This. Is. Happening.
That's right. Starting December 2018 I am baking my way through The Great British Baking Off. You can follow along every week as I bake, eat, and blog. Do you have questions? I am sure you do. Because I am questioning my own sanity. Read on.
That's right. Starting December 2018 I am baking my way through The Great British Baking Off. You can follow along every week as I bake, eat, and blog. Do you have questions? I am sure you do. Because I am questioning my own sanity. Read on.
Why Now? Why This? (Aren’t you just copying Julie & Julia?)
Maybe I AM hoping for a movie of my own, where Meryl Streep will taste my bakes and then she promotes me from her personal assistant to the Head of Baking department. (I think I am combining movies).
But seriously why now? I say, “Why Not?” I watch the Great British Bake Off (GBBO) on repeat. Living in the 21st century with Netflix is the best. Thanks, Netflix. I love (adore) getting to know the bakers; seeing their strengths and weaknesses. It’s so fun to root for the bakers that I want to win and, well, truth be told… there are some bakers that I do want to see go. (I have opinions!). I learn something new every time I watch it, especially from a technical standpoint. I even predicted the winner from the most recent season for American audiences (at the time of writing this, season 5), with new judge, Prue! (spoiler alert: Sophie, is totally the assassin baker).
I’ve had friends pass along the opportunity to audition for the Great American Bake Off, but there is NO WAY that I’m good enough for that. But… after baking a few of these bakes… who knows?
But seriously why now? I say, “Why Not?” I watch the Great British Bake Off (GBBO) on repeat. Living in the 21st century with Netflix is the best. Thanks, Netflix. I love (adore) getting to know the bakers; seeing their strengths and weaknesses. It’s so fun to root for the bakers that I want to win and, well, truth be told… there are some bakers that I do want to see go. (I have opinions!). I learn something new every time I watch it, especially from a technical standpoint. I even predicted the winner from the most recent season for American audiences (at the time of writing this, season 5), with new judge, Prue! (spoiler alert: Sophie, is totally the assassin baker).
I’ve had friends pass along the opportunity to audition for the Great American Bake Off, but there is NO WAY that I’m good enough for that. But… after baking a few of these bakes… who knows?
On your marks, get set, BAKE!
Why This? I have always had a thing for food. Listen, food has a way of finding its way to me. It’s true! Ask my friends. According to my husband, I have never met a food I didn’t like. (#truth… except for ketchup and baked beans, but I digress). So me and food. Yes, we have a thing. Mostly me inhaling it into my mouth hole. Maybe it was set in motion a long time ago when I starting working in my parents’ restaurant at the tender age of 7. It’s no wonder I hold a special place in my heart for the food service industry. I don’t think I know anything better than the sounds and smells of a restaurant… I literally still have dreams of working in our family restaurant. Also, I dream about baking so…
Food is a natural extension of me. I wasn’t taught how to bake by anyone in my family… it’s something that I would randomly dabble in. In college, I would have probably baked more if I didn’t have three day jobs and wasn’t constantly taking a ride on the Broke Express. Now, I relentlessly search for recipes online (Pinterest, anyone?). I think of baking as a practice, almost a craft for about the last five years, so I think it’s time to level up! Go bold, or get out of the kitchen.
As a creative at heart, I jump into everything headfirst without abandon. Which can serve me or I can crash and burn (I’ve done both). But this little seed of an idea… well, it was like a dough proofing (#bakepun). This idea to actually bake my way through GBBO?! Came to me one day as I was writing about a delicious meal I had cooked for myself on a dreary, rainy day. The mind blowing revelations I had while eating this meal (that blog post coming soon), led me to this idea. The idea was too big, TOO CRAZY, that I had to let it gestate. Then, I tried to talk myself out of the idea. Then, I started discussing it with some of my friends - the friends I force feed my bakes upon. THEN, I started planning in my head. THE-EN, I FINALLY told my husband...because up until this point I didn’t think I was actually going to do it. My husband responded - with a deliberate blink- “slowly, you are going to bake your way slowly, right?” Maybe he doesn’t want to live through a flour infested house for a year (or more?!) Can I blame him?
And then FINALLY … I started planning for realsies- pen to paper- paper to computer- and that’s where we are at, folks.
Did I mention I’m a feeder? Remember those friends that I force feed my bakes upon? I love getting feedback AND watching someone take that first bite. I LOVE to watch people do that. Yes, I have weird, voyeuristic tendencies. I want to feed people and have my love felt from their tastebuds to their bellies… ok maybe that sounds a little creepy… but I LIKE FEEDING PEOPLE. So, why this?
Baking for me is an extension of my creativity and often times a very meditative, calming thing for me (and trust me, I NEED calm). So not only do I strive to bake delicious things, I really want to challenge myself. Oh, and I have a feeling that a challenge is exactly what I will get. I want to help people who are really amateur bakers at home get better at their passion (solidarity, bakers). I want to give an outlet to all the GBBO nerds, like myself, to see what it really takes to “get that handshake.”
But mainly because I find it frightening, exciting, and nerve racking. So that means I have to, right?
Rules of the Tent (er, I mean my kitchen)
Usually, I just rush into things and worry about the consequences later. Now, that I am older and wiser (half of that is certainly true) I know that I have to lay some ground rules so that I can complete this. In no particular order...the rules:
Start your ovens.
- I will start with all the seasons currently available on Netflix. At the time of embarking on this adventure, there are 5 seasons (collections). Recently, Netflix has added a “Beginnings season,” and a 6th season (and from my understanding they will be releasing all seasons in United States, yay! But whoa! That’s a lot of baking.) Depending how well the first 5 (!) seasons of baking fare, I will circle back to any added seasons/materials.
- I will complete at least season 1. Then, reevaluate any rules that need to be amended. Hopefully, I will then complete the next 4 seasons. Whew!
- I will make most bakes in my kitchen ...but maybe borrow friend’s kitchen to bake in from time to time :)
- In a perfect world I would love to complete a “weekend in the tent,” every week. That’s 3 bakes a week- the Signature, the Technical, and the Showstopper. However, I am going to be realistic (there’s that wisdom) and say that I will complete at least one bake a week.
- I know all of these bakes have a time limit on the show. I may or may not adhere to the time limits. Because honestly, I just don’t know if I have 5 hours in a row to devote to a recipe. I think I will try to honor the “technical challenge”* time limits. I guess we will see how this goes once I actually get into the thick of it.
- Some of these bakes were completely foreign to me before I started watching this show, so this baking journey is going to require some research. If for some reason I can’t find a particular ingredient or I don’t want to even eat it (Charlotte Royal, anyone?) I may skip it. I will lay out each season which recipes, if any, that I intend to skip (aka leave it to someone else to bake).
- I will document my journey via the written word with some supplement videos and pictures as applicable.
- I welcome advice or tips from all you amazing bakers out there. Contact me here.
Start your ovens.
