GTBBO Week 5: Pastry
The Great Taisty Bytes Bake Off
Welcome to #GTBBO—The Great Taisty Bytes Bake Off! 🍰
With the new season of Bake Off gracing our screens, I thought why not join in on the fun and attempt as many of the weekly challenges as I can? It’ll be a great way to push my baking skills in real time, try new recipes and give me the perfect excuse to create some chaos in the kitchen!
For more info and to see how Week 4: Caramel Week went, check out this post:
Hello, friends and welcome back!
We have officially made it to the halfway point: with 5 themes down and 5 to go! This has been a week of—and I pause here to begrudgingly brace myself to use the word—failures. Because in the kitchen, when you’re learning, they’re not really failures, are they?
If I’ve learned anything from deciding to take up baking, it’s that every minute spent in the kitchen is a minute of growth. Getting better. As a wise woman once said: if you’re not ready to fail, you’re not going to learn how to cook:
Attempting Prue’s Pear Tarte Tatin was… well, an experience that was quickly abandoned. I’m not exactly sure what went wrong with making the caramel this time - but after a minute on the heat, the sugar was smoking. This is, I’m pretty sure, not supposed to happen. I pressed on for a few more minutes, hoping it might miraculously sort itself out, but alas… I’d created something that could only be described as somewhere between toffee and concrete. Not exactly the luscious caramel I’d envisioned.
The hob was set to exactly the same heat as when I made the Millionaire’s Shortbread, so I was puzzled. The only difference this time was that I was using a new cast iron pan. Could it have been some weird chemical reaction from the avocado oil I used to season it? Or maybe cast iron conducts heat differently than my usual cookware? Answers on a postcard!
Nevertheless, the challenge was attempted - and that’s the main thing. Sometimes, things don’t go to plan in the kitchen, and that’s okay! He says, not taking his own advice on board…
*Ahem* Right, let’s dive in to Pastry Week, shall we!
Week 5: Pastry Week
Signature Challenge: Bakewell Tarts
The signature challenge this week had me giddy: it was to make frangipane tarts! There was no question in my mind that I wanted to make a classic Bakewell Tart, as I’ve been wanting to make these for such a long time now.
Quick reminder here that unless stated otherwise, the recipes I’m following are from the new official Bake Off cook book. This recipe is from the fantastic John Mincher!
They may not win any beauty contests, but I am so chuffed with how these turned out. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the pastry and frangipane were to make. I was equally surprised that I hadn’t miraculously learned how to use a piping bag properly since last time. Why are they so bloody hard to use?! I think I may have to do some piping exercises to practice — so please pop them my way if you come across them!
I think the pastry was a smidge too thick, but the bake on them was perfect — even if I do say so myself. The crust had that lovely golden hue and a delightful crunch when you bit into it. Not too shabby for a first proper attempt! For next time a specific thickness of pastry, I’ve picked up a rolling pin that gives you a guide to how thick you’re rolling. (How handy is that?) I’m pretty excited to see how much of a difference it will make in achieving that perfect, delicate pastry thickness.
After posting on Instagram, quite a few people have said how much they look like bloodshot eyeballs and what a great bake they are for Halloween… Something I am totally taking credit for. Yes, of course they are meant to look like that!
Are you enjoying my Substack? I’d be so chuffed if you would share this with your friends, family and loved ones. Heck, share it with people you don’t even know, too!
Technical Challenge: Spanakopita
Ahh. Is this failure #2 of the week? I think so! Less of a spiral and more… an exploded caterpillar?
To be fair, this was a rushed bake this afternoon as I hadn’t originally planned to take on the technical this week, as I have neither a pasta maker nor the space needed to make filo completely by hand. But I thought, what the heck — sent Ben on a quest to pick up some Just-Roll filo and got stuck in.
I suspect the issue was either the filo sheets not being sufficient, too much filling, or perhaps a combination of both, which resulted in me not being able to roll it into the proper spiral shape. The pastry tore, and instead of a neat coil, I ended up with something resembling an exploded caterpillar. Not exactly a visual masterpiece!
That said, it still tasted delicious! The flaky pastry with the savory spinach and feta filling was spot on. Even if it wasn’t the prettiest bake, the flavors definitely made up for it.
This recipe brings back great memories of our time living in Greenwich. There was a little Italian cafe we’d wander to on the weekends and start our day with a coffee and a slice of spanakopita (or something very similar—it was a spinach filo roll!). I loved those mornings and recreating this dish made me feel a tad nostalgic.
I will definitely be giving this recipe another try. Pperhaps with a little more planning, a bit more space, and maybe even attempting to make the filo from scratch if I’m feeling brave. Second time’s the charm, right?
What I’m listening to
This week I’ve needed some balance to the chaos going on around me, so I’ve been gravitating toward ‘acoustic’ artists. There’s something so soothing about stripped-back melodies and haunting vocals that can transport you to another place entirely.
If you’re looking for something to slow your roll, Talos and Agnes won’t steer you wrong for atmospheric soundscapes and soulful tones.
If you have any music suggestions, pop them in the comments!
Well, that’s all from me today my friends. Thanks for stopping by and sharing in my little corner of the world. Next week we will be reviewing how Autumn Week has gone, which I believe is focus on pies and veggies!
As always, feel free to leave a comment or just say hi. I love hearing from you!
Until next time,
Mark
Such good looking Bakewells!
Those bakewells look really great, and I'm not a huge bakwell fan