep at all 'cause of the long-term or what they're in the middle of right now or they need something to listen to at work or whatever. I’m here for them. I’m here to the very end whether you're awake or asleep, whether you're listening to me or not. That’s one of the things that just seems to work about the show, knowing you could listen to me, but you don't need to, and that I’m just here to keep you company, 'cause my job is not to put you to sleep.

 

It’s to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your neighbore, your borebie, your boreman, your bores, your Boris Borelaf, your chairman of the boreds, your Big Borebowski, your best bore-friend f’eva, and just like a real friend would hang out with you and help you fall asleep when you're having a tough time, that’s what your bore-friend does. I can just do it on a more regular basis. But all those things take getting used to. Then the last thing that takes getting used to if you're new is the structure of the show. But we structure the show in a way to benefit the most amount of people it can. But the great thing about podcasts is it is pretty adjustable. So, the show starts off with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, so you feel seen and welcomed in or you get that familiar refrain if you're a regular listener. You say, oh, okay, I’m in the right spot, or I could check this podcast out.

 

Then there’s sponsors and listener…requests for listener support because it does take a lot of work to make the show, but also because then anybody can find the show who needs it and keep listening to it when they need it, and that is the maximum amount of people that it can benefit. If you decide you don't like ads or something, you can get that. There’s a bunch of different ways you'll hear…to get that. But for most people, they just listen to the show linearly and it works out. So, then after the support is an intro, which is a show within a show totally separate from the support that’s usually around twenty minutes long where I try to introduce what the podcast is, I follow a familiar structure every time, but I also get mixed up every time, or I go off topic, and that means that every intro…it gives you a sense of some reassurance; okay, this is…I don't know. You're used to it, but every intro is different 'cause whatever it is with me, something familiar helps but something repetitive does not help.

 

My parts of me that keep me awake, which I call my brainbots, they’ll start to point out, okay, there’s the rain on the tent again, and then there’s gonna be a zipper, and then it’s gonna loop, or that’s that same…I don't even think that part of me is ever even right. Oh, that’s the same bird squawking. No, I don't think it actually…then it’ll want to debate me, right? So, having every intro new, I don't know, I just found it helps with that. Now, the reason the intro goes on for twenty minutes is because it’s not meant to put you to sleep. If for some reason you fall asleep fast or you listen all night long or you just don't like the intros, I got great news for you. One, if you do any of those things and you could support the show on Sleep With Me+, that’d be amazing. But we also have another version of the podcast without intros, Bedtime Stories from Sleep With Me. Particularly if you want…if you just want the stories, it’s a great option, and that’s in every podcast app, too.

 

But for most listeners and from my personal experience, having a wind-down routine and having the intro be a part of that wind down makes a big difference in getting…for me it works sixty, seventy percent of the time. So, you could be…there’s listeners getting ready for bed, brushing their teeth or brushing their hair, washing their face. There’s people winding down, petting their pets, looking out the window, journaling, doodling, using coloring books or whatever as this intro goes on, and there’s people getting comfortable, whether they're stretching or they're in bed getting settled down. ‘Cause the intro is kinda the tail end of the sleepover where we’re all together, we’re all hanging out, and we know sleep’s coming, but we like to have this together time. Or you could use…the show is also individual. I don't know, have a buffer between being awake or asleep. Never has it worked for me that it’s just like, I close my eyes and things turn off.

 

So, that’s why the intro goes on and on and on, and that’s why it’s not really designed to put you to sleep fast. If it does, great, but please…I don't know, maybe…I don't know. Most people…I guess my point is don't fall asleep fast. So, yeah, this intro is meant to ease you into bedtime. Then we’ll have some support and then we’ll have our coverage of the Great British Bake Off here not too long from now. All told, I’ll be here about a hour, and I’m really glad to be here. I work really hard. I yearn and I strive. I really want to help you fall asleep. So, thank you for coming by. A lot of people love working on this podcast 'cause we love helping people out that are stuck in the deep, dark night. If you come back night after night, year after year, you fall asleep fast, please consider checking out these sponsors or supporting the show so we can continue to be here for you and all the other listeners who are new, who just discovered the show, who can't support the show, or…so it can be out there for people in the future to discover just like you did. Thanks.

 

Alright everybody, Scoots here. It’s time to return to Bake-Off. What are we on? Episode 3, Collection 9, Series 4, maybe? Episode 3, Bread Week, the week that all the bakers dread because it involves bread, I think just because Paul’s a expert on bread. Alright, this starts off with Noel and Matt. They're fish or they're fishing. I guess I gotta start playing, 'cause my notes are so illegible. I thought I was gonna be able to do…I don't know, I’ve been trying different ways to make this as sleepy as possible, but…I was just gonna try to read through it, but that’s not gonna work, so let’s go to the tape. Bread Week. Alright, the tape is started and we are running here. Yeah, they're fishing. Noel and Matt are fishing with bread, using sourdough, but it’s in a kiddie tub. It’s fake fish; don't worry. The fish are talking about…that the bread is over-proved. Then we go to the preview for this week. We can see that everybody’s a little concerned. Preview of bread-making, oven-watching, and things.

 

Then we get the talking heads. Giuseppe’s feeling good. Noel and Prue are in stripes, different stripes, but…well, not complimentary. Not…well, they both look good in stripes. We’ll say that. Lord Loaf, they call Paul, and then they sing a loaf-based song that’s very entertaining. Then they talk about…they're gonna make focaccia…irregular crumb structure. Finally a bread I could relate to with the irregular crumb. I did not know that. Outside; crusty, inside is supposed to be soft. It does take a lot of liquid to make a…to make one of these loaves, and you gotta poke holes all the way to the bottom, by the way, I think after the second prove. You're gonna think it’s too much water; it’s not. Poke little dimples, as Prue says, and then you can introduce flavors. Let’s see, the first fact we want to look up is where Giuseppe’s from, which is…his home town is Gaeta, Italy. Oh, he’s also making his bread with milk. Paul says, with milk? Let’s do the facts at the end, I guess. What?

 

Both Paul and Prue…Maggie is gonna use sundried tomatoes and olives, which sounds delicious to me. That’s a very classic focaccia. We want a strong bread flavor. Now, Lizzie’s going…I forget…posh, I guess, with truffle oil and garlic confit. Great piece of alliteration; final furlong, which made me look up Final Countdown. Then I messed up this guy’s name, so I was calling him something different in my notes. But we’ll find out his real name. But he’s making kipper and boiled-egg focaccia. They're like, a kipper-caccia. Like a kipper-caccia? I don't know, man. Jurgen is his name. Jurgen is his name; baking up until…the last…being Star Baker was his game. More liquid…it’s gonna be sticky. Amanda’s gonna make a meze. So, it’s got olives, feta, something else. I’m not sure what that is. Chasing Grainbows; that’s pretty funny. That’s what she’s naming it, 'cause it’s gonna be…it’s very not mixed together. Everything’s…so that she’s like, everybody can take what they like.

