Spring Baking Championship recap: Hot crossed bunny bread big upset

In this Spring Baking Championship recap, the bakers might have been looking for the golden egg but the bunny might have better laid plans for the Food Network bakers. Even though springtime desserts are often brightly colored and flavored treats, the bakers need to take care with their recipes. Sometimes a simple mistake can lead to a big fall from the Spring Board.

In the pre-heat, the bakers had to answer the age old question, which came first, the chicken or the egg. While the question might be a conundrum, the reality is that the paradox can lead to a whimsical dessert. Still, the best laid plans don’t always come to fruition.

Looking at the pre-heat desserts, most of the bakers’ ideas were cute. Although there were a few abstract chicken and eggs, the major of the desserts fit the challenge. A few bakers are showing that their baking skills might be a peck above the rest.

For example, Derek’s dessert was the hands down winner and no one was surprised to see him on top of the Spring Board. From the adorable chicken to the marshmallow egg with gooey center, the dessert was the epitome of the challenge.

But, not all the bakers were quite as successful. For example, Stephanie had a double mistake. Not only did she use pre-made pastry dough but she left a piece of plastic in the dessert. The judges might complain about too much fondant, but that inedible option is a huge baking fail.

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Which Spring Baking Championship bakers hopped to a bunny bread victory?

For winning the pre-heat, Derek had a tasty advantage for the main heat. In a Spring Baking Championship first, the bakers had to make bread, a version of a hot cross bun. Even though the bakers had three hours to complete the challenge, it isn’t a lot of time to all the bread to rise, bake and decorate. There is a reason why bread is often off this Food Network baking challenge menu.

In the main heat challenge, the bakers had to create a hot cross bun inspired bunny shaped bread. While the hot cross bun is an Easter food staple, it can be a difficult pastry to master. From the fluffy texture of the bread to the combination of dried fruits and spices, this particular Spring Baking Championship challenge is far from a casual hop down the bunny trail.

Beyond getting the dough to rise properly, the hot cross bunnies are not necessarily the easiest treat to make. The shape can cause uneven baking times. Plus, there is the interpretation of what is a bunny. Not all bunnies are created equal.

Overall, given the parameters and time constraints, these hot crossed bun inspired bunnies were well done. Although many of the bakers used different dough recipes, the majority of the desserts were both well executed and well decorated.

Rising to the top of the Spring Board were Natalie and Veruska. Natalie shined with her creative decorative bunny with hard boiled eggs baked into the hot cross bun. As the best dough of the day she rose to the occasion and won the challenge.

Unfortunately, the two bottom bakers had major mistakes. Although Laurent tried to recreate a dough from his childhood home in France, the dough did not rise. While his limoncello spread was tasty, the judges could not overlook the super dense dough.

On the other hand, Chiantae presented under baked hot cross buns. In addition, her jam wasn’t really a jam.

In the end, the judges chose to eliminate Laurent from Spring Baking Championship because his dough never rose. In one person’s opinion, this choice was a mistake. Granted, Laurent made a technical err, but his decoration was on point and his limoncello spread was a hit.

The biggest takeaway from this Spring Baking Championship episode was no one is safe and falling down the rabbit hole on a bad bake can happen to even the most talented baker. It is sad to see Laurent go but the Food Network challenge springs ahead.

Do you agree with the judges on this Spring Baking Championship episode? Should another baker have been sent home?