‘Tacos are not baking’: Great British Bake Off viewers confused by Mexican week

The Great British Bake Off returned to screens last night, and the theme the bakers were faced with certainly got people talking.

The Channel 4 baking show, hosted by Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding, challenged contestants to show off their skills during Mexican week – the first time the theme has ever been used in the show’s history.

It was an obvious attempt to keep things fresh, and that it did, with the contestants first tasked with baking pan dulce, which are Mexican sweet buns.

But viewers were confused by the second challenge of the episode: tacos.

Paul Hollywood eating tacos at extreme angles. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/wLqvVJGQIg

— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) October 4, 2022

In a technical like you’ve never seen before, Paul Hollywood tasked the team with making “hand-pressed” tacos topped with refried beans, pico de gallo, steak and guac.

They had to make their own tortillas… but other than that, were they really baking?

When Paul announced the task, even Prue seemed a bit confused, and the audience were with her.

“The fuck have tacos got to do with baking? #GBBO,” wrote one person on Twitter. 

As another concurred: “How is making tacos, even from scratch, BAKING? #gbbo”.

You can see some more of the reaction here: 

Me watching them make tacos on a baking show #GBBO pic.twitter.com/YumWpqNCts

— Georgia (@GeorgiaEH17) October 4, 2022

#GBBO TACOS AREN'T BAKING!!! pic.twitter.com/AFhQYo4HVH

— Sam Goodman (@SamGoodman990) October 4, 2022

I'll say it again. I want cakes and biscuits not pizza and tacos! #gbbo pic.twitter.com/adn4OiTt6r

— Mrs Beattie (@MrsBeattie23) October 4, 2022

Pizza last week and tacos this week…

The UK: #GBBO pic.twitter.com/fUAGzg2DyW

— . (@toops99) October 4, 2022

It might not seem that much of a scandal in its own right, but people were more perplexed given that last week, bakers were tasked with making pizzas, too.

Now, naturally, making pizza dough is slightly closer to baking than making a tortilla, but we can understand why both savoury challenges in a row raised eyebrows on a show synonymous with cakes and the occasional bread roll.

A fellow viewer wrote: “This #GBBO is disastrous. Too much cooking. Pizza last week, Steak Tacos this week… They should just call it Masterbake”.

Watching the challenge, it was clear the bakers were out of their depths. They might know how to master a choux pastry, but when it came to “pico de gallo”, none of them had the foggiest what it was.

“Like a mad professor, I am flinging things into a bowl with gay abandon,” fan favourite Dawn joked during the episode.

Paul and Prue tested the team’s taco skills (Credit: GBBO/ Channel 4)

As the challenge was being judged, Maxy and Sandro got high praise, whilst Rebs and Carole received negative feedback, with Rebs being told her tacos are over-seasoned, whilst Carole’s were “far, far too thick”.

The taco challenge might have raised some eyebrows, but it wasn’t long before GBBO was back to what it did best – sweet treats. Specifically, Tres Leches.

Tres Leches is a cake made of three sponges soaked in three different milks, and it’s a challenge the bakers took on with gusto – Syabira made a sweet corn infused sponge and Abdul made a Day of the Dead sponge with white chocolate skulls.

All of the bakers found this week a challenge, and whilst Maxy won star baker, it was ultimately Rebs and James who were sent packing in a surprise double elimination.

The good news is it’s dessert week next week, so all cooking critics can rest easy. Who knows what’ll come afterwards, though. At this rate, we’re expecting pasta week imminently…