 

If they don't like feta, they don't like cucumbers, they don't like olives…now, how long to you…how long do you first prove for? It’s a great question. Some people; thirty, some people; forty-five, some an hour. Everybody's setting their alarms, and there’s jokes. Their counters, whatever you want to call them…George, he’s making a Greek-inspired…but he didn't use all his water. So, smartly he decides to remake…after Paul notes that, he decides to remake his dough, 'cause Paul and Prue both make faces about it, 'cause they had already probably done their interviews. Be like, if they don't use a lot of water, they're gonna be in trouble. Good move, Rochica. She’s going roast garlic, lots of herbs. Then we go into everybody's prove check. It’s time to shape the dough. Don't overdo it. How long for your second prove, right? Forty-five minutes? I don't know. Thirty minutes? How much time do you have to prove it? Freya’s is interesting. This is…she’s doing a fajita-flavored focaccia.

 

Holy…somebody get Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer on the phone. Fearless Flyer Freya fajita focaccia. Faff, she says. So, I’m faffing around. She also mentions that Noel looks like Wally, which us in the US would say, no, that’s Waldo. But where’s Wally? ‘Cause he’s wearing a striped sweater, red-and-white stripes, and he returns later with glasses and a hat. Great job on production there. Crystelle is doing a roast grapes focaccia. Why not? She said she tasted them somewhere and she said, what a great flavor. Chigs is doing cheesy chorizo, cheesy chorizo focaccia, which is interesting. Invisible something from Matt…toppings and dimples. Let’s see what this invisible…I think there’s a floating thing in front of Matt. I don't know. Noel’s laughing. So, yeah, there’s laughter. That’s the good thing about the show; always something to laugh about. So, you make your dimples, you put your toppings. Dimples gotta go all the way to the bottom to make them stick.

 

George is working on his second bread, so he’s gonna be…he’s like, I gotta put it in…I gotta jump early. Everybody’s watching their ovens. I also made a note that I now have…well, now I have three songs that I could do about faffing. So, if you're a fan of the show and you want me to start doing parody songs…talk about going full circle. We have Counting Crow…or, not…yeah, Counting Crows or is it somebody else? Faffing around. I’m just faffing around. Then had a faff…big and strong. Turn around; now my faffing’s gone. Then the…I guess I didn't even realize this one, the Final Faffdown. The Faffing…Faff, Faff, Faffdown. Maybe just do that, faff, faff, faffdown. Okay, so everybody's starting to take their stuff out of the oven. George’s still in the oven 'cause he’s…second bread. One final touch. It’s one minute. We get done there. The good news for George is he has to go first, but they say, yours is good. It’s packed, it’s lovely. Could have used even a bit more water.

 

But what a dodge, 'cause he would have been in a bit of a pickle, you know? Maggie…soft on the top. Decent. I don't know, decent…if you want decent right…they like the flavor, but…there’s a candle burning for hers. I don't know if it’s 'cause it’s traditional like an Italian restaurant. But they don't like the soft on top. Yeah, they like the thyme, but…decent. Freya; smells great. Well-baked. Texture’s nice. What a great idea, right? Well-baked. Very relieved. Didn't want it to be over-spiced. It wasn't over-spiced. Rochica…garlic focaccia, tomato, feta, and pesto. This looks like right up my alley. It looks really nice. A little scorched, they say. Too much garlic. Texture’s okay, but too much garlic. Would have pushed it in, put it on top and then pushed it in. Then they make a bunch of jokes about Noel after dark. Amanda; over-baked. So, they say, yeah, it’s a little over-baked. Prue prefers it scattered around, like instead of being everything separate, but all the ingredients together. Chigs; over-baked.

 

Flavors are lovely. So, nothing…and then Crystelle. It needs to be thicker. It’s a open structure. Just too thin, annoyingly thin. But great combination of flavors. Fresh 'cause of the grape. Unusual. Then we have Lizzie; nice top. It does look like a nice top. Fairly equal. Paul takes a bite. I’m watching him. Lizzie makes a face. Good flavor. Soft, crisp on the outside. Maybe a little bit more irregular structure. Fantastic flavor, color, but can't fault it much. Jurgen; over-baked and more proving, less baking. Too tight, man. So, Jurgen, the first time…Giuseppe; really nice, soft, proved correctly, not over…didn’t go overboard on the flavors. They really think about it. They got the focaccia structure. He gets a Hollywood…he gets the old Hollywood handshake. Beautifully light focaccia. Get a mouthful of everything in every bite. Beautiful. Well done. Handshake…Giuseppe gets tears, he’s so stunned. Then we go to the talking heads, right? We see a woodpecker, some flowers.

 

Okay, so next up is our hidden gingham challenge. Paul and Prue are gonna leave the tent. This one’s by Paul, because of course…but Paul says, be careful on how you add the filling. I thought it was chia batter, but it’s ciabatta batter. Ciabatta batter…ciabatter. Ciabatta…maybe they don't even say ‘batter’. Ciabatter. Chia batter. Chiabatter. I don't know why I heard chiabatter. Ciabatta, ciabatter. Anyway, olive-and-cheese ciabatta breadsticks with tzatziki sauce. Oh boy, I love that…I've never had breadsticks with tzatziki. I mostly just had it with flatbreads. So, alright, tzatziki. Thought about…I don't know why the movie…oh, Noel says, what’s real or what’s a dream? So, I thought about the movie…about the dream movie, Inception. Then I said, oh, ciabatta, not chia batter, Scooter. It’s a soft, open dough, as Paul says. Really nice breadsticks that Paul makes. It made me look up stuff about the Olive Garden, too. If you do it wrong it’s gonna flop. It’s a soft dough. Keep the air in. Gotta be careful.

 

You want that ciabatta…be able to tear it apart like ciabatta, man, and it’s gotta be full of cheese and olives. Hopefully Giuseppe can do it, but Giuseppe’s…then they go…Giuseppe’s like, I’ve never made this before. 600 grams of water, 750 flour…oh golly gosh, someone says. Jurgen’s slapping his dough. Chopped or whole olives, people are debating back and forth. Should I do chopped olives, should I do whole olives? Lizzie says something I can't quite identify, so I’m gonna try to get to it here in the tape. This task is a waste of time, Matt says. Contemplating chopping the olives…Freya…then it’s just catching up with us. Thick as a breadstick. Yeah, if they're too thick…I don't know. Okay, Lizzie says, huh, are you alright? Oh, troll boogies; okay. I was like, what did she say? She says, this dough is like troll boogies, which is like the things in troll nostrils. Okay, how long do we prove for, twenty, sixty? Then Noel comes in as Wally. You gotta drain the cucumbers. Maggie forgot her olives.

