The Great British Bake Off is one my favorite shows, inspiring new bakes, new flavors, and new techniques! Join me on my journey to bake through all the Season 13 Challenges.
Since replicating Season 8 of the Great British Bake Off wasn’t enough, I decided to try my hand at a different season! This time, I am working on season 13 which is the most recent season! This season had some great bake ideas as well as some not-so-great ones (but we’ll get there when we get there).
So, I figured, let’s do this all again! One of the big challenges I wanted to attempt this time around was coming up with original ideas for the signature and showstopper challenges instead of doing a recreation. On your mark… Get set… Bake!
THIS IS IT! The final week of challenges and of course, they are a little difficult and full of so many components. The signature challenge is effectively three different bakes which I found to be rather challenging.
The bakes themselves were easy, but time management is a killer. And then figuring out how to post them was additional fun. The signature challenge was to make a mini picnic consisting of 6 finger sandwiches, 6 savory pies, and 6 mini cakes. And putting those into one recipe did not make a whole lot of sense. This time, I am splitting this signature challenge up over three different posts.
The recipe that I am going to highlight today is cucumber sandwiches! I have seen cucumber sandwiches in so many of the dramas and TV shows that I watch but I have never had one myself. When I saw that I was making 6 mini sandwiches, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to make cucumber sandwiches and see what they were like!
Check out the Season 13 Great British Bake Off Page to see other bakes from this series or the Make section for more recipes! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think and how the recipe works for you!
Check out Part One (Mushroom and Lentil Pies) and Part Two (Strawberry & Cream Cake)!
Ingredients
While I decided to post all the of the signature dishes as separate recipes, I forgot to take separate photos for the ingredients. So instead, I have a photo of all the components needed for all the dishes. It was an overwhelming amount. I felt like I was about to lose all my counter space since the ingredients took up so much space.
For the cucumber sandwiches, I needed to make bread, so I had the classic yeast, salt, and flour combo. For the filling, I needed cucumbers, cream cheese, mayonnaise, and some herbs and spices.
Process
Loaf Dough
The first step for making a sandwich is to make the bread. The loaf should be cooled before sliced which means I need to make the dough and bake the bread and have it cool before I think about making the cucumber sandwiches. And that all starts with dough.
I put the instant yeast in some warm water and let it sit for a few minutes. This helps active the yeast and will allow for a good rise in the dough. Then I added more water, sugar, salt, butter, and flour. All that’s left was to mix.
As I mixed the dough together, it became abundantly clear that the dough was very wet. Too wet to be good bread dough. So, I added a little more flour. And then a little more. I put the total amount of flour I added to the dough in the recipe below.
I kept kneading until the dough complete came away from the side of the bowl. The dough was kneaded for another five minutes before I turned it out to knead by hand. Yea, I know that I don’t need to knead the dough by hand, but I like to feel the dough. It helps me connect with the dough and helps me tell if the dough is properly kneaded (and passes the window-pane test).
Then I placed it in a bowl to prove. I waited about an hour before checking on the dough again. It had risen so much that it lifted the cover off the bowl. The yeast was very happy.
subtitle two
Shaping the dough is important to make a proper loaf type bread. I wanted to make sure that this dough was good for cucumber sandwiches, so I did not want the dough to have any holes. Since this recipe makes two loaves, I split the dough in half and did the following instructions to each half.
I pushed the dough out to make it into a 9-inch by 12-inch rectangle. Roughly. Dough is not exactly the easiest to shape. Then I rolled the dough into a tube. I kept the dough 9-inches long, so it fit well into the tin.
To keep the dough together in this shape, I pinched the seam to the dough underneath it and pinched both ends together. While I knew where the seam was, the circular nature of the dough was hidden by the pinches. I placed the dough seam side down into the tin. This was extra reassurance that it would not unravel in the second prove or while baking.
