The Best Episodes of The Great British Bake Off
Every episode of The Great British Bake Off ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Great British Bake Off!
This British television baking competition selects from amongst its competitors the best amateur baker. The series is credited with reinvigorating interest in baking throughout the UK, and many of its participants, including winners, have gone on to start a career based on baking.
Top Episode Ratings Summary
The best episode of "The Great British Bake Off" is "Masterclass 1", rated 8.3/10 from 31 user votes. It was directed by N/A and written by N/A. "Masterclass 1" aired on 10/29/2013 and is rated 0.1 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "The Final".
8.3/10 31 votes#1 - Masterclass 1
Season 4 Episode 12 - Aired 10/29/2013
Mary and Paul take over the tent for the ultimate baking masterclass. Mary makes a whole orange cake and angel food cake, Paul makes breakfast muffins and olive bread sticks, and together they make a chocolate cake showstopper.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.2/10 96 votes
#2 - The Final
Season 6 Episode 10 - Aired 10/7/2015
Only three of the original twelve bakers remain. They've made it to the final. Over 27 challenges, they've worked their way through every baking discipline Mary and Paul have thrown at them - from cakes to bread, pastry to puddings, and biscuits to chocolate. Along the way they have tackled recipes from the 70s and 80s, they've gone back to the Victorian era, they've made gluten-free bread, strange meringue concoctions, incredible constructions out of biscuits, bread and choux... They have all survived, and now they face their last three challenges. The signature challenge sees the finalists tackle enriched dough to create delicious filled iced buns. The technical requires them to conquer something they have all struggled with, and finally, for their last ever showstopper, they must make a classic British cake. Mary and Paul expect nothing short of perfection. So who will hold their nerve? Who will be crowned winner of The Great British Bake Off 2015? On your marks, get set... bake!
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.1/10 69 votes#3 - Puddings
Season 3 Episode 6 - Aired 9/18/2012
The bakers are challenged to make two types of sponge puddings, take on a difficult Mary Berry recipe, and deliver a showstopping strudel.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.1/10 88 votes#4 - Advanced Dough
Season 5 Episode 8 - Aired 9/24/2014
The nation's favourite baking contest is about to get a whole lot hotter in the kitchen, as it reaches the quarter-final stage, and just five amateur bakers remain. They've all impressed to various extents during Bread Week - at least sufficiently to make it through - but now their skills are thoroughly tested as they take on enriched doughs. They have a signature bake in which they must work with soft dough to create artful works, a technical that sees them recreate an Eastern European cross between bread and pastry, and a showstopper involving doughnuts.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.1/10 86 votes#5 - The Final
Season 5 Episode 10 - Aired 10/8/2014
The three finalists face a Signature Challenge in which they have just three hours to prove they have mastered a pastry technique that usually takes a whole day. They then have to tackle a Technical Challenge without the aid of a recipe, before rustling up a Showstopper that turns sponge, caramel, choux pastry and petits fours into a winning combination.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/10 106 votes#6 - Cake Week
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 8/17/2010
This first show uncovers that Queen Victoria is responsible for Britain's wedding cake tradition, that the Puritans tried to ban cake because it was too pleasurable, and that cake baking contributed to women's liberation. The ten bakers tackle three increasingly difficult challenges as their cake-making ability is tested. They start with their signature bake – the cake they love that says something about them. Next up is the technical challenge – a blind recipe for Victoria sandwich that delivers drastically different results. Finally they tackle the ingredient even professionals fear – chocolate. Whose chocolate celebration cake will win the day? And which two bakers will leave the show at the end?
