‘The Great British Baking Show’ Brings Back a Classic: Vol-Au-Vents

The Great British Baking Show “Pastry Week” kicked off with a twist on a classic: vol-au-vents. The pastry treat is usually associated with party snacks and holiday parties. However, as with everything on this season of The Great British Baking Show on Netflix, judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith made this Signature Challenge a tiny bit topsy-turvy. Instead of asking the five remaining bakers to make savory vol-au-vents, Paul and Prue wanted sweet ones.

Yes, folks. We finally got free of the madness of “Mexican Week” and “Halloween Week” and are in the home stretch of this season of The Great British Baking Show. With only five bakers left — Janusz, Maxy, Sandro, Abdul, and Syabira — it’s time for Paul and Prue to lay down the law in the tent. This week, the Quarter-Finals, marks the return of “Pastry Week.” That means next week’s Semi-Finals are the dreaded “Patisserie Week.” And then onwards to the Finale. Here is where the bakers either crumble under the pressure or pull off professional-grade bakes to Paul and Prue’s delight.

First up in “Pastry Week”? Vol-au-vents. What are these treats? What does “vol-au-vents” mean in French? And why do vol-au-vents sound so familiar? Here’s everything you need to know about vol-au-vents on The Great British Baking Show “Pastry Week.”

WHAT ARE VOL-AU-VENTS? THE SIGNATURE CHALLENGE IN THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW PASTRY WEEK

First of all, you might be wondering what the name vol-au-vents even means. Vol-au-vents is French for “windblown” and it’s meant to reflect how light and airy the pastry is meant to be.

Vol-au-vents are pastry treats designed to be a vessel for a (usually) savory filling. They’re made by stacking rings of pastry atop a circle of pastry. Once baked, the filling can go in. While they are often considered a classic hors d’oeuvres, in Belgium, it’s common to make a meal out of a bit vol-au-vent. Think of it like a fussier bread bowl.

HAS THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW DONE VOL-AU-VENTS BEFORE?

Oh yes! If you found yourself feeling a slight case of Bake Off deja vu, that’s because The Great British Baking Show has asked bakers to make vol-au-vents before. In fact, during Series 6, aka the Nadiya Hussein season of the show, vol-au-vents were the Showstopper Challenge.

Yes, way back in the good old days when Paul Hollywood was paired with Mary Berry while Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc hosted the show, the bakers were asked to make 48 vol-au-vents as their Showstopper Challenge in “Pastry Week.” While firefighter Mat Riley took home Star Baker that week, Tamal Ray was the vol-au-vent king. You can still find Tamal’s recipe for coriander chicken and fennel seeds and rosemary pulled pork vol-au-vents for free on the BBC One website.