Tom Gilliford wins Star Baker for Great British Bake Off bread week

Tom Gilliford

Tom Gilliford won the title of Star Baker after creating an ancient Norse legend into a plaited loaf of bread for The Great British Bake Off.

The two-piece showstopper featured Mjölnir, the Norse god Thor’s hammer, taking on his nemesis, the world serpent, Jörmungandr.

Tom made Mjölnir from dark rye and spelt flours with ale and laver seaweed, whereas Jörmungandr featured cranberries and walnuts.

Tom, originally from Littleborough, said: “I was so surprised when I won Star Baker and getting it for bread week was a dream come true.

“I really enjoyed using seaweed in the bread as it was an unusual ingredient so it was fun working out how to use it.”

Tom, 26, entered the Great British Bake off because “if you like baking then the Great British Bake Off is like competing at the Olympics.”

Speaking of the other contestants, he said: “They’ve become some of my closest friends; we’re all baking geeks and it has been so much fun spending time with them all.”

He started taking his baking seriously when he was a teenager and began to enter pies, bread and cakes into the Littleborough Horticultural Society Show as the youngest competitor.

Tom, who is influenced by the Hairy Bikers Dave Myers and Si King, bakes a loaf of bread each Sunday to share with family and friends. Other than bread, his favourite bakes include iced biscuits and Genoese sponge.

He currently lives in London’s Olympic village and hopes to incorporate his career in design with baking.

“I want people to experiment and try things out, make prototypes and not worry about the mess and to learn from their failures,” he said.