One of my guilty pleasures is watching cooking/baking shows. I know I will never reach the level of expertise exhibited by the contestants, but I can always dream. When veteran home cooks take a pile of unremarkable ingredients and turn them into masterpieces, I am hooked. The cornucopia of creativity among the contestants is entertainment at its best. Baking is more difficult than throwing some ingredients together for a soup or stew. It is an exact science. Combining flours, sugars and leavening agents requires intense concentration. Add a little bit too much of one or the other, and the entire finished product may be a disaster. Baking is not for the faint of heart; it is for risk-takers, adventurers who live on the edge. Even if you manage to produce a perfect baked good, sometimes professional decorating is necessary which requires an entirely different skillset. I marvel at the artistry of cake and cookie decorators. They really have to think outside the box — literally. They must envision their final results in 3D, not two dimensions like normal artists do with paint. The Great British Baking Show tests participants’ creativity and technique in various ways. Let’s learn more about it.
According to Wikipedia, The Great British Bake Off” — often abbreviated to Bake Off or GBBO — is a British television baking competition, produced by Love Productions, in which a group of amateur bakers compete against each other in a series of rounds, attempting to impress a group of judges with their baking skills. One contestant is eliminated in each round, and the winner is selected from the contestants who reach the final. The first episode was aired on August 17, 2010, with its first four series broadcast on BBC Two, until its growing popularity led the BBC to move it to BBC One for the next three series. After its seventh series, Love Productions signed a three-year deal with Channel 4 to produce the series for the broadcaster.
The program was originally presented by Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc with judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. Following its move to Channel 4, Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig took over as presenters, but Toksvig was later replaced by Matt Lucas. Hollywood and Prue Leith are the current judges. In chronological order, the winners are Edd Kimber, Joanne Wheatley, John Whaite, Frances Quinn, Nancy Birtwhistle, Nadiya Hussain, Candice Brown, Sophie Faldo, Rahul Mandal, David Atherton, Peter Sawkins and Giuseppe Dell'Anno.
The series is credited with reinvigorating interest in baking throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland, with shops in the UK reporting sharp rises in sales of baking ingredients and accessories. Many of its participants — including winners — have gone on to start a career based on bakery, while the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award-winning program has spawned a number of specials and spinoff shows: a celebrity charity series in aid of Sport Relief/Comic Relief or Stand Up to Cancer, Junior Bake Off for young children, after-show series An Extra Slice and Bake Off: The Professionals for teams of pastry chefs. On October 27, it was announced that the “Great British Bake-Off” has been renewed, with a twelfth series currently airing on Channel 4 in 2021. On November 2, 2021 it was announced that the “Great British Bake-Off” has been renewed for series 13 to air in 2022.
The format of the series is used as the basis for two BBC Two series, “The Great British Sewing Bee” and “The Great Pottery Throw Down.” Under the title “The Great British Baking Show,” the series has also been shown in the United States and Canada. It also has appeared in other countries, and the format has been sold to television producers globally, where local versions are made.
Development
The baking competition was conceived by producer Anna Beattie after she spoke to a friend who had seen bake-offs in America. Beattie was also inspired by the classic English village fête baking competitions; she said: "I loved that idea of village fêtes and an old-fashioned baking competition with people who only wanted to bake a good cake." However, Beattie failed to interest any channel in the idea for four years.
In early 2009, they pitched the idea to Janice Hadlow, then controller of BBC Two. The pitch was successful, and Hadlow and Commissioning Editor Charlotte Moore commissioned the program, which was then developed over the next six months. The development team first selected Mary Berry as a judge, and following an audition, Paul Hollywood was also appointed. Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc were approached to be presenters of the show.
Production
Reproducing the surroundings of the English village fête, the series is filmed in bunting-draped marquees in scenic gardens. In the first series, the filming locations varied in different episodes, but only one location was used for each series from the second series onwards. The series is normally filmed over a 12-13 week period, and the filming usually takes place over the weekends with the exception of series 11 when filming was shortened to six weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amateur bakers who applied to appear in the show are first assessed by a researcher, followed by an audition in London with two of their bakes. They then undergo a screen test and an interview with a producer. A second audition involves the applicants baking two recipes for the judges in front of the cameras. After a psych evaluation, between 10 and 13 applicants are selected for the show, with two further bakers on standby should any of those selected drop out. What the bakers intend to bake during a particular challenge is illustrated using animated graphics. These graphics have been created by illustrator Tom Hovey since the show's inception in 2010.
Format
The program operates on a weekly elimination process to find the best all-around baker from the contestants, who are all amateurs. Ten contestants were chosen for the first series, twelve for the following two series, thirteen for the fourth and tenth, and twelve from series five to series nine, and series eleven onward.
In each episode, the amateur bakers are given three challenges based on that week's theme: a signature bake, a technical challenge and a showstopper. The three challenges take place over two days, and the filming takes up to 16 hours a day. Except for Series 9, the first week of the competition was usually "Cake Week.” The contestants are assessed by the judges who then choose a Star Baker for the week, and a contestant is also eliminated — although if the contestant numbers in certain years are not even or there is a non-elimination a week before, then two bakers may be eliminated. In the final round, three bakers are left, and a winner is chosen from the three.
Signature bake
This challenge is for the amateur bakers to show off their tried-and-tested recipes for bakes they might make for their friends and family.
According to thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk, Chig’s signature bake has pretty pink raspberry mousse, exquisitely clean lines of vanilla sponge and dark chocolate ganache, finished with delicate shards of tempered chocolate and raspberries.
