Sheldon dives into S3E12 - Masterclass where they take on the signature bakes. But first, a little baking! It’s cookies galore - some successes … but also a big fail involving getting confused about whether baking soda was added.  Pro tip: too much baking soda can reallllllly toss a hand grenade on a bake. Redemption came in the form of an old standby chocolate chip. FIVE bakes in this one, all were Paul and Mary’s takes on some of the signature challenges in the season and lots of lessons. Flatbreads - Paul chose a recipe with camembert cheese and quince jelly (we discuss what these are). We hit on the finer points of flatbreads (Sheldon having his naan failure flashbacks).  Good tips on why he uses oil not flout for these kind of doughs, how to test if a pan is hot enough to cook flatbreads, and the importance of how to work these doughs for success.   Then a little sidebar with Mary showing how to completely line a cake tin with parchment. Let’s just say after watching Mary do it, Sheldon is opting for a heavy greasing as the alternative. Next bake it taste tannin and Mary chooses a bake with apples and caramel. Mary chooses a rough puff pastry here, using VERY cold butter and lard so it can be grated. Typical tips on making something with butter - the colder the butter the better the rise and “puff”.  Twice in this episode we get good puff pastry tips - we watch the importance of the “fold” / turn and they do a total of 4, with refrigeration after the first 2.  This is to keep the butter from melting. Reminders on making caramel - never use a non-stick pan and when you pour it into a pan make sure it is UNgreased. She chooses “eating apples” - pink lady, leaves on the skin, and slices SUPER thin..  Tips : add some lemon juice to apples to keep from browning, and don’t turn out this dish until right before serving. We then move to beef Wellington - moooore pastry lessons. Good tips on rolling out super cold butter - coat in flour first! In Paul’s puff he uses an egg - he insists it gives more flavor, color, and spring. Mary learns how Paul “tacks” the pastry to the board when rolling up as it allows him to roll more tightly.  Sheldon also learns that “kitchen roll” is what Americans call paper towel.  Sheldon also discusses his “blue collar” idea for beef Wellington - the Meatball Wally. Sticky toffee apple and pecan sponge pudding is next. Toffee. It’s ALL about that toffee sauce… Mary with a good tip on adding only part of the egg and then a bit of flour to stabilize prior to adding the rest of the egg. Sheldon has questions on UK vanilla… is it light in color? Looks much lighter than his own. Mary basically is a kitchen engineer with her foil steam covers and cradles for the bake… impressive.  Finally Chelsea buns. Paul uses fruit in his. Sheldon would choose nuts and add some of that toffee sauce from Mary’s last recipe. We get some clearer tips: plain dough use oil, enriched dough use flour.  Beautiful bakes all around.