 

You gotta figure out proving versus getting your food done, pacing it. Now, Giuseppe…they say, Giuseppe, who’d you learn to cook from? He talks about his dad cooking for the family. Now people are starting to make their sticks. Then you gotta do a second prove in a bag after you make your breadsticks. Okay, so how long should we cook it for? What temperature? 120. Well, I think Paul put 120 degrees. So, is that twenty minutes or twelve minutes? Put them all in the oven, some in the oven? Long…short bake, long prove? Long bake, short prove? Was Paul giving us a clue on the last challenge or not? I don't know. We’ll find out. Long prove, short bake, Crystelle goes for. Fifteen minutes left. 220 degrees. Everybody's like, I don't know, is that gonna be the right temperature or not? Time, time, time, see what…you know, not thyme with a Y, though. But…oh, also Noel tosses a piece of dough at Crystelle. I was like, what are you doing, man? That’s not polite.

 

Makes it seem like it was Jurgen, but…so, everybody's shaping theirs. Then we…are we done? Is that…? Everything goes in the oven, tastes good. Oh yeah, so, we go to the judging next. Judging blind. George is up first. Okay, it’s like a little bit…tastes good. Tears nicely. Freya…better…yours is better than George’s. Nice layer of olives. Chigs’ has a lot of air, but it lost its shape. I also like how they're stacked. But, okay, so Chigs’ lost his shape. There’s too much air. Maggie; too small, rigid, tight, no onions. Then Amanda; shape’s good. Needed longer in the oven. Then we have Rochica; pale, flat, and seems like…I think Prue even kisses hers. They're just not done. Paul goes through them all like they're pieces of leather, not very nicely either, I would say. I don't even think they eat them 'cause they weren't in the oven long enough. Then Jurgen; not the right…not consistent size. The flavor’s nice, though. Does he have no onion, either? Okay, Lizzie; they…let me rewind it, actually. Sorry. Okay, it’s holding its shape.

 

Structure is better. Nice, strong. I like that one. Crystelle, underdone. Oh, this is the one she kisses. Raw…it doesn't…it’s not cooked enough. So, they're really cheeky with Crystelle and Rochica. Then they go to Giuseppe’s. Twisted, okay, but I like that, I guess. It’s effective. Nice color. Alright, you could taste the crunch. Caramelized on the outside. Okay, this is gonna be interesting. Rochica is ten. Crystelle; nine. Maggie; eight. George; seven, then Chigs, Jurgen, Freya, Amanda, Lizzie, and Giuseppe in first. So, after that we go back to the talking heads. Everybody goes back to the tent. It’s cool 'cause everybody’s in sweatshirts and jackets and pants, at least initially. Okay, so, who’s not in great shape as we go through the talking heads? George, Rochica, Maggie, Chigs…Giuseppe in great shape. Kissed a loaf. What for? Oh, Paul says what for? So, the talking heads is looking like…I don't know, I was definitely misdirected by this whole…the wrap-up part. So, don't ask me.

 

But yeah, Chigs is in the middle, I guess. Giuseppe; doing good. He’s got a nice, little headband there or something to hold his hair out of the way. Can't believe you kissed a bread. They're all laughing about it. Never kissed a loaf. A muffin, have you ever kissed a muffin or a croissant? So, they're really having a great time. Okay, so this one is a display of milk bread, a 3D display. This is the showstopper, obviously. Themed 3D display of milk bread. So, it’s gotta be soft, light, and tender, slightly sweet, visually strong, smooth milk. Freya’s using coconut milk powder, I think. Maggie’s…so, we go to the people…who’s going…doing what? Maggie’s doing a seaweed octopus…like under-the-sea style one. She doesn't…she thinks that there’s…there’s a disagreement about how many appendages — it’s just funny — a octo has. So, they have a laugh at that. Amanda and Freya are also doing under the sea. Oh yeah, so, she’s using a vegan coconut milk.

 

I mean, I always think…at least at this one competition, Freya should be…I mean, I’m not…I would rank her in the top three. Yeah. Top four, maybe. I mean, definitely. But the fact that she’s making vegan should jump her up to like, two, because every time they're like, this is great. Don't over-mix it. Then they go to Jurgen, and he’s making a baby…they're like, baby-food style? You're doing a baby-food style one? What? Like…oh, a baby toy, too. Prove you can. Yeah, and then…oh, Prue's like, I don't know about that. He goes, well, you can eat the toys. They're gonna be stuffed with stuff. So, they have a lot of jokes about that. How long are you gonna prove it for? Ninety minutes, at least one person is. So, Freya’s got…let’s see. Oh, Freya also…to try to see who’s stronger, Freya or Noel. But Noel seems very tall, which gives him more of like a lever, 'cause doing an arm competition…Jurgen is very loud with his bread-making, which is interesting. So, Jurgen and the baby food business.

 

Baby on board, as the Simpsons would sing, or when they were in a barbershop quartet. George is doing a koala, a 3D standing-up koala. Most people are doing laying down, not vertical. He said, yeah, this did not work the other times I tried it. So, good luck then, bud, they say. You gotta stagger your breaks. A lot of people are using Post-it notes. Crystelle is doing a Sunday-roast-themed bread display, which like…huh, that’s a pretty good idea. Sunday-roast-themed bread display. Lizzie’s doing a BBQ using some condensed milk. She says she loves condensed milk in her coffee. I don't know if that’s considered posh or not. Definitely a lot of work. Also, I don't…you know what they say about me; I don't know my evaporated milk from my condensed milk. But they say, you're more of an evaporated milk, not condensed. But I say, what’s…? They say, really? One’s condensed, one’s evaporated. I say, well, I know.

 

I realize that’s what’s on the tin as it would say on this show, but condensed milk is more syrupy, and evaporated milk…I think…I don't know which one…if I’m purchasing one, it’s the wrong one. I say, okay, I gotta make sure I pick up some condensed milk when I’m at the store. I’ll definitely be buying evaporated milk. Then if I need evaporated milk, I’ll be buying condensed milk. Then suddenly I’ll say, okay, I need that, which…I need the opposite of what I have four of. I say, somehow you're 0 for 4 on buying correct tinned milk. Okay, bread…oh, Lizzie’s gonna have breadstick hands. Rochica…Maggie figures out the right number of appendages. Rochica’s doing a bird cage with a bird and eggs. Pineapple curd…Lizzie talks about her pets. Jurgen’s is starting to come together. It looks more like Mr. Bill from the seventies Saturday Night Live. My Aunt Helen, who’s a big fan of the Erie Canal, if you've listened to the show for a long time, she was also a big fan of Mr. Bill, and she was always making Play-Doh Mr. Bills.

