Ep 5. Pastry Week

In the fifth episode of The Great British Bake Off's seventh season, the remaining bakers face the challenge of Pastry Week. With the pressure on to create perfect pastry dishes, the contestants must impress the judges with their skills in both sweet and savory pastry making.

The signature challenge for this episode is a selection of savory palmiers. The bakers must create at least 24 palmiers that are puff pastry layers filled with savory ingredients such as cheeses, meats, and vegetables. The judges will be looking for a beautifully crisp and golden pastry with a flavorful filling. The contestants are encouraged to be creative with their flavor combinations, but they must also ensure that the flavors work harmoniously together.

The technical challenge for this episode is a Bakewell tart. This classic British dessert features a shortcrust pastry base, a layer of jam, and a frangipane topping sprinkled with almonds. The bakers are given a basic recipe but no exact measurements, leaving them to rely on their intuition and baking expertise to create the perfect tart. The judges will be looking for a crisp pastry, a smooth and creamy frangipane, and a perfectly set jam layer. This challenge tests the bakers' precision and attention to detail, as well as their ability to work under pressure.

Finally, the showstopper challenge for Pastry Week is to create an impressive filo pastry display. The bakers must use filo pastry, a delicate and notoriously difficult pastry dough, to create a savory or sweet showstopper display. The possibilities are endless, from savory pies and pastries to sweet desserts and tarts. The key is to create a visually stunning display that also tastes delicious. The judges will be looking for a crisp and flaky filo pastry with a variety of textures and flavors. This challenge is undoubtedly the hardest of the week, and the bakers will need to pull out all the stops to impress the judges.

As always, the judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry will be on hand to taste and critique the bakers' creations. The contestants will need to showcase their pastry skills and creativity to avoid being eliminated from the competition and move one step closer to being crowned the season's Great British Bake Off champion.

Pastry Week is always a fan favorite on The Great British Bake Off, and this episode promises to deliver all the drama, tension, and delicious pastry creations viewers have come to expect from the show. The bakers will need to give their all to survive this challenging week, and with so much at stake, the stakes have never been higher. Who will rise to the challenge and who will be sent home? Tune in to find out!