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/10 87 votes
#7 - Cakes
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 8/14/2012
Signature Challenge: Upside-down Cake. Showstopper Challenge: A cake, when sliced reveals a hidden design. Technical Challenge: Rum Babas.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/10 71 votes
#8 - Bread
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 8/21/2012
Signature Challenge: 24 Flatbreads. Showstopper Challenge: 12 sweet and 12 savoury Bagels. Technical Challenge: Eight-strand plaited loaf.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 8.0/10 70 votes
#9 - French Week
Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 10/15/2013
It is the semi-final and there are just four bakers left. This time it is the French round, and the challenges include savoury canapes and opera cake.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/10 96 votes#10 - Biscuits
Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 8/13/2014
The remaining 11 bakers are challenged to create three-dimensional biscuit scenes.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/10 97 votes#11 - Desserts
Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 8/27/2014
As week four begins, the bakers must multitask across several baking skills at once.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/10 82 votes#12 - Semi-final - Patisserie
Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 10/1/2014
It's Patisserie Week, and the remaining four bakers will need to demonstrate that they have skills worthy enough to see them through to this year's final. The bakers are challenged to make a signature baklava - two types of any flavour they like, before the technical challenge demands they knock up a German Schichttorte, a cake cooked in stages under the grill to create 20 layers of different coloured sponge. Finally, the showstopper sees the semi-finalists baking non-stop to create two entremets in which they should demonstrate as many personal skills and techniques as they can.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
8.0/10 88 votes#13 - Bread
Season 6 Episode 3 - Aired 8/19/2015
The ten remaining bakers tackle quick breads, baguettes and 3D bread sculptures.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/10 72 votes
#14 - Tarts
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 8/28/2012
Things are hotting up in the Bake Off tent as the remaining ten bakers do their best to wow Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry with some unusual flavour combinations for their tartes tatin.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/10 70 votes
#15 - Desserts
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 9/4/2012
Amateur bakers have their skills tested to the limit. The bakers face three challenges, all designed for a sweet tooth, including a mainstay of French baking - the creme caramel.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/10 65 votes
#16 - Sweet Dough
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 9/25/2012
The bakers take on three sweet dough challenges.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/10 64 votes
#17 - Patisserie
Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 10/9/2012
The bakers seeking a place in the final have to frantically work against the clock to deliver petits fours to Paul and Mary's exacting standards.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/10 87 votes
#18 - Bread
Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 8/27/2013
One week down and the remaining 12 bakers have 9 weeks and 27 gruelling challenges to get through before they can be crowned Winner of the Great British Bake Off. But having survived cake, now they battle bread. Knowing that Paul will be watching their every move and prove, they must bake 36 perfectly thin and crispy signature bread sticks, a technically tricky English muffin, and the most outrageous showstopping loaves of bread ever seen on television... from a Christmas wreath to a proud peacock and a psychic octopus. As the bakers try to perfect their breakfast muffins, we explore their rise in popularity in Georgian England, initially distributed by a network of muffin men, now immortalised in the famous nursery rhyme. Mel and Sue try to help but instead leave chaos in their wake, as Mary and Paul use the challenges to find out what type of bakers they are and exactly how far they can push their baking skills. They are looking for real talent and natural instinct, creativity and baking brilliance. At any time, two bakers might be asked to leave, making this year tougher than ever before... nobody is safe.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/10 71 votes
#19 - Bake Off Final
Season 4 Episode 11 - Aired 10/22/2013
It's the final of The Great British Bake Off! 13,000 applicants were narrowed down to 13 of Britain's best amateur bakers, and the 13 became three. There are just three final challenges standing between the bakers and the title of winner of the Great British Bake Off. Mary and Paul have chosen the final challenges to test the bakers on the areas in which they wanted to see how far they had grown in skill and creativity. The Signature Challenge asks them to create a technically difficult picnic pie - a savoury pie packed full of fillings that create a creative design, surrounded by shortcrust pastry with perfectly baked sides strong enough to be served out of the tin. The Technical is one of Paul's, as they are tasked to make 12 perfectly shaped pretzels, six savoury with rock salt and six sweet, flavoured with poppy seeds and topped with sweet orange zest and glaze. For the very final challenge in this year's Bake Off they must bake the ultimate showpiece in a baker's repertoire - a wedding cake. Three tiers that are their last chance to showcase their creative, baking brilliance. All of their efforts will be prepared for their family and friends at the GBBO summer garden party, who will be there to support the winner - but which of our female finalists will it be? Bake Off finalists; on your marks....get set......BAKE!
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/10 122 votes#20 - Cake
Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 8/6/2014
The baking challenge is back, welcoming the tent's youngest-ever baker and the oldest.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/10 93 votes#21 - Bread
Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 8/20/2014
In week three, the remaining ten bakers get ready to brave bread.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/10 90 votes#22 - European Cakes
Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 9/10/2014
Past halfway in their baking marathon and the remaining six bakers face three European cakes. For their signature challenge the bakers are asked to bake yeast-leavened cakes; a tricky cross between cake and bread that sees some of the bakers opting out of Europe... Mary sets the bakers their most demanding technical challenge yet in which they must make a Swedish princess torte. With 24 different stages and only two-and-a-quarter hours to do it in, the bakers have their work cut out for them, while Sue explores the events that led to the huge array of Danish cakes and pastries in the Danish cake table tradition. And finally, a showstopping finale that puts the hungry into Hungary... The bakers must make their own contemporary version of the dobos torte. Traditionally a multi-layered Hungarian cake, the bakers must go one step further and make a two-tiered dobos torte with an emphasis on all things caramel in every way they can imagine... but whose Bake Off will come to a sweet but sticky end? On your marks, get set... bake!
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/10 91 votes#23 - Pastry
Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 9/17/2014
Presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins set the remaining contestants three tasks involving pastry, beginning by asking them to make signature savoury parcels. For the technical challenge, they must prepare a cake that hails from the Brittany region of France - the kouign amann, which none of the bakers has ever heard of - before creating two different types of eclair in the showstopper round. Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood judge the hopefuls' efforts before deciding who is star baker and who is going home.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
7.9/10 88 votes#24 - Desserts
Season 6 Episode 4 - Aired 8/26/2015
Three baked cheesecakes make up the showstopper.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
- 7.9/10 84 votes
#25 - Alternative Ingredients
Season 6 Episode 5 - Aired 9/2/2015
The remaining bakers must bake without sugar, gluten or dairy.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A