The Great British Baking Show Season 4 (Bake Off)

Complete season breakdown

Every episode and bake

Series four runs for ten episodes, beginning with cakes and bread before moving through desserts, pies and tarts, biscuits, sweet dough, pastry, alternative ingredients, French patisserie, and the final. This guide records the documented Signature, Technical, and Showstopper briefs and includes two original home-kitchen adaptations inspired by Technical challenges.

1. Episode 1 · Cakes

   Cakes

   Aug 20, 2013

   The opening week tests filled sandwich cakes, the lift and structure of angel food cake, and chocolate cakes decorated with more than one kind of chocolate.

   • Signature

     Sandwich cake

     Bake a sandwich cake with a filling of the baker's choice in two hours.

   • Technical

     Angel food cake

     Make Mary Berry's angel food cake in two and a half hours, relying on whipped egg whites for its volume and light texture.

   • Showstopper

     Chocolate cake decorated with at least two chocolates

     Create a chocolate cake in four hours and decorate it with at least two different kinds of chocolate.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

2. Episode 2 · Bread

   Bread

   Aug 27, 2013

   Bread week begins with long, crisp breadsticks, moves to griddle-cooked English muffins, and finishes with an elaborately shaped decorative loaf.

   • Signature

     36 breadsticks

     Make 36 yeast-raised breadsticks in two hours, each at least 25 cm long and crisp enough to snap.

   • Technical

     Eight English muffins

     Use Paul Hollywood's recipe to make eight English muffins in two hours and 45 minutes.

   • Showstopper

     Decorative loaf

     Bake an elaborately decorated loaf in four hours.

   Make our home version →Episode source 1Episode source 2

3. Episode 3 · Desserts

   Desserts

   Sep 3, 2013

   Dessert week layers sponge, custard, and fruit in trifle, tests poached meringue floating islands, and ends with two styles of bite-sized petits fours.

   • Signature

     Trifle

     Make a trifle in three hours, using ladyfingers, sponge, or biscuit at the base and including jam or custard in the middle.

   • Technical

     Six floating islands

     Prepare six floating islands from Mary Berry's recipe in 90 minutes.

   • Showstopper

     24 petits fours: 12 biscuit-based and 12 sponge-based

     In three hours, present 12 biscuit-based and 12 sponge-based petits fours.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

4. Episode 4 · Pies and tarts

   Pies and Tarts

   Sep 10, 2013

   The pastry rounds contrast double-crusted fruit pies with small egg custard tarts before requiring a centerpiece made from scratch-produced filo pastry.

   • Signature

     Double-crusted fruit pie

     Bake a double-crusted fruit pie with a filling of the baker's choice in two hours.

   • Technical

     12 egg custard tarts

     Make 12 traditional egg custard tarts in two hours.

   • Showstopper

     Filo pie centerpiece

     Create a pie centerpiece in four hours using filo pastry made from scratch.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

5. Episode 5 · Biscuits and traybakes

   Biscuits and Traybakes

   Sep 17, 2013

   The bakers portion from-scratch traybakes, shape two distinct forms of delicate tuile, and engineer biscuit towers at least 30 cm high.

   • Signature

     Traybake cut into identical pieces

     Make a favourite traybake entirely from scratch in two hours and divide it into matching portions.

   • Technical

     18 tuiles: nine curved and nine chocolate-dipped rolls

     Use Mary Berry's recipe to make 18 tuiles in 90 minutes: nine piped in concentric circles and curved, plus nine rolled and dipped in chocolate.

   • Showstopper

     Biscuit tower at least 30 cm high

     Construct a biscuit tower at least 30 cm high in four hours.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

6. Episode 6 · Sweet dough

   Sweet Dough

   Sep 24, 2013

   Sweet dough week moves from yeast-raised tea loaves to a twisted apricot couronne and a two-variety collection of European buns begun the night before.

   • Signature

     Yeasted sweet tea loaf

     Bake a sweet yeast-raised tea loaf, either free-form or in a tin, within three hours.

   • Technical

     Apricot couronne

     Make Paul Hollywood's twisted apricot couronne in two hours and 45 minutes.

   • Showstopper

     24 European sweet buns in two varieties

     Produce 12 each of two European sweet-bun varieties; bakers received 30 minutes on day one to begin dough that could proof overnight, followed by four hours on day two.

   Make our home version →Episode source 1Episode source 2

7. Episode 7 · Pastry

   Pastry

   Oct 1, 2013

   Pastry week modernizes suet pudding, stacks paired choux buns into religieuses, and asks for three coordinated types of sweet puff pastry.

   • Signature

     Modern suet pudding

     Bring a traditional suet pudding up to date in three hours.

   • Technical

     Eight religieuses

     In two hours, make eight religieuses from stacked choux buns filled with creme patissiere and topped with ganache.

   • Showstopper

     36 sweet puff pastries in three types

     Make 12 filled, 12 iced, and 12 baker's-choice sweet puff pastries in four hours.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

8. Episode 8 · Alternative ingredients

   Alternative Ingredients (Quarterfinals)

   Oct 8, 2013

   The quarterfinal replaces standard wheat flour in bread, layers hazelnut meringue with coffee custard, and turns vegetables into dairy-free novelty cakes.