Then I left the dough alone and let it rise again. It should fill out a decent amount of the pan during the second rise. While the dough was rising, the oven was warming up to get a uniform temperature thought the entirety of the oven.
contentAfter getting the rise I wanted, it was time to bake! I had an internal temperature goal that I was looking for so I knew the bread would be perfectly cooked. And it came out a beautiful golden color.content
Cucumber and Cream Filling
There are two parts to the filling for cucumber sandwiches: the cucumbers and the cream filling. To prepare the cucumbers, I peel strips on the cucumber skin around the circumference. This is an aesthetic choice from what I can tell. And I do like the way it looks. It feels intentional.
Then I cut the cucumber into slices. I placed the slices on a silicone mat and then sprinkled salt all over the cucumbers. This helps draw the water out of the cucumbers which will prevent sogginess later in the process.
Meanwhile, I whisked together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, dill, chives, lemon juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Which are the remaining ingredients. This gave a cream spread that had a bright herb flavor. I was here for it.
Assembly
The bread was then sliced into relatively thin slices. I am not the most consistent cutter especially when it comes to bread. But I wanted to try and make uniform cucumber sandwiches. I then worked with two slices of bread at a time.
I trimmed the bread first, but I regret not leaving that step until later in the process. The cream was spread out on one side of each slice. Then I placed the cucumbers on the cream on one of the slices. I put the other slice, cream side down, on top to finish making the cucumber sandwiches. Then I cut the sandwiches to their appropriate size.
Reflections
I have one word for this recipe: yum! This was a delicious recipe, and I am very happy that I finally got to try some cucumber sandwiches. I really love how the bread turned out. It wasn’t sweet like grocery store loafs and acted like the perfect sandwich bread.
The cream spread is also good, and surprisingly simple to make. I am considering making more spread with different herbs to see what types of flavors I can get.
Lessons
What is the Windowpane Test?
I remember the first time someone mentioned the windowpane test on Great British Bake Off. This test lets you see how strong and elastic your dough is. I like doing this test for short rise breads so I know that the bread will have good texture. The test is stretching the dough to see if you can make it thin enough for light to come through the dough. So, basically making the dough acts like a “window” that you can see through.
recipe
Cucumber Sandwiches
Ingredients
White Loaf Bread (2 Loaf Recipe)
- 4 ½ Teaspoon Instant Yeast
- 3 ½ Cup Warm Water divided
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 3 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter cubed
- 7 ½ Cup All-Purpose Flour divided
- Vegetable Oil for greasing
Cucumber Sandwich Filling
- 1 Cucumber
- 8- ounce Cream Cheese one block
- ¼ Cup Mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Dill
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Chives
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- Black Pepper to Taste
Instructions
White Loaf Bread (2 Load Recipe)
- In a mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in ¾ cup warm water and let the yeast sit for 5 minutes. Then add the remaining water, sugar, salt, butter, and 5 cups of all-purpose flour.
- Using a dough hook. mix on low speed until it comes together in a sticky dough. Slowly add flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough becomes soft and tacky. The dough should be fully pulled away from the sides of the bowl.
- Knead until a soft ball of dough forms, about 7 to 10 minutes in the mixer. The dough should be able to pass the window-pane test.
- Place dough in a bowl that has been lightly greased with vegetable oil. Cover with a towel and let rise for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Gently press the dough to remove the air. Divide the dough into 2 even parts. Pat one part into a 9 by 12 rectangle. Roll the dough into a tube keeping the dough 9-inches long. Pinch the dough to seal the seams and the ends. Repeat with the other loaf.
- Place the seam side down into a greased pan (two loaves = 2 pans) and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit while the dough is rising.
- Bake for 15 minutes and then rotate the dough. Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the bread has reached an internal temperature of 195° Fahrenheit.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before removing the loaves from the pan. Let cool completely before slicing into ¼ inch slices.
Cucumber Sandwich Filling
- Peel the cucumber to have strips along the outside circumference. Cut into 1/8-inch slices and place each slice onto a silicone mat. Sprinkle with salt and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
- In a large mixer bowl, whisk together cream cheese, mayonnaise, dill, chives, lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt.
- Spread cream mixture on one side of two bread slices. Layer cucumber on one slice over the cream mixture. Season with black pepper.
- Place a second slice of bread on top with the cream mixture on the inside. Cut to shape. Repeat until all bread, cream, or cucumber is used.
- Enjoy!
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