‘The Great British Baking Show’s Newest Star Baker Dylan Might Actually Be a Bread Legend in the Making

Who won Star Baker on The Great British Baking Show “Bread Week” this year? Maybe the question we should be asking is how long until this precocious Star Baker becomes the Netflix hit’s latest homegrown culinary superstar? There’s no doubt that The Great British Baking Show has launched its fair share of stars over the years. The franchise has launched the careers of food show hosts like Andrew Smyth and Liam Charles , Instagram cooking influencers like Kim-Joy and Manon Lagrève, cookbook authors like Ruby Bhogal and Ruby Tandoh, and, of course, the queen, Nadiya Hussain .

**Spoilers for The Great British Baking Show “Bread Week,” now streaming on Netflix**

Now, after Paul’s insane praise for this year’s “Bread Week” Star Baker, we have to bet that young, aspiring chef Dylan Bachelet could be on the path to British food fame…

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“Bread Week” is traditionally considered to be one of the most difficult weeks for bakers on The Great British Baking Show. That is because Paul Hollywood is universally considered a genius when it comes to bread and he becomes an even more exacting judge than usual. He can eerily tell a baker exactly where they went wrong with their breads, be it proof time or water-to-flour ratio. So the bakers tend to be even more stressed out than usual, knowing that even the tiniest of missteps could spell disaster.

One baker who was especially concerned with impressing Paul was 20-year-old Dylan. So far, Dylan has impressed Paul and Prue with his unique flavor combinations and dazzling designs, but you probably remember him as the kid who fell off his stool last week. Dylan was fine, but it was the third health-related blow to hit the bakers last week. Prompting Andy Ryan to quip they were “dropping like flies.”

For his Signature Challenge, Dylan wanted to infuse his twelve savory buns with gochujang, a Korean dried chili paste that has become increasingly popular in cooking over the last few years. Paul was skeptical as he’d never tried the condiment before. Dylan was later skeptical that his buns had proved long enough, hoping to rely on scoring ears into the rolls to help them expand. As the red-tinged buns emerged from the oven, Dylan lamented that the ears were not even. It looked worrisome, indeed, for the 20-year-old who had only just confessed to Noel that his dream was to become a chef.

But when Paul and Prue came round to judge Dylan’s bakes, the King of Bread was crazy impressed. He liked the ears on the buns, loved the color, and found the flavor of gochujang and infused garlic to be delicious. Most of all, he was taken with the quality of the bake itself, specifically praising the crust that Dylan achieved. Dylan received the most-coveted Hollywood Handshake of them all: a “Bread Week” Hollywood Handshake.

“You could probably sell a lot of them,” Paul says before admitting he hasn’t been “surprised” by a flavor in a long time.

Then, as soon as it seemed Dylan was on top, he swiftly sank to the bottom. Dylan missed the top of Paul’s plaiting demonstration, leaving him lost during the Technical Challenge. He came in last, putting the pressure on even more for a spectacular Showstopper.

Dylan’s bread cornucopia display immediately won design marks, prompting both Paul and Prue to compliment the neatness of the black and white striped design. Prue then gushed over his mini donuts before she and Paul complimented his massively ornate rolls. Then, came the coup d’etat. Dylan had boldly paired a simple loaf with whipped bone marrow. Prue praised his innovation with the bone marrow, but Paul was taken with his perfectly baked country loaf.

“Very well done. That’s a lovely little loaf. That crispiness is just right. It smells lovely as well. Very clever,” Paul said. “You’re a decent bread baker, aren’t you, Dylan?”

As low-key as those compliments look in print, in practice, it was the equivalent of a master being schooled by a student. So much so, Paul admitted behind-the-scenes to Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding that he would not have been able to bake that same loaf at 20. When Alison asked what age he’d have managed a loaf that good, Paul said, “56.” (For context, he is currently 58.)

In the end, it seemed that Paul was so dazzled with Dylan’s bread game that the young baker’s last place ranking in the Technical Challenge didn’t matter. Dylan was named Star Baker and I immediately followed him on Instagram . Why? Because I believe he’s going to be the latest bright young culinary thing to emerge from the Bake Off tent.

It’s not just Paul’s confidence that convinces me of this, but Dylan’s naked ambition to be a professional chef. It’s honestly abnormal to hear a contestant on The Great British Baking Show express an earnest dream to work in the food industry. Maybe it’s because the show is built for amateurs, but usually the bakers see their craft as a simply hobby. They have other jobs that define them. Sure, some of them have indeed gone on to wild success in the culinary world, but this might be the first time I can remember a young contestant frame their participation in the show as a means to prove they can make a career out of cooking. And Dylan has just done that.

Now tell me when Dylan is going to have a gochujang bun pop up in New York City, already!

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