‘The Great British Baking Show’: Prue Leith Thinks this Week’s Technical Challenge is the Hardest in Bake Off History

“Pastry Week” is always a doozy on The Great British Baking Show and this year’s installment was no exception. The seven remaining bakers — Jürgen, Giuseppe, Amanda, Chigs, Lizzie, George, and Crystelle — were asked to bake “Chouxnuts” and layered pies, but nothing came close to the horror of the Baklava Technical Challenge. For the first time in the tent’s history, the judges asked the bakers to make the dreaded filo dough for the technical. Not only that, but they had to nail an intricate design atop their final bake. It was such a wild ask that even Prue Leith commented to Paul Hollywood that it must be the most difficult technical in the show’s history. But was it?

The Great British Baking Show is known for throwing devious challenges its bakers’ way, so where does “Pastry Week” stack up? Was Prue correct? Was this the hardest Technical Challenge ever on The Great British Baking Show? What’s the deal with Baklava? And what are Chouxnuts? Let’s get into it!

WAS THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW “PASTRY WEEK” TECHNICAL CHALLENGE, BAKLAVA, THE HARDEST ONE IN BAKE OFF HISTORY?

Here’s what I’m going to say: asking anyone to make filo dough from scratch is certifiably insane. Usually when chefs and bakers tell home cooks to make anything with filo dough, they suggest buying it pre-made from a grocery store or Greek pastry shop. Filo dough is so delicate, so fiddly, so frustrating that it’s largely considered a lost cause to make from scratch. The Great British Baking Show has asked bakers to make filo dough desserts before, but never in the Technical Challenge. So as Prue said, it’s really tough challenge.

That said, there have been other insane Technical Challenges in Great British Baking Show history. Some trainwrecks that come to mind include the disastrous Tudor “Maids of Honour” challenge and the sadistic “Danish Cornucopia Cake” from last year. The former was a mess because the bakers just didn’t have their proverbial shit together, while the latter was clearly Paul turning an already tough bake into even more of a nightmare.

So I can’t say if this week’s outing was the most difficult Technical Challenge in the show’s history, but it certainly seems up there. (And in general, the Technicals are getting more devious, right?)

WHAT IS BAKLAVA? AND WHY IS FILO (OR IS IT PHYLLO) DOUGH SO AWFUL?

Baklava is associated with Greek culture, but its origins seem to actually be in Turkey as it came to prominence in the Ottoman Empire. Baklava is essentially layered filo dough filled with chopped nuts (and perhaps dried fruit) and sweetened with honey. So, yeah, that wild design on top that stumped Lizzie? Totally affectation.

Filo (or phyllo) pastry is made by stretching the dough into huge, crazy thin layers and then carefully folding it in on itself and repeating the process. It’s considered difficult due to the thinness of the dough.

WHAT ARE CHOUXNUTS? THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW’S “FANCY” TAKE ON DONUTS?

A Chouxnut is a relatively recent entry into the world of baking that might have originated in San Francisco but definitely hit mainstream England when popular retail chain Marks & Spencer started carrying them in stores. Much like a Cronut is a mix of a Croissant and Donut, a Chouxnut is a Donut made with lighter Choux pastry. (Honestly, they remind me of crüllers, but what do I know?)

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