The third series of The Great British Bake Off began airing on Tuesday 14 August 2012. The series was filmed at Harptree Court in East Harptree, Somerset.
Seven thousand applied for the competition and twelve contestants were chosen. The competition was won by John Whaite.
The third series was broadcast as the fifth season on PBS in the United States.
<small> There was no elimination the sixth week after John sustained a major injury to his finger and could not complete the last bake. The judges determined it would be unfair to eliminate anyone and instead, two bakers were eliminated the next week. </small>
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For their signature bake, the contestants were required to make an upside-down cake filled with fruits of their choice in 2 hours. For the technical bake, Paul set the bakers the challenge of making 4 rum babas with cream in the middle and sliced fruits on top, to be completed in 3 hours. For the showstopper, the bakers were given the task of making a cake that would reveal a hidden design when sliced open in 5 hours.
Unseen in the episode
For the signature bake, the bakers were required to make 12 flatbreads, 6 with yeast and 6 without, in hours. For the technical challenge, they had to make an eight-strand plaited (braided) loaf in 2 hours, using Paul Hollywood's recipe. For the showstopper bake, the bakers were given 4 hours to make 24 bagels: 12 sweet and 12 savoury.
The classic tarte tatin, either sweet or savory, was set as the signature challenge, to be finished in hours. Baking a treacle tart in 2 hours was set as the technical challenge by Mary Berry, with the requirement that the pastry lattice on top be woven. For the showstopper, the bakers were required to make a large designer fruit tart, fit for a window display, in 3 hours.
The bakers were given 3 hours to make a torte without conventional wheat flour as the signature bake. The torte had to be more than 20 cm in diameter. Mary set crème caramel as the technical challenge, to be finished in 2<sup>3</sup>âÂÂ<sub>4</sub> hours. A four-layered meringue dessert was the showstopper challenge.
The signature bake was Wellington, which Paul specified should be at least 8 inches long and completely covered with pastry. The bakers were given 3 hours for the challenge. The technical challenge was to make a hand-raised pie in 2<sup>1</sup>âÂÂ<sub>4</sub> hours. This was to be made with a hot water crust and moulded using a dolly. The pie was left to set overnight and judged the next day. For the showstopper challenge, the bakers were required to bake a family-sized sweet American-style pie in 3<sup>1</sup>âÂÂ<sub>2</sub> hours.
The bakers were challenged to make, in 2 hours, 2 different flavoured sponge puddings with different accompaniments, 6 of each. Mary set the Queen of Puddings as the technical challenge. For the showstopper, the bakers were required to make a large strudel, either with sweet or savoury fillings, in hours.
For the signature bake, the bakers were set to bake 24 buns made from an enriched dough with yeast in 3 hours. The buns should be all of the same size and evenly baked. For the technical bake, the bakers were challenged to make 10 jam doughnuts, using Paul Hollywood's recipe, in 2<sup>1</sup>âÂÂ<sub>2</sub> hours. They should be consistent in size, shape, jam distribution, and colour. For the showstopper, the bakers each made a celebratory enriched-dough loaf. This challenge started straight after the technical bake, so that the dough could be proofed overnight if necessary.
The bakers were given 2 hours to make 48 crackers or crisp breads for their signature bake. They should be thin, evenly baked and crack when snapped in two. For the technical challenge, the bakers were asked to make six chocolate teacakes in 2 hours using Paul Hollywood's recipe, a task made more difficult because the high temperature that day would not allow the chocolate to cool. For the showstopper bake, the bakers were challenged to make a gingerbread structure, which should not be a gingerbread house, in 4 hours.
For the first pâtisserie test, the bakers were required to make 3 types of petits fours, 12 of each. These should be small (each a single mouthful), exquisite and perfect. Mary set the bakers to make a Fraisier cake for the technical challenge to be done in 2<sup>1</sup>âÂÂ<sub>2</sub> hours. Choux pastry gateau was set as the showstopper.
The finalists were set the task of making a savoury pithivier in 2<sup>1</sup>âÂÂ<sub>2</sub> hours. Paul and Mary's technical challenge required 25 fondant fancies to be done in 2<sup>1</sup>âÂÂ<sub>2</sub>hours. For the final showstopper, the finalists were required to make, in 4 hours, a chiffon cake based on the theme of their personal highlights of 2012. All the bakes were served at a special summer fête held on the ground of Harptree Court.
Four additional episodes were broadcast after the final.
John Whaite gained a first-class degree from the University of Manchester after sitting his law exams while filming Bake Off, but he rejected a career in law and opted to take classes at Le Cordon Bleu and pursue a career in baking. His book John Whaite Bakes: Recipes for Every Day and Every Mood was published on 25 April 2013. His second book, John Whaite Bakes at Home, was published on 27 March 2014. He first set up a chocolate shop The Hungry Dog Artisan Chocolates, and opened a cookery school on his family's dairy farm in Lancashire. He also appeared as a resident chef on the ITV show Lorraine, and wrote a column on food for The Daily Telegraph. In 2016, Whaite presented with Rosemary Shrager a daytime cookery competitive show Chopping Block on ITV. In 2018, after six years of directing his attention on writing cookbooks, leading baking classes, and making television appearances, Whaite decided to refocus on law.
James Morton aimed for a career in medicine but has written a book on bread, titled Brilliant Bread, published on 29 August 2013. He writes a baking column for the Scottish newspaper Sunday Mail. His second book, How Baking Works: ...And what to do if it doesn't, was published on 12 March 2015. He later participated in both the 2016 and 2024 renditions of The Great New Year's Bake Off.
Brendan Lynch is teaching cookery classes.
Cathryn Dresser and Sarah-Jane Willis teamed up to open a stall at Horsham Market. Dresser wrote a baking book for children and parents titled Let's Bake, published on 22 May 2014. and ran The Little Handcross Bakery in Handcross, West Sussex between September 2014 and May 2015. Dresser later participated in the 2016 rendition of The Great Christmas Bake Off.
The final of this series had a record overnight figure of 6.5 million viewers, beating every other programme in other channels in its time slot.
Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.