Baking & Pastry Arts — 2026-09-26
The Great British Bake Off's 2026 season has premiered with Nigella Lawson making her judging debut opposite Paul Hollywood, drawing strong reviews. Season 17's cast of 12 amateur bakers is now fully revealed, including a Dorset contestant who applied "on a whim." Meanwhile, sourdough-croissant hybrids continue to trend, and King Arthur Baking's latest blog explores steam and crust development in home ovens.
Baking & Pastry Arts — 2026-09-26
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Nigella Lawson's Bake Off debut is the story of the week. The New York Times reports the food writer has joined the show and, "by all accounts, she's on fire" — in a good way. The Guardian's review calls her "wise, generous" and the ideal complement to Paul Hollywood. Not everything went smoothly, though: Metro reports her first episode featured one of the most disastrous openers in show history.
Meet the Class of 2026. Twelve amateur bakers stepped into the tent when the new series began September 22 on Channel 4 — the first season in nine years without Prue as judge. Full cast profiles are up at The Independent and RadioTimes, and the BBC profiled Dorset contestant Danni, who applied "on a whim". Netflix's version (Collection 14) started streaming Sept. 25, and E! Online dug into behind-the-tent secrets for viewers returning this week.
Technique
King Arthur Baking's recent post "Is a gas oven bad for bread?" by Jessica Battilana tackles a common home-baking worry, comparing dull crusts to well-steamed crusts and how oven type affects your loaf's finish. A practical takeaway for this week's bakers: if your crust looks pale, adding steam in the first minutes of baking — a tray of water or ice cubes on a lower rack — helps gelatinize the crust surface for that shiny, crackly finish. The post predates this week's cutoff slightly but was published within the recent window and pairs well with the Sept. 16 roundup of 13 gluten-free dessert recipes from Tatiana Bautista.
Baker Spotlight
Danni from Dorset earns this week's spotlight among the class of 2026 — she applied for the show "on a whim" and is now one of twelve amateur bakers competing in Series 17. Her fellow contestants and their baking backgrounds are profiled in the official cast line-up.
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