Dylan Bachelet Explains Why His ‘Bake Off’ ‘Fits Were So Maximalist

Plus, his go-to dessert for wooing your lover on Valentine’s Day

If there’s one thing Dylan Bachelet believes in, it’s bread. As the breakout star of the 12th collection of The Great British Bake Off, Bachelet charmed audiences with his eclectic fashion sense and sleek fusion bakes — who could forget his yuzu-and-mint biscuits, or the trompe l’oeil concrete tiramisu? — but Bachelet’s post-Bake Off life has seen him busier than ever, and craving one thing: a decent loaf of bread. “It’s the one thing I always like to have around,” Bachelet tells Eater via Zoom from London, where he now works as chef de partie at the Michelin-starred restaurant The Five Fields. “I’m working so much. If I’m baking anything for myself it’s usually bread, rolls, buns. I just can’t get over fresh bread. And it’s so fun to have this other baking experience [from the show], as I didn’t bake much before.”

It’s endearing and slightly baffling to see Bachelet, who was only 20 years-old at the time of filming, reflect so casually on his success. The soft-spoken chef was initially on track to study engineering and worked as a retail assistant in his hometown of Buckinghamshire prior to the show, during which he earned a top-three finalist position, a record-tying three Hollywood handshakes, as well as the internet’s unwavering adoration in the form of Pixar character and Tumblr fan art comparisons. Bachelet’s style on the program only further cemented his place in the hearts of the season’s nearly 10 million viewers, and included velvet turtlenecks, jaunty caps, tie-dye tees, and a Palestine-shaped earring, to name just a few of his greatest hits.

These days, Paul Hollywood’s aptly crowned flavor king appears more focused than ever on perfecting his craft in and beyond the kitchen. Eater interviewed Bachelet about his surprisingly low-frills approach to baking and post-Bake Off style, where he plans to find flavor inspiration next, and whether or not he will be baking something special this Valentine’s Day.

Eater: How has life been since The Great British Bake Off? I saw that you also signed with Milk Model Management.

Dylan Bachelet: Yeah, it’s been wicked. I also went into a job in a kitchen basically right as the episodes started streaming, so I’ve just been working all the time. So it’s been good, but it’s been busy.

Contestants are asked to bring their own ingredients on the show. What felt important for you to incorporate in your bakes?

At the beginning I really enjoyed trying to do interesting flavors — things I have been exposed to in my life — and, by the end, things changed and I really started to try combinations that may not have necessarily felt ‘natural.’ If I was making something around caramel, for example, I might think of nuts or some of those really roasty flavors. But then I would carry on thinking, and push myself, and by the second, third, fourth idea that popped into my head, I would commit to one.

What was one of your more daring flavor combinations?

The big one was the caramel mousse. I remember I wrote down those flavors — lemon, caramel, honey, ginger — thinking, like, Oh, this will be so cool. I also had more stuff in there. I was gonna throw turmeric in there. I put almonds in. The timeline was so tight for recipe development, but I think that was the best way to do it. I learned more that way.

On the show, you mention that travel is important to you as a baker. What places inspire you?

Everywhere. I only ever travel for food. Every single place I go to, I think, What’s the regional food? Being Asian, I also like traveling around Asia and being exposed to the sources of a lot of the amazing produce and things that I’m familiar with. The quality of fish in Japan is really good, for example. We get bluefin tuna in the UK, but in Japan it’s everywhere and just super savory, fatty, and good.

What places are you visiting next?

Latin America. I went to Japan more recently to visit family, but I really want to check out the food in Latin America.

You famously took home a Thermapen from the set. What else is essential for you in the kitchen?

DB: Yeah, I stopped using the skewer [to check my bakes] and started with Thermapens, and now I use it all the time. Otherwise, I don’t use much specialist equipment. I’m always using my good, standard knives. Simple things are important. But I don’t have crazy tools.

What’s your stance on aprons versus baking shirts?

DB: When I’m cooking at home, I never wear an apron. It’s such a pain. Plain, boxy T-shirts are so comfortable. In a professional kitchen, I understand why an apron makes sense, because you’re going to be there for 14 hours. But at home I normally wear just a plain black shirt. ‘Baking T-shirt’ is a great way to put it. And I make sure it’s black, because then it’s super easy to tell if I’ve made a mess on the shirt. You can spot the flour on it and put it in the wash.

What footwear do you prefer in the kitchen?

DB: Black Crocs. I think a lot of people hate on Crocs, but I quite like them. I know people love Birkenstocks in the kitchen, but I don’t like them because they’re just so expensive. I’ve always worn Crocs, and I have ridiculously wide feet, so they just fit me quite well. I was so happy starting this job [at The Five Fields], because I thought, I’ll have an excuse to wear Crocs again!

Your GBBS style was so eclectic, but it sounds like your own style is more pared down?

DB: If I could have, I would have just worn all-black. But there were so many restrictions on what we could wear; they wanted no branded clothes, and lots of colorful clothes. So I was pulling out all of these things I hadn’t worn in years from my closet. But it worked out, even though the outfits were definitely not for baking convenience. The ‘70s-theme week, that was a real pain [laughs].

What would you cook for someone for a romantic dinner (i.e. Valentine’s Day) to sweep them off their feet?

Dessert-wise, I’d definitely do an entremet. I think they’re quite impressive. Very Valentine’s-y. If I was doing something savory, maybe a roast chicken; I keep seeing these people make roast chickens and a demi sauce, but then they’ll do a farce out of the legs and stuff in under the skin and roast it. It looks quite fun. I so want to try that, and it falls into that category of Valentine’s foods — sauce-filled meals, wines, desserts.

Do you have any advice for beginning bakers?

For true beginners, I would say don’t bake yet. Read as much as you can. The little details of a recipe matter a hell of a lot more than you might think they do, especially once you start trying things that don’t come out of a book. Paying attention to temperature, for example, or taking the eggs out of the fridge at the right time. Baking is a science. I don’t think anyone wants to admit it, but baking is fun and science-y.

What are you excited to make in the future?

I could spend hours thinking about the variety of a single item, and I’m actually more excited than ever to work with produce. I think produce is what got me into baking in the first palace. So I’m just waiting for the weather to warm so I can get out there, and try more of it.

Watch Dylan’s season of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ (Collection 12) on Netflix.