Lizzie’s signature bake has buttery pastry, rich caramel custard, sweet, caramelized pineapples and delicate sugar work which make it an impressive dessert with a surprising kick of cayenne pepper at the end.
Giuseppe’s signature bake gives the famous Italian dessert a pâtissérie-makeover, turning it into elegant individual slices. Satisfyingly contrasting layers of almond and coffee sponge and a marsala mascarpone cream are complemented by the unusual addition of sweet and tangy sultanas, large green grapes that have been dried to a rich, golden brown.
Crystelle’s signature bake is a vibrant pavlova that conjures up memories of exotic holidays and is ideal for a summer barbecue party.
Ruby’s signature bake is packed with liqueur-laden fruit. These panettones are well worth the patience you need for the long soaking and rising times. For the best results, make sure you leave them to rise somewhere warm and cozy, then sit back and look forward to the results. The finished mini panettones make a gorgeous alternative to mince pies.
In Peter’s signature bake, the delicate flavors of strawberry and elderflower work beautifully together on this summery English twist on a sweet classic. Make sure you leave plenty of time for the rich dough to rise and you will be rewarded with lovely, light babas.
Technical challenge
This challenge requires enough technical knowledge and experience to produce a certain finished product when given only limited — or even minimal — instructions. The bakers are all given the same recipe selected by a judge and are not told beforehand what the challenge will be. The finished products are judged blind and ranked from worst to best. They place their bakes behind the person's photo.
Prue Leith’s recipe is a classic pâtissérie-style fruit tart made with a sablé Breton base – the salt or fleur de sel comes from Brittany. The base is thick, buttery and crisp. It is easy to make in a sandwich tin, and the berry topping is the very essence of summer.
In Paul Hollywood’s recipe, the “crown” in this queen of pudding is the topping of meringue kisses. Make sure you give each kiss a little peak as you pipe the meringue, so that they bake and harden to give the full, regal effect.
Prue Leith’s recipe was created to celebrate Prince Regent Luitpold, born in March 1821 and who reigned from 1886–1912. This traditional Bavarian cake is made up of eight layers of sponge, symbolizing the eight administrative districts of Bavaria that existed at the time.
Paul Hollywood’s recipe is a traditional Scandinavian horn of plenty, made from a dough of eggs, almonds and sugar — held together with caramel. Contestants used the templates provided to make sure their rings fit perfectly together.
Prue’s recipe for éclairs is sure to put you in the running for the top prize at the next charity bake-off. The choux makes enough for ten éclairs. Bake them all, then make up six and freeze the remainder or make double the quantity of filling and generously fill them all.
Paul Hollywood’s recipe is the ultimate test of pâtisserie skills. Delicate flaky pastry layered with a silky crème diplomat and raspberry jam, topped off with a classic feathered fondant top.
Showstoppers
This challenge is for the bakers to show off their skills and talent. The judges favor a bake that has a professional appearance but is also outstanding in flavors.
In the first series, the location of the cast and crew moved from town to town each week, but from the second series, the competition is held in one location in a specially constructed marquee. Interspersed in the program are the backgrounds of the contestants as well as, in the earlier series, video vignettes on the history of baking.
Jürgen’s showstopper has a buttery shortcrust, crunchy praline, light chocolate sponge and rich caramel paired with vibrant mango and passion fruit. It is a truly impressive dessert masterpiece embellished with a sugar dome for that extra wow factor.
George’s showstopper has layers of nutty meringue, feather-light salted caramel buttercream and rich chocolate ganache, making it a showstopping gluten-free cake. If you’re feeling brave or just want to show off, try your hand at sugar work with the sugar dome to decorate.
Henry’s showstopper looks incredibly impressive but get the rhubarb right — a simple matter of not slicing them too thinly and making sure you bake them until cooked but still firm — and the rest is not very difficult at all. The sponges are deep, so you could slice each one in half horizontally and create more layers — dividing the buttercream proportionately — if you like.
Peter’s showstopper is a towering centerpiece of choux buns to serve at a special celebration. You can prepare the buns, filling and nougatine in advance, but make sure you do the final assembly as close as possible to serving.
Dave’s showstopper is a celebration cake of individual cake cubes, each with a delicious filling and stacked on an edible biscuit stand. This showstopping bake has something for everyone!
Hermine’s showstopper is an impressive layer cake as delicious as it is beautiful. Make the jelly bowl, cake and mousse-cake layers the day before you plan to serve to allow plenty of time for everything to set. The jelly and mousse layers use gelatin, but if you prefer you can use agar agar, which is veggie-friendly.
Cultural impact
Bake Off is credited with spurring an interest in home baking, with supermarkets and department stores in the UK reporting sharp rises in sales of baking ingredients and accessories. The show is also credited with reviving Women's Institutes — a community-based organization for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand — whose membership reached its highest level since the 1970s. Between 2010 and 2013, the Bake Off effect had seen membership grow by a quarter to over 211,000. It was the largest impact on membership since the release of the 2003 British comedy film “Calendar Girls,” starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, where a group of middle-aged Yorkshire women produced a nude calendar to raise money for Leukemia Research under the auspices of the Women's Institutes. Ruth Bond, chairwoman of the National Federation of Women's Institutes, said Bake Off has inspired women to take up baking by “taking away the fear factor” and making it look fun. The show also boosted the sales of bakery books and the number of baking clubs, and independent bakeries also showed an increase. According to one analyst, more than three-fifths of adults baked at home at least once in 2013 compared with only a third in 2011.
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