 

She had Mr. Bill toys. I mean, not tons, but probably three or four. I mean, it was like you never…other than watching Saturday Night Live with somebody, it was weird to encounter…I mean, it was cool, but encountering someone that was a Mr. Bill fan to the point of buying swag was rare, particularly in the eighties, 'cause I don't know if Mr. Bill peaked in the seventies or what. So anyway, that’s Mr. Bill. I did not look that up. You gotta be careful baking milk bread. Chigs is doing a picnic basket, apple grapes, and Swiss cheese. I’d say, I loved…that’s a great…Swiss cheese, that’s like speaking of childhood. The only picnic I remember eating only thinly-sliced Swiss cheese, which is a East Coast thing…so, in Syracuse it’s like baby Swiss Swiss cheese, and then thinly…like even in the…I don't think in the Bay Area…I mean, we had Swiss cheese and light Swiss cheese. Maybe we had baby Swiss. But everywhere here has thinly-sliced Swiss.

 

I just remember one time going to a park I guess for a picnic with my grandparents. I don't know if they asked me what I wanted. I think they somehow did, and somehow I said, thin-sliced Swiss cheese, and I ate thin-sliced Swiss cheese at a playground. Positive memory, man. Okay, Giuseppe is doing a fruit-and-veg kinda platter; cucumbers. They joke that…Paul, have you ever had a cucumber or anything else? Matt’s like, yeah, you're doing good. Why don't you call it…? Did you tell your family how good you've done so far? Then he accidentally calls Noel Neil, which is funny. What does a crab even look like? I think Freya says that. Alright, so then everybody's doing their final touches before time runs out. Obviously they're trying to get this done. Then we get to the judging, right? First up in the judging is George. They say, it’s kind of adorable. Very hungry koala. Simple, but it works. Prue says it’s lovely. It’s a bit heavy on the bread side 'cause you stood it up, Paul says.

 

If it was dough…but it works for a koala. At least you tried. It’s clever enough but not sweet enough, either. But well done, George. Lizzie’s up next. Wow, her gourds look really good. Got some time in the oven. You made it look like it’s supposed to look like a BBQ. Overall design is clever. You dropped a bit. Okay, so you got mango tea flavor here. She talks about her pet, Suzy, Suzy on ice going skating, more or less. Texture’s light. Paul likes it; tastes it, thinks about it. Huh, I like it. It’s like perfumed and I can identify it. So, instead she took a risk they're happy with. It pays off. Chigs; not bad, well proved. Then they started. They said, oh, this is fluffy. It’s well made, light, so great work. Orange blossom flavor…good design. Maggie; it’s kinda abstract. They're just laughing. They say, it doesn't look like you used four-and-a-half hours. She goes, well, I did. It was four-and-a-half hours work for me. Under-proved, no flavor.

 

So, again it was confusing for me 'cause they really made it look like it was a wrap on Maggie, just like they did last week. They weren't particularly nice to her, either. Okay, then they go to Jurgen. Clever, lovely flavor. Basic but works. A bit under-proved, though, but clearly enough to get him through, 'cause he was not having a great week. But, you know, that’s…then Crystelle is up next. They say, is that a turtle? It could have been darker, but…maybe a bit longer in the oven. Citrus kick is fantastic. Flavor’s great, light. Texture’s lovely. So, a nice slice of bread. Thank you very much. Giuseppe; incredible. Light flavor. Execution’s brilliant. Paul’s like, I’m having my vegetables, but they're bread. Bounces back texture-wise. Flavor’s in there. Orange comes through 'cause of the zest. Very clever. Paul’s very serious. Well done, Giuseppe. Amanda, good job. Light, tender. Love the flavor. Well baked, effective, thoughtful. Let’s see how tender the loaf is. Prue puts…it matches Prue's lipstick.

 

Love the flavor. Right amount of sweetness, bouncy. You got a little bit of a big air pocket on the top there, but whatever. Okay, the bird cage for Rochica, they're like…again, they're like, this is four-and-a-half hours of work? It’s also going flat. Under-proved. It’s crooked. So, not very nice. Sweetness level is right, though. Dough is too dense. I mean, I’m glad I’m not on the show, 'cause it would be like…I'm very messy. I don't know. Okay, Freya…they say it’s amusing, neat, nice milk bread. It’s just right. Love the look. So, it’s cool because I think it’s vegan. We do talking heads. We see a bird. We do the table talk. Okay, Giuseppe and Freya are in pretty good shape. Jurgen, George, Lizzie are in the middle. Maggie or Rochica’s going, they say. I mean, again, I have nothing against Maggie, but I just didn't know…I don't know how she was…by the way, she doesn't go home. It’s the end of the episode any…I mean, we're still gonna do some facts, but…so, Giuseppe’s Star Baker. Noel announces that.

 

That’s obvious. But Matt announces that Rochica’s going home. I’m like, what, are you kidding me? How…? I don't know. She forgot the onions, so I don't know. But she just says, just keep baking. Maggie laughs. Prue even says, can you believe you made it through? There’s some relief for Jurgen 'cause he says, whoa boy, can’t win them all, but that was a close call. Alright, but let’s get into some facts from this week. Got a lot of interesting stuff I got to look up. Okay, so let’s see if I can do this here. Okay, so, in Italy…let’s see. It’s a bustling port town, Gaeta. Gaeta, maybe? It’s got a mile-long beach. It’s known…also known for its food, the tiella, which is a cross between pizza and pie and calzone. Two layers of dough, olive oil, fillings. Also has its own olive. It’s also got a very dramatic vertical geography with hills and mountains, and deep history because it was…Virgil talked about it in the Aeneid, or it’s tied to that epic poem.

 

Yeah, the Romans had massive, extravagant villas, and it was independent maritime republic in the Middle Ages. Competed with Amalfi and Pisa. So, it’s very fortified. So, that’s interesting. Okay, next up is the Final Countdown. There’s a lot about it. Okay, so apparently…so, this came out in ‘90…‘86 by the band Europe. It’s been done before. It gets played before. It was a huge hit. Not my particular cup of tea, but apparently they wrote it, the keyboard part, in college on a Corega[?] keyboard. They were just playing around. But Joey Tempest apparently didn't like it. But then in ‘85 they were like, we need to record our third album. We need something. They said, what about that? Then they were like, I don't know about this song, 'cause originally they were like, we're a rock band. We can't play keyboard. So, they went back and forth. Maybe inspiration was David Bowie I guess in a indirect way. But it was a huge hit, number one in twenty-five countries. The album…triple platinum.

 

Had a music video that was popular. It became a big sports song. It was on Arrested Development and also for the 1999 celebrations. I looked up Woody Woodpecker really quick. This was from the golden age of animation. I don't know if he’s been…he was around since the 1940s for animation in Universal. He was wild in the forties. Then became fifties…a little bit more mainstream. He’s got a wild laugh. Mel Blanc originally was the voice, but then he was not working with Universal anymore. So, he was only working with Warner Bros., as my daughter always said when she was little. I said, it’s Warner Brothers, honey. She said, it’s Warner Bros., dad. In the fifties there was a Woody Woodpecker song. It was on TV. Woody even has a Holly…walk…a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Alright, now…I was like, what is up with ciabatta bread? So, my relationship with ciabatta bread is that my former mother-in-law, she loved ciabatta bread. That was my first exposure to it. She would slice it.

