The Great British Bake Off 2022 week 3: what is Bread Week? Signature, technical, and showstopper explained

It’s bread week on The Great British Bake Off.

Already - only three episodes into the new series - things are heating up in the tent. The remaining bakers, still competing for that Star Baker title and hoping not to be sent home, are hoping to impress Paul and Prue with their takes on some bread related challenges.

Here’s everything you need to know about Bread Week.

What happened last week?

First, to recap: last week was biscuit week. The bakers were challenged to make illusion macarons in the Signature, and a fruity favourite in the Technical. In the Showstopper, they were asked to put their creativity to the test by making a dramatic 3D mask entirely from biscuits (which drew some criticism from audience members who thought it was too difficult a request to make).

The star baker was Maxy, who got an early Hollywood handshake for her macarons. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Maisam was sent home - a controversial choice amongst some audience members who felt that Carole or Rebs were more obvious candidates for expulsion from the tent.

Feeling caught up? Excellent, let’s get back to bread week.

The Bread Week Signature

The bakers are asked to put their stamp on a classic pizza in the Signature. They get a bit more of an opportunity to put their own spin on things and bring their own flair to a challenge in the Signature, and no doubt tonight’s bakers will offer a look at pizza you’d never thought to consider before.

Is a pizza, technically speaking, a bread? I am dubious on this point, personally, but I’ll tentatively let it slide.

The Bread Week Technical

During the Technical challenge, the bakers get in a twist with a classic pastry. As is always the way, the bakers won’t have had any time to prepare for this, and given only a partial set of instructions to help them. They’ll be judged with a blind taste test (although I always get the sense that Paul and Prue could probably tell who baked what dependin on who looks most nervous at any given point).

A pastry, to me, seems outright not at all a type of bread. It’s a different thing! No one would object to a “pastry week” on The Great British Bake Off, and surely this would fit much more naturally there than here.

The Bread Week Showstopper

Finally, the bakers tackle a showstopping Smörgåstårta, a decorative Danish sandwich cake. (Well, Channel 4 says it’s Danish, Wikipedia says Swedish. I have limited baking knowledge and no sense of who to defer to here.) If you’re imagining something sweet, think again - this is typically made with mayonaisse, ham (or other slice cold cuts), and so on.

This one I will let slide, because I’m amused by the jump from “bread week” to “sandwich cake” - and in fairness I suppose this does resemble a sandwich more than a cake - but they’re on thin ice from here on out, frankly. Not impressed by Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith taking these sorts of liberties frankly.

What time is the Great British Bake Off on?

As per, The Great British Bake Off airs on Channel 4 on Tuesdays at 8pm, and are available to watch on catch up on All4.