Bake Off Along: Week 2 - Arlettes

Things are hotting up on the Great British Bake Off and its getting pretty intense in the tent. Before I brave the bread challenge (no lions here I'm afraid) its time for the Bake Off Along biscuit challenge.

During week two contestants were asked to make biscotti in the signature challenge, arlettes for the technical and a showstopper biscuit box. In a bid to try making something I've never done before, I opted for these cinnamon arlettes.

Not only are they not so flattering to photograph, they are deceivingly fiddly to make!

I used a classic Paul Hollywood recipe, here.

They do taste pretty great, so I'm keen to make them again perhaps by cutting corners and buying some ready rolled puff pastry to speed up the process.

Some tips and tricks I learnt along the way:

• skip Paul's numerous steps on butter layers, make the pastry and roll into a rectangle. Brush with melted butter and scatter over a generous layer of cinnamon and sugar
• in order to roll the dough really tight, use clingfilm
• the dough needs to be really cold in order to slice thinly, if impatient, 20 - 30 minutes wrapped in cling film and plonked in the freezer will do
• gentle sawing motions when slicing them into 1cm slices helps them to keep their disc shape
• depending on size, you'll get 6 - 8 on a cookie sheet/baking tray, give them lots of room. Sandwich the discs between two sheets of baking paper and roll until 0.5cm
• keeping the arlettes tucked inside the baking paper, transfer onto a baking tray (using a flat cookie sheet is ideal). To ensure they don't rise, weigh them down with another tray on top
• from a few practice rounds, I'd say the arlettes need anything between 5 - 8 minutes per side. Bake one side, flip the tray upside down and bake the other side

I can hear it now, Paul saying my bakes are not even and consistent. Well you know what Paul, neither were yours on the recipes picture! Like I said, these are deceivingly fiddly.

See how I got on last week with the cake challenge:

Bake Off Along: Week 1 -  Black Forest Gateau. 

Take a peak at how the others did last week and Ala's biscotti, here.