 

Before there was air fryers, if anybody’s Filipino in this…listening to this, or Filipino-American or from…has anybody…Filipino influence in their life, before there was air fryers, at least in my experience, they had this thing called the Turbo, which was a air fryer or a convection countertop oven. My mother-in-law, who was married to…my former father-in-law’s from the Philippines. So, she learned a lot of the dishes. But she would toast ciabatta bread for sandwiches or just toppings in this Turbo, which is basically a air fryer, and she would use it for…she could make…that was the only time I ever had ciabatta bread, and she would use it for sandwiches and other things, and it was delicious. I was like, man, this is a whole world I’d never been exposed to in Cleveland, Ohio. I never bought…I mean, I guess I lived in sourdough country, so that’s why. But it’s a relatively new bread, apparently; 1982. It was counter to the French baguettes.

 

Someone near Venice came up with an authentic alternative Italian…Italian alternative. Alternative Italian music; that’s totally different. They could be a good sandwich bread. It was flat, elongated, rough around the sides, so he called it ciabatta, which may mean slipper. It’s a high-hydration dough, as we said in the episode. 60%, 65% of the weight of the food is water. 60% weight of water to flour. That’s 80% to 90% hydration rate. It’s very sticky and gelatinous. Because it’s so wet and its long, slow fermentation, it gets large pockets of carbon dioxide. Baked at high heat. It was great for a sandwich 'cause…a crisp crust, chewy interior, and it can soak up oils or liquids. It’s just got this nice bounce to it. Okay, let’s talk about Inception because I was like…thinking about this, then I was thinking about this movie. Some things…I was right about the movie, but I was like, was it based on any source material? Such a interesting story and genre of movies within genre of movies, which I really liked.

 

The time I saw it, I was like, this is like a 007, one part of the movie. I mean, I guess it didn't have to be right 'cause I was like, yeah, of course it is. It makes me think me and Christopher Nolan would be getting along great. When I’m recording this, it was before his big movie’s about to come out in about a few weeks. Looking forward to seeing it and hope it’s very successful. But Inception came out in 2010. It has no direct literary source material. It was written…the screenplay was written by Christopher Nolan. According to basic research I did was that he was interested in lucid dreaming and was like, yeah, this could be interesting and make for a interesting movie, because you're creating the world and you're in it…and the whole thing, the whole thing about dreams. But that it didn't actually take off 'cause his first movie was Memento. He had this idea for a movie where there was a lot of autumnal-type surprises in it. It’s been done before.

 

This would be a different version of that, I mean different than the movie with Frederick. The old…the dream-kisser Frederick, who makes all your dreams feel like the chef’s kiss. But that didn't really work. So, then he was rewriting this…persistence. I was like, okay, maybe make it a bigger scale and make it more about…hey, let’s try to obtain things. But like, let’s obtain…I mean, I don't know if this was the same plot of Barbie: A Fairy Tale Secret, but I remember the song, do you want to know a secret, a secret? Oh, oh. I don't know if Bibble was in both these films. Probably Bibble was not in Inception, but…yeah, so he’s like, oh, just like…maybe he was…I don't know what year A Fairy Tale Secret came out, either. I don't even know what the Fairy Tale Secret was, just that there’s…that fairies are real and that Barbie was related to one of them? I don't even know anymore. But yeah, then he became interested in the story of Cobb and…anyway, then he’s like, okay, now I gotta get somebody to support it.

 

I guess it got green lit after his second movie about…who’s that? Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne Begins, Bruce Wayne: After Dark, then there was the final Bruce Wayne film in this genre. I just saw the Robert Pattinson one for the first time. I really liked it. I just like Robert Pattinson, though, so…I mean, I liked the movie, too, but…okay, so 2009…and I’d seen the penguin show before I saw the Pattinson movie. But anyway, enough about me, right? So, Bruce Wayne: After Dark was so…Bruce Wayne: Jokes After Dark. Sorry. Yeah. That was so successful that he’s like, okay, maybe I could get the budget to make this. So, yeah. Yeah, and then the rest is history, I guess. The dreaming within a dream within a dream. Okay, so this one…I don't know…let me see what else we have time for. But this one is important. Wally. So, in the US we have Where’s Waldo? I had no idea that it was Where’s Wally? in the UK. This is how un-Europhiled I am. Say, file Scoots under not Euro-philed.

 

None of those are words. Oh, okay. So, Wally was…author and illustrator Martin Handford came up with this guy, Wally. Where’s Wally? where he was hidden. For some reason in the US they were like, Wally’s not gonna fly here. Gotta call him Waldo. Even though I know multiple…I don't…I'm trying to think of…I know a few Wally’s. I like them all. But yeah, this is…they said, we're gonna name him Waldo. Huge success. Other places he’s Willy, Charlie, Walter. Maybe he has…Wilmer Wenda, who’s his girlfriend, Woof, his dog. Wizard…there’s a wizard in there? And Odlaw, which is Waldo backwards. Odlaw. Does anybody have the rights to this as like…can we get this as a film? I think we could make something good. I mean, not me, but maybe…Christopher Nolan, you want to get into this, the Odlaw story? Okay, what else do we have here? Oh, the breadsticks. So, I had to look up this. Now, if you listen to this show a lot, you know I walked by the original Olive Garden, maybe.

 

It started by General Mills. They got in the business in ‘82, and they may have used the breadsticks to distract from the fact that things were gonna be slow. They got bigger and bigger and bigger. When you're here, you're family. I think I’ve only eaten in an Olive Garden once or twice in my life. But it felt like affordable, casual, and a predictable night out. But at some point they were like…of course they were like, oh no. At first they were like, oh, not only never-ending breadsticks; we could have never-ending pasta. They were supposed to be served in seven minutes. But then somebody was like, we can't be giving these away. They changed…whoever bought it said, no, no more free breadsticks. So, they went…I mean, thank goodness…I mean, I don't know if he still has free breadsticks or not, but thank goodness Costco sticks with their…I mean, that’s always this thing. At some point Costco will have to go…move on from the $1.50 dog. But yeah, that’s about it.

 

I also looked up a little bit about milk bread, but the episode kinda covered it, the idea that in the eighties seaweed was supposed to be a health food. It was gonna be the next big health food, but never turned out. I don't know why. Maybe the taste. But that is good for you. Not just the seaweed wraps. I just remember being like, one day…maybe it was in Epcot. They said, one day seaweed farms are gonna change the world. But yeah, that’s it for now, everybody. Goodnight and sleep well. I’m happy to be here in your ears.

