Great British Bake Off 2023 Bread Week: Who went home?

What did you miss?

The Great British Bake Off said good bye to Abbi after she lost in the 'Battle of the Garlic'.

The vegetable delivery driver from Cumbria tried to laugh off her Cottage Loaf going flat in the first round, calling it a bungalow.

But she was in tears as Hollywood called her Technical effort underproved and she knew her time in the tent was up.

What, how, and why?

Abbi was sent home by the judges after struggling with flavours and textures in Bread Week - considered to be one of the toughest challenges under the scrutiny of 'bread specialist' judge Paul Hollywood.

Reigning Star Baker Tasha declared a 'Battle of the Garlic' in the Signature round between their flavoured Cottage Loaf.

Tasha said: "I was quietly confident and then it turns out there's four people doing rosemary and garlic. But it's fine. It's the battle of the garlic!"

Abbi, Dan and Nicky all made rosemary and garlic Cottage Loaves, with Abbi using smoked garlic and Civil Engineer Dan baking with Wild Garlic.

While the contestants waited for their dough to prove Nicky and Tasha attempted to play Noughts and Crosses in a mound of flour on the countertop to pass the time.

Nicky's Cottage Loaf was criticised by Paul Hollywood for being too salty, and Abbi's was too flat.

Abbi joked: "This is flat Janice. Her cottage is a bungalow."

Judge Prue Leith asked how much garlic had gone into the dough because it was very strong. Abbi admitted she had used about eight cloves.

Hollywood told her: "I'm not getting any salt. You've used too much garlic and it's overpowered everything else. And it's affected the structure. That's why it's flat."

For the Technical Challenge the bakers were tasked with making Devonshire Splits - soft sweet buns filled with strawberries and cream.

Abbi came third from the bottom. Afterwards she said: "I'm crying. That's because I get really easily emotional. I just need to smash my Showstopper."

But her plaited bread centrepiece in the shape of a tree, flavoured with foraged nettle and dock seed flour, also fell flat - after rival Rowan built an upright tree.

Hollywood told Abbi: "I think over all the design is rudimentary. There is definitely flavour but you can get much more flavour in there."

He added: "I do like your flavours, they're unusual and I like that."

After the judges had consulted, host Noel Fielding announced: "I've got the horrible job of announcing who is leaving us and the person leaving us this week is Abbi. Sorry."

Abbi said: "That's okay. I knew it was coming."

She sobbed into her handkerchief: "You know what I'm really proud of myself. I never thought I'd be able to do this. It's given me such a confidence boost and I'm going to remember every day for the rest of my life. But I'm looking forward to getting back to my vegetables."

What else happened on The Great British Bake Off?

Broken glass went flying at the start of the first challenge when Dana mixed her solid dough in a glass bowl.

The database administrator from Essex laughed: "I meant to do that. You can taste shards of glass. Yummy!"

Tasha won Star Baker for the second week in a row after producing an impressive plaited loaf in the shape of Medusa.

Hollywood told her: "I think it's beautiful, it's a work of art. You understand bread and I like that."

Leith said: "Tasha you are one hell of a bread baker."

Tasha said: "I've won Star Baker again - what the hell?! I go into things with quite low expectations of myself and I think I need to stop doing that."

Hollywood said of Tasha's Cottage Loaf: "Because you've put weight in with seeds I'm thinking this is going to be quite dense inside. But the proof is in the pudding."

Tearing the bread open and eating it he said: "It is dense but nevertheless it's delciious. It's not perfect but it's 90 per cent there."

Leith told the participation officer from Bristol: "If I'd made that I'd be so proud. I wish I'd made it."

Will we be back for more?

Next week is Chocolate Week and the nine remaining bakers return to make Signature tortes, Technical cheesecakes and a chocolate box Showstopper.

And the trailer teases high drama in the tent as a shaken looking Tasha is shown sitting on the floor under the supervision of the medical services team, who tell her, "Just take your time."

The Great British Bake Off airs on Channel 4 every Tuesday at 8pm. It can also be streamed online at Channel4.com

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