A snail-shaped loaf that took on a rather risque shape left judge Paul Hollywood in fits of giggles as The Great British Bake Off tackled bread week.
A bread sculpture in the shape of a countryside scene, complete with a snail and a mushroom, raised eyebrows with the phallic shape of the baked mollusc.
Julia Chernogorova said of her showstopper: “That just looks inappropriate,” before she presented it to judges Hollywood and Prue Leith.
Hollywood giggled as he said: “I like the snail.”
His smirking prompted host Sandi Toksvig to ask: “Is there something about the shape of the snail?”
As Hollywood bent over laughing, Leith said: “Paul, are you going to pull yourself together?”
The technical challenge of a cottage loaf also provided rich material for innuendo, as Hollywood relayed his technique for merging the two layers of the loaf.
He said: “It’s about making both of the balls quite tight and the way I do it is to drive my finger right the way through to the tray underneath.”
Leith appeared amused by this, asking: “Do you flour your finger?”
She added: “You must, otherwise it would stick to the dough!”
Hollywood responded: “I can oil it.”
The cottage loaf also gave the contestant a chance for a double entendre, as Liam Charles said: “You don’t want wonky balls.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here