Hey now!
One of the major projects I withheld from this blog - despite it being primarily a food blog in the first place - was a desire to attempt every bake from the Great British Baking Show.
If you've never seen it, the jist is there are 12-13 amateur British bakers in one large tent, who have to complete three challenges per episode:
1. The Signature - a relatively common bake spruced up with the baker's own flair and creativity to show what they can do.
2. The Technical - one of the celebrity chef judge's famous or original bakes that must be recreated exactly. The trick is they don't get to see what it looks like in advance, and the instructions are intentionally vague (read: "Step One: Bake a Pie Crust") in an effort to test the baker's inherent knowledge.
3. The Showstopper - exactly what it sounds like! A basic prompt is given that everyone must follow, but generally the sky (and time allotted!) is the limit on the details, creativity, and flavors the chefs may use. This one is usually expected to be a "real showstopper" in appearance.
All of the challenges get progressively harder as the weeks go by, and each week, the judges vote off the lowest-rung competitor.
I've rewatched the show on Netflix many times, and I enjoy it much more than any other reality or cooking show I've seen. For one thing, it is so much calmer than American TV. The Brits are just a lot more polite than Americans on competitive shows, so nobody fights, and even if someone's cake falls on the ground, it isn't too dramatic and remains relatively feel-good.
My order of operations is aligned with the US Netflix show sequence, which does not align with the UK or reality.
I managed to do several of these before the cost of rare ingredients and tools became a barrier.
First up is the Swiss Roll Signature from Season 1, Episode 1! I do not recall what recipe I used, but this seems like a great assumption.
Originally posted to Instagram
Hi guys!
I’ve got a new project to share: I plan to attempt every bake from the Great British Baking Show! Granted, that is not to say I can create anything on their level, but I will be attempting the basic bake. I am terrible at baking, and expect this project to help me brush up on my skills and knowledge.
First up is a basic Swiss Roll with strawberry jam filling! I know it doesn’t look like much, but I am quite impressed with myself on this one!
First, I made a basic thin sponge cake/jelly roll recipe.
Once it was cooked, I turned it out immediately, and rolled it in a paper towel to cool and get some “muscle memory” for rolling.
After cooling, I spread strawberry jam along the interior and re-rolled. I also sprinkled it with homemade powdered sugar, which can be made by running one tablespoon cornstarch per cup of sugar through a high-powered blender.
We loved it and now I feel like I can whip up something pseudo-impressive for guests!
Yum!
M
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