Scrumptious sweets: ‘The Great British Baking Show”s best recipes

Cooking is without a doubt a science and art form given the abundance of subjectivity involved yet the presence of very precise instructions. 

We’ll talk about the most captivating foods seen on The Great British Baking Show. Of course, there’s far too many recipes to name today so it’s time to focus on the very best. Remember “the best” is heavily subjective so please don’t only take our word for it. Share your favorite recipes from The Great British Baking Show in the comments below!

Jumble Biscuits 

One of the best recipes hailing from The Great British Baking Show would have to be the Jumble Biscuits, for their simplicity and prized spices. Check out season 4, episode 8. 

Ingredients

Dough

• 375g (13oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• ½ tsp ground aniseed
• ½ tsp ground mace
• 1 large or 2 small unwaxed lemons, finely grated zest only
• 60g (2¼oz) unsalted butter, cubed
• 150g (5½oz) caster sugar
• 3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten

To finish

• 1 free-range egg, lightly beaten
• caster sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Line up to large baking trays with baking parchment.
2. Put the caraway seeds in a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar then grind it into a powder. Sieve the caraway, aniseed, flour and mace together into a bowl. 
3. Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like breadcrumbs, then mix in the sugar and lemon zest. Add the eggs and gather the mixture together to make a soft dough. 
4. Divide the dough into four balls wedging 65g and four balls weighing 85g. Put the dough balls on one of the prepared trays. Cover it with a cling film and chill in the fridge for thirty minutes. 
5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
6. Combine the four smaller pieces of dough on a lightly floured surface and roll it using your fingertips into a 12-inch rope. Knot it into double knots and place on one of the lined trays.
7. Shape the remaining four larger pieces of dough into long ropes then cut away a quarter of each rope. Lay it out into Celtic knots, using the leftover dough to make the rings that sit on top. Put them on the other lined tray
8. Brush with beaten egg then sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake the Celtic knots for 15-20 minutes, until it’s golden brown and the double knots for 20-25 minutes. Take it out of the oven and leave it to cool down on a wire rack. 

Paul Hollywood’s Belgian Buns

Imagine having a Chelsea bun, but with icing and a cherry on the top. Plus, it’s filled with homemade lemon curd and juicy sultanas. The trick is just a perfect Paul Hollywood’s Belgian Bun. 

Ingredients

Dough

• 500g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 7g salt
• 7g fast-action yeast
• 120ml whole milk
• 50g caster sugar
• 120ml water
• 40g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg, beaten, to wash

Lemon the curd

• juice and finely grated zest of 1 large unwaxed lemon
• 25g unsalted butter
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 large egg

Filling

• 150g sultanas

Decoration

• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 200g icing sugar
• 6 glacé cherries, halved

Instructions

1. Make your dough. Put the flour, salt and sugar into a large mixing bowl then stir until thoroughly combined. Make a well in the centre then tip in the yeast.
2. Warm up the butter and milk with 120 ml of water inside a small saucepan until the butter is melted and mixture is lukewarm. Pour it into the flour mixture, then stir thoroughly until the contents of the bowl come together as a soft dough. 
3. Tip out the dough into a softly floured work surface and knead well for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Put the dough into an oiled bowl, cover, then leave it to rise, for 1 hour, or until it’s doubled in size. 
4. Make the curd. Put your lemon juice and zest, butter, and sugar into a heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Make sure the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl. Occasionally stir the mixture until all the butter is melted. 
5. Gently whisk the egg and egg yolk together in a bowl and then mix them into the lemon mixture. Whisk it until all the ingredients are well combined, then leave the mixture to cook for 8-10 minutes. Mix it occasionally until it’s creamy and heavy enough to cover the back of a spoon. Remove the lemon curd from the heat and let cool down, then chill it until set. 
6. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface then roll it out into a rectangle measuring approximately 30 x 40 cm with the short end closest to you. You’ll want to tack down this end by pressing it down onto the work surface with your thumb. 
7. Spread the lemon curd all over the dough then sprinkle it with the sultanas. Watching the short end furthest away from you, roll the rough towards you very lightly until the role is finished. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 thick rounds. 
8. Arrange the buns on the cooking sheets. Space them well apart. Place each baking sheet into a proving bag and leave the buns to rise for 45 minutes, until it’s doubled in size. 
9. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush the buns with a little bit of egg wash. Bake the buns for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit then cook them for another 10 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Take the buns out of the oven. Leave them to cool down. Gently take them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
10. Make your decoration. Mix the icing sugar, lemon zest, and about 2 tablespoons of water to make a stiff, but pourable icing. Dip the buns in the icing, allowing any excess to drip off. Top them with a half glacé cherry and leave it to set before serving.