 

[End of recording]

Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes

GBBO / TV Recap

 

Salvador Dalí – The Persistence of Memory

https://www.moma.org/magazine/articles/1386

https://blog.artsper.com/en/lifestyle/the-persistence-of-memory-understanding-dalis-masterpiece/

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-understanding-the-persistence-memory-salvador-dalis-surrealist-masterpiece

 

Focaccia

https://thesussexkitchen.com/blogs/blog/a-brief-history-of-focaccia

https://fablesandfocaccia.com/the-fable-behind-focaccia/

https://www.saveur.com/culture/90s-style-rosemary-focaccia/

 

Mr. Bill

https://www.mrbill.com/WWInterview.htm

https://latenighter.com/features/mr-hands-tells-all-inside-mr-bills-meteoric-rise-on-snl/

https://www.theflickeringknight.com/blog/the-methodology-of-mr-bill

 

Tiella

https://www.arianagarden.it/en/bay-journal/la-tiella-di-gaeta-uneredit-di-mare-e-terra/

https://food-lifestyle.it/en/speciale-puglia-la-tiella-barese-storia-e-curiosita-di-un-piatto-a-cavallo-tra-identita-territoriale-e-radici-lontane/

https://glocalgems.com/eng/posts/tiella-barese-the-symbol-dish-of-apulian-cuisine/

 

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Hello bakers, wait, no!

Wait, I guess this could be a Bake Off episode

This show is about meandering and friendly banter

Naturally very, very different

Don’t let me over-unique myself

 

PLUGS

Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline

 

SPONSORS

Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; AquaTru; Progressive; Talkiatry; AirDoctor Pro; Quince; DripDrop; Cozy Earth

 

INTRO

Thoughts that just appear at bedtime

My great ideas are like vapor

My…persistent ideas appear at bedtime

How come I’m not persistent as my ineffective, persistent memory?

If I try to resist, they do persist

If it’s tough, you’re not alone

We can relate to not feeling in control of it all

Sending you kindness in the most rebellious way possible

An indirect shared sense of kindness and comfort

Maybe we can’t even understand it

Maybe I am among friends

You can watch that welcome floating on the sky if you like

Not exactly funny

Reasonable expectations of what a sleep podcast would be

I’d be skeptical and doubtful too

Always Going Nowhere

sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou

Breeze in the trees

You could listen to me, but you don’t need to

My job’s just to be your borefriend

The structure of the show

Something familiar helps, but something repetitive does not

The Wind Down Routine

Coverage of Great British Bake Off tonight

 

STORY

Episode 3, Collection 9, Series 12 – “Bread Week”

A week they dread because it involves bread

Noel and Matt are…fishing?

I guess I’ll have to go to the tape

Ok, they’re fishing with sourdough

Everyone’s a little concerned about bread

Giuseppe feels good

Noel and Prue’s stripes are almost complementary

Lord Loaf

Singing a loaf-based song

Signature Challenge: Focaccia

An irregular crumb

Finally, a bread I can relate to

Takes a lot of liquid  to make this loaf

Don’t forget to poke holes in the bottom!

Giuseppe’s making his bread with milk??

Maggie – sundried tomatoes and olives

Lizzie – truffle oil and garlic confit

Final Furlong

I kept misnaming this next guy in my notes

He’s doing kippers and boiled egg

His name is Jurgen

Kipper-caccia

Amanda’s doing a mezze style

How long do you proof for?

George – Greek-inspired

He remakes his dough after Paul and Prue judge him for not using enough water

Rochica – roast garlic, lots of herbs

Proof check – don’t over do it!

Freya – Fajita-Flavored Focaccia!

Get the Fearless Flyer on the phone

She says Noel looks like Where’s Wally?

He later returns in a Wally costume. (great job, production team!)

Crystelle – roasted grapes focaccia

Chigs – cheesy chorizo focaccia

Toppings and Dimples

There’s always something to laugh about in this show

Time to watch the oven

Now I have 3 songs about faffing

Let me know if you want me to start doing parody songs

Counting Crows – “I’m Just Faffing Around”

The Final Faffdown

George gets his 2nd bread out in time!

Judgment Time

George – good, packed, lovely, could’ve used even more water

Maggie – soft on top, decent, good flavor

Freya – smells great, well-baked, nice texture, great idea, not over-spiced

Rochica – a little scorched, too much garlic, okay texture

Amanda – overbaked

Chigs – overbaked, lovely flavors

Crystelle – needs to be thicker, annoyingly thin, great flavors, unusual

Lizzie – nice top, fairly equal, good flavor, needs more irregular structure

Jurgen – overbaked! More proving, less baking! 

Giuseppe – really nice, soft, not overboard on flavors

Giuseppe gets the old Hollywood Handshake!

Giuseppe tears up, he’s so stunned

Our hidden gingham challenge (Technical)

Be careful about how you add the filling

Ciabatta Batter

Olive and cheese ciabatta breadsticks with tzatziki sauce

Noel made a comment that made me think of Inception

It has to be airy but also filled with cheese and olives

Giuseppe doesn’t know what to do 

Oh Golly Gosh

Jurgen’s slapping his dough

Should we chop the olives?

Lizzie says the dough is like troll boogies

Noel enters as Wally at this point

Drain the cucumbers

Maggie forgets the olives

Giuseppe talks about learning to cook from his dad

Second proof is in a bag

How long do you bake?

Did Paul give a clue?

Debating baking temperature

Noel tosses a piece of dough at Crystelle

That’s not polite, Noel

Judgment Time

George – taste good, tears nicely

Freya – nice layer of olives, better

Chigs – a lot of air, lost its shape

Maggie – too small, rigid, no onions

Amanda – good shape, needed longer in the oven

Rochica – pale, flat, just not done

Jurgen – not consistent size, good flavor

Lizzie – better structure, nice, strong

Crystelle – raw

Giuseppe – twisted (that’s ok), nice color, good crunch

Rochica is last

Giuseppe wins the Technical!

Talking Heads Time

It’s a little cooler now

George, Rochica, and Maggie are near the bottom

Giuseppe is doing great

I was definitely misdirected by this Talking Heads

Never kissed a loaf before

Showstopper Challenge – 3D Milk Bread Display

Maggie – seaweed octopus style

Freya and Amanda are also doing an under the sea theme

Freya’s doing completely vegan. That should put her near the top every time

Jurgen – baby food style? What?

You can eat the baby toys!

Who’s stronger, Freya or Noel?

Jurgen is loud in his breadmaking

Shoutout to the Simpsons barbershop quartet episode

George is doing a 3D standing koala

It hasn’t worked for him yet

Lots of post-it notes

Crystelle – Sunday roast theme

Lizzie – BBQ theme

Lizzie loves condensed milk

I don’t know my evaporated milk from my condensed milk

If I’m purchasing one, I always purchase the wrong one

I’m 0 for 4 in buying the correct tinned milk

Lizzie’s making breadstick hands

Rochica – birdcage with a bird and eggs

Jurgen’s looks like Mr. Bill from SNL

Shoutout to my Aunt Helen, who loved Mr. Bill

Even then, her love of Mr. Bill was rare

Chigs – picnic basket

I have fond memories of eating thinly sliced Swiss cheese

Giuseppe – a fruit and vegetable platter

Giuseppe accidentally calls Noel Neil

What does a crab even look like?

