How To Nail The Bake Off, According To GBBO's Dave Friday

Time flies. Season 13 of "The Great British Bake Off" is finished, and if you haven't seen the latest season, it's best to stop reading now if you don't want to see spoilers ahead. The Malaysian-born, 32-year-old Syabira has been crowned the winner of the latest season of this wholesome show that's called "The Great British Baking Show" in the U.S. (via The Great British Bake Off). 

But let's rewind to 2020. In Season 11, we could've seen the three finalists as well, and among them, one stood out, although he didn't win in the end. His name is Dave Friday, and back then, he was a 30-year-old armored guard. RadioTimes reported that Friday baked at least once a week, and while being creative in the kitchen, he loved listening to his favorite music genre, punk rock. 

During the filming of GBBO, Friday learned many baking skills, and we could find out that he loves baking bread, brioches, baguettes, and pretzels, while his favorite decorative technique is the delicate mirror glaze. And even though Friday didn't win Season 11 (Peter Sawkins did), his experience in the big white tent could prove helpful to anyone who ever thought of competing in the show (via Metro).

Portsmouth reports that since then, Dave Friday has pursued a professional baking career at the Winchester Bakery in Winnall, Winchester. Combine that with Friday's experience in "The Great British Bake Off," and you've got yourself a man with lots of knowledge, tips, and tricks to give out to amateur bakers considering competing in the show. 

When Friday is not on Instagram, sharing photos of his beautiful cakes and delicious sourdough bread, he sometimes finds time to talk to the press. Friday spoke with The Independent and shared some of his thoughts on how to nail the GBBO and get that elusive cake stand trophy. 

If you manage to compete in GBBO and have a few baking failures, Friday thinks of those mishaps as "an opportunity to learn and improve" and suggests having fun while figuring out how to get your bakes just right. In the interview, Friday also recommends three kitchen essentials that he couldn't do without: the Neff B57CR22N0B self-cleaning oven that you can also use to prove your dough; the beloved and expensive KitchenAid mixer; and a set of nice kitchen scales to precisely measure whatever you need to. All that's left to do is to get on the GBBO, but in order to do that, you must secure a U.K. residency before applying for the auditions.