   • Signature

     Wheat-free loaf

     Bake a loaf in three hours without traditional wheat flour, using alternatives such as spelt, rye, potato, or tapioca flour.

   • Technical

     Hazelnut dacquoise

     Make a three-layer hazelnut dacquoise in two hours and 45 minutes, combining coiled meringue, coffee custard, and praline.

   • Showstopper

     Dairy-free novelty vegetable cake

     Create a dairy-free novelty cake featuring vegetables in four hours.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

9. Episode 9 · French patisserie

   French Week (Semi-final)

   Oct 15, 2013

   The semifinal covers three pastry styles in savoury canapes, moulds Swiss roll and bavarois into a Charlotte Royale, and closes with opera cake.

   • Signature

     36 savoury canapes in three pastry types

     In two and a half hours, make 12 choux canapes, 12 using shortcrust or rough puff, and 12 using a third pastry of the baker's choice.

   • Technical

     Charlotte Royale

     Create a firm, domed Charlotte Royale from Swiss-roll slices surrounding a set bavarois in two and a half hours.

   • Showstopper

     Opera cake

     Bake and finish an opera cake in two and a half hours.

   Episode source 1Episode source 2

10. Episode 10 · Final

    Final

    Oct 22, 2013

    The finalists build patterned picnic pies, split a pretzel batch between savoury and sweet finishes, and complete three-tier wedding cakes in six hours.

    • Signature

      Picnic pie

      In three hours, make a self-supporting savoury picnic pie whose sliced filling reveals a creative design.

    • Technical

      12 pretzels: six savoury and six sweet

      Make six rock-salt savoury pretzels and six poppy-seed sweet pretzels with orange zest and glaze in two and a half hours.

    • Showstopper

      Three-tier wedding cake

      Create a three-tier wedding cake in six hours.

    Episode source 1Episode source 2

Inspired by the briefs

Bake it at home

These are original Baking Show Guide adaptations for a home kitchen. They are inspired by the challenge briefs, not the contestants' recipes or an official recipe from the show.

Inspired by Episode 2

Griddled English Muffins

Soft, lightly chewy yeast muffins cooked slowly on a griddle for even browning and a fork-split interior.

Time

52 min

Makes

8 muffins

Level

Medium

▶View ingredients and method

Ingredients

• 400 g strong white bread flour
• 7 g instant yeast
• 8 g fine salt
• 20 g caster sugar
• 25 g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 220 ml lukewarm milk
• Fine semolina, for dusting

Method

1. Mix the flour, yeast, salt, sugar, butter, egg, and milk into a soft dough. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
2. Cover and leave to rise for 60 to 90 minutes, until doubled in volume.
3. Roll the dough to 2 cm thick and cut eight 9 cm rounds. Place them on a semolina-dusted tray, dust the tops, cover, and proof for 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Heat a heavy griddle or frying pan over low heat. Cook the muffins in batches for 10 to 12 minutes per side, turning once, until browned and cooked through.
5. Cool on a rack and split with a fork rather than a knife to preserve the craggy interior.

This is a Baking Show Guide adaptation, not a contestant recipe or an official show recipe.

Keep the heat low so the centers cook before the surfaces become too dark.

Open the full recipe →

Inspired by Episode 6

Apricot Almond Couronne

A twisted enriched bread ring layered with dried apricots, almond filling, and a light citrus glaze.

Time

1 hr 10 min

Makes

One ring, serving 10

Level

Medium

▶View ingredients and method

Ingredients

• 300 g strong white bread flour
• 7 g instant yeast
• 5 g fine salt
• 40 g caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 120 ml lukewarm milk
• 50 g unsalted butter, softened
• 120 g dried apricots, finely chopped
• 60 g ground almonds
• 40 g light brown sugar
• 25 g unsalted butter, melted
• 80 g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method

1. Mix the flour, yeast, salt, caster sugar, egg, and milk into a dough. Knead in the softened butter, then continue kneading until smooth.
2. Cover and rise for about 75 minutes, until doubled. Mix the apricots, almonds, brown sugar, and melted butter for the filling.
3. Roll the dough to a 30 x 40 cm rectangle, spread with the filling, and roll tightly from a long edge. Slice the roll lengthwise to expose the layers.
4. Twist the two lengths together with the cut sides facing up, form a ring, and pinch the ends securely. Cover and proof for 35 minutes.
5. Heat the oven to 200 C, or 180 C fan. Bake for 27 to 30 minutes until deep golden, then cool and drizzle with icing sugar mixed with lemon juice.

This is a Baking Show Guide adaptation, not a contestant recipe or an official show recipe.

Chop the apricots finely so the rolled dough can be cut and twisted cleanly.

Open the full recipe →

Episode guide sources

Challenge details verified 2026-07-14. bbc.co.uk, en.wikipedia.org.

Season result

The winner stays hidden until you choose to reveal it.

See every Great British Baking Showwinner, season by season →

Full cast

Everyone recorded for Season 4, listed alphabetically without result spoilers.

Season fact sources

en.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org.