Judgment Time

George – adorable, simple but effective, a bit heavy, clever but not sweet enough

Lizzie – gourds look great, clever design, dropped a bit, light texture, Paul likes it, perfumed

Chigs – not bad, well-proved, fluffy, light, good flavor

Maggie – pretty abstract, rough, underproved, no flavor

They really make it look like it’s a wrap on Maggie

Jurgen – clever, basic but it works, lovely flavor

Clearly enough for him to go through

Crystelle – misshapen, darker, great flavor, nice

Giuseppe – incredible, light flavor, wonderful execution, very clever

Amanda – good job, tender, effective, thoughtful, lovely flavor, bouncy

Rochica – sloppy, flat, underproved, crooked, good sweetness level, dense

I’m glad I’m not on this show

Freya – amusing, neat, just right, great look

Talking Heads

Giuseppe and Frey are doing good

Either Maggie or Rochica will go

Giuseppe is Star Baker (obviously)

Rochica goes home

I was surprised by this

Relief for Jurgen

Episode Facts

Giuseppe’s hometown – Gaeta, Italy

A bustling port

Known for the tiella

Half pizza, half calzone

Dramatic Vertical Geography

Virgil talks about it in The Aeneid

Romans had massive villas

“The Final Countdown” song

Europe released this in 1986

They wrote the keyboard part in college

They doubted if the song would work

David Bowie may have indirectly influenced it

Some Woody Woodpecker facts

He was wild in the 40s

He went mainstream in the 50s

Mel Blanc was the first voice

Woody has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

My relationship with ciabatta bread

The countertop oven, a part of Filipino-American culture

She’d toast ciabatta bread for sandwiches in this oven 

Basically an early air fryer

I’ve always lived in sourdough country

Wait, it was only introduced in 1982??

A great sandwich bread

A great bounce to it

Let’s talk about Inception

What’s the source material?

Almost 007-esque

I’m recording this before Christopher Nolan’s next movie comes out

No direct literary source material

Basically, he was interested in lucid dreaming

The Old Dreamkisser Frederick

Is this the same plot as Barbie: A Fairy Tale Secret?

What was the fairy tale secret? That Barbie was a fairy? I don’t know

It got greenlit after his second Bruce Wayne film

Bruce Wayne: Jokes After Dark

Where’s Wally?

I had no idea it wasn’t Waldo everywhere

I’m so un-Europhiled I am

File me under not Europhiled

The US insisted that Wally would not sell in the US

Wait, there’s a wizard in this series?

Who has the rights to the Where’s Waldo movie?

Breadsticks

I used to walk by the original Olive Garden

The breadsticks distracted from how slow the service was

Their never-ending ways got away from them

Milk Bread facts

Seaweed didn’t pan out as the next big health food

That’s it, goodnight

 

SUMMARY:

Episode: 1479

Title: Bread Week | Great British Bake You Off to Sleep S12/C9 E3

Plugs: Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline

Sponsors: Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; AquaTru; Progressive; Talkiatry; AirDoctor Pro; Quince; DripDrop; Cozy Earth

Notable Language:

• Persist
• Not exactly funny
• Always Going Nowhere
• Breeze in the trees
• Lord Loaf
• Loaf-Based Song
• Final Furlong
• Kipper-caccia
• Fajita-Flavored Focaccia
• Toppings and Dimples
• Final Faffdown
• Hidden Gingham Challenge
• Ciabatta Batter
• Oh Golly Gosh
• 3D Milk Bread Display
• 0 for 4 in buying the correct tinned milk
• Thinly Sliced Swiss
• Dramatic Vertical Geography
• The Old Dreamkisser Frederick
• File me under not Europhiled

 

Notable Culture:

• The Persistence of Memory

• • Salvador Dalí
  • sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
  • Great British Bake Off
  • “Final Countdown” song – Europe

• Where’s Wally? / Where’s Waldo?

• • Counting Crows
  • Inception
  • “Baby On Board” – The Be Sharps (The Simpsons)

• Mr. Bill

• Saturday Night Live

• The Aeneid – Virgil

• • David Bowie

• Arrested Development

• • Woody Woodpecker
  • Hollywood Walk of Fame
  • James Bond
  • Christopher Nolan

• Momento

• • Barbie: A Fairy Tale Secret
  • Batman
  • Robert Pattinson

• The Penguin

• Bruce Wayne: Jokes After Dark
• Olive Garden
• EPCOT

 

Notable Talking Points:

• Thoughts that just appear at bedtime
• My great ideas are like vapor
• My…persistent ideas appear at bedtime
• How come I’m not persistent as my ineffective, persistent memory?
• If I try to resist, they do persist
• If it’s tough, you’re not alone
• We can relate to not feeling in control of it all
• Sending you kindness in the most rebellious way possible
• An indirect shared sense of kindness and comfort
• Maybe we can’t even understand it
• Maybe I am among friends
• You can watch that welcome floating on the sky if you like
• Not exactly funny
• Reasonable expectations of what a sleep podcast would be
• I’d be skeptical and doubtful too
• Always Going Nowhere
• sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou
• Breeze in the trees
• You could listen to me, but you don’t need to
• My job’s just to be your borefriend
• The structure of the show
• Something familiar helps, but something repetitive does not
• The Wind Down Routine
• Coverage of Great British Bake Off tonight
• Episode 3, Collection 9, Series 12 – “Bread Week”
• A week they dread because it involves bread
• Noel and Matt are…fishing?
• I guess I’ll have to go to the tape
• Ok, they’re fishing with sourdough
• Everyone’s a little concerned about bread
• Giuseppe feels good
• Noel and Prue’s stripes are almost complementary
• Lord Loaf
• Singing a loaf-based song
• Signature Challenge: Focaccia
• An irregular crumb
• Finally, a bread I can relate to
• Takes a lot of liquid  to make this loaf
• Don’t forget to poke holes in the bottom!
• Giuseppe’s making his bread with milk??
• Maggie – sundried tomatoes and olives
• Lizzie – truffle oil and garlic confit
• Final Furlong
• I kept misnaming this next guy in my notes
• He’s doing kippers and boiled egg
• His name is Jurgen
• Kipper-caccia
• Amanda’s doing a mezze style
• How long do you proof for?
• George – Greek-inspired
• He remakes his dough after Paul and Prue judge him for not using enough water
• Rochica – roast garlic, lots of herbs
• Proof check – don’t over do it!
• Freya – Fajita-Flavored Focaccia!
• Get the Fearless Flyer on the phone
• She says Noel looks like Where’s Wally?
• He later returns in a Wally costume. (great job, production team!)
• Crystelle – roasted grapes focaccia
• Chigs – cheesy chorizo focaccia
• Toppings and Dimples
• There’s always something to laugh about in this show
• Time to watch the oven
• Now I have 3 songs about faffing
• Let me know if you want me to start doing parody songs
• Counting Crows – “I’m Just Faffing Around”
• The Final Faffdown
• George gets his 2nd bread out in time!
• Judgment Time
• George – good, packed, lovely, could’ve used even more water
• Maggie – soft on top, decent, good flavor
• Freya – smells great, well-baked, nice texture, great idea, not over-spiced
• Rochica – a little scorched, too much garlic, okay texture
• Amanda – overbaked
• Chigs – overbaked, lovely flavors
• Crystelle – needs to be thicker, annoyingly thin, great flavors, unusual
• Lizzie – nice top, fairly equal, good flavor, needs more irregular structure
• Jurgen – overbaked! More proving, less baking! 
• Giuseppe – really nice, soft, not overboard on flavors
• Giuseppe gets the old Hollywood Handshake!
• Giuseppe tears up, he’s so stunned
• Our hidden gingham challenge (Technical)
• Be careful about how you add the filling
• Ciabatta Batter
• Olive and cheese ciabatta breadsticks with tzatziki sauce
• Noel made a comment that made me think of Inception
• It has to be airy but also filled with cheese and olives
• Giuseppe doesn’t know what to do 
• Oh Golly Gosh
• Jurgen’s slapping his dough
• Should we chop the olives?
• Lizzie says the dough is like troll boogies
• Noel enters as Wally at this point
• Drain the cucumbers
• Maggie forgets the olives
• Giuseppe talks about learning to cook from his dad
• Second proof is in a bag
• How long do you bake?
• Did Paul give a clue?
• Debating baking temperature
• Noel tosses a piece of dough at Crystelle
• That’s not polite, Noel
• Judgment Time
• George – taste good, tears nicely
• Freya – nice layer of olives, better
• Chigs – a lot of air, lost its shape
• Maggie – too small, rigid, no onions
• Amanda – good shape, needed longer in the oven
• Rochica – pale, flat, just not done
• Jurgen – not consistent size, good flavor
• Lizzie – better structure, nice, strong
• Crystelle – raw
• Giuseppe – twisted (that’s ok), nice color, good crunch
• Rochica is last
• Giuseppe wins the Technical!
• Talking Heads Time
• It’s a little cooler now
• George, Rochica, and Maggie are near the bottom
• Giuseppe is doing great
• I was definitely misdirected by this Talking Heads
• Never kissed a loaf before
• Showstopper Challenge – 3D Milk Bread Display
• Maggie – seaweed octopus style
• Freya and Amanda are also doing an under the sea theme
• Freya’s doing completely vegan. That should put her near the top every time
• Jurgen – baby food style? What?
• You can eat the baby toys!
• Who’s stronger, Freya or Noel?
• Jurgen is loud in his breadmaking
• Shoutout to the Simpsons barbershop quartet episode
• George is doing a 3D standing koala
• It hasn’t worked for him yet
• Lots of post-it notes
• Crystelle – Sunday roast theme
• Lizzie – BBQ theme
• Lizzie loves condensed milk
• I don’t know my evaporated milk from my condensed milk
• If I’m purchasing one, I always purchase the wrong one
• I’m 0 for 4 in buying the correct tinned milk
• Lizzie’s making breadstick hands
• Rochica – birdcage with a bird and eggs
• Jurgen’s looks like Mr. Bill from SNL
• Shoutout to my Aunt Helen, who loved Mr. Bill
• Even then, her love of Mr. Bill was rare
• Chigs – picnic basket
• I have fond memories of eating thinly sliced Swiss cheese
• Giuseppe – a fruit and vegetable platter
• Giuseppe accidentally calls Noel Neil
• What does a crab even look like?
• Judgment Time
• George – adorable, simple but effective, a bit heavy, clever but not sweet enough
• Lizzie – gourds look great, clever design, dropped a bit, light texture, Paul likes it, perfumed
• Chigs – not bad, well-proved, fluffy, light, good flavor
• Maggie – pretty abstract, rough, underproved, no flavor
• They really make it look like it’s a wrap on Maggie
• Jurgen – clever, basic but it works, lovely flavor
• Clearly enough for him to go through
• Crystelle – misshapen, darker, great flavor, nice
• Giuseppe – incredible, light flavor, wonderful execution, very clever
• Amanda – good job, tender, effective, thoughtful, lovely flavor, bouncy
• Rochica – sloppy, flat, underproved, crooked, good sweetness level, dense
• I’m glad I’m not on this show
• Freya – amusing, neat, just right, great look
• Talking Heads
• Giuseppe and Frey are doing good
• Either Maggie or Rochica will go
• Giuseppe is Star Baker (obviously)
• Rochica goes home
• I was surprised by this
• Relief for Jurgen
• Episode Facts
• Giuseppe’s hometown – Gaeta, Italy
• A bustling port
• Known for the tiella
• Half pizza, half calzone
• Dramatic Vertical Geography
• Virgil talks about it in The Aeneid
• Romans had massive villas
• “The Final Countdown” song
• Europe released this in 1986
• They wrote the keyboard part in college
• They doubted if the song would work
• David Bowie may have indirectly influenced it
• Some Woody Woodpecker facts
• He was wild in the 40s
• He went mainstream in the 50s
• Mel Blanc was the first voice
• Woody has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• My relationship with ciabatta bread
• The countertop oven, a part of Filipino-American culture
• She’d toast ciabatta bread for sandwiches in this oven 
• Basically an early air fryer
• I’ve always lived in sourdough country
• Wait, it was only introduced in 1982??
• A great sandwich bread
• A great bounce to it
• Let’s talk about Inception
• What’s the source material?
• Almost 007-esque
• I’m recording this before Christopher Nolan’s next movie comes out
• No direct literary source material
• Basically, he was interested in lucid dreaming
• The Old Dreamkisser Frederick
• Is this the same plot as Barbie: A Fairy Tale Secret?
• What was the fairy tale secret? That Barbie was a fairy? I don’t know
• It got greenlit after his second Bruce Wayne film
• Bruce Wayne: Jokes After Dark
• Where’s Wally?
• I had no idea it wasn’t Waldo everywhere
• I’m so un-Europhiled I am
• File me under not Europhiled
• The US insisted that Wally would not sell in the US
• Wait, there’s a wizard in this series?
• Who has the rights to the Where’s Waldo movie?
• Breadsticks
• I used to walk by the original Olive Garden
• The breadsticks distracted from how slow the service was
• Their never-ending ways got away from them
• Milk Bread facts
• Seaweed didn’t pan out as the next big health food
• That’s it, goodnight