Can You Rival A Great Baker?

One of the best aspects of The Great British Baking Show is that it introduces American home bakers to a plethora of British  and European treats. It would be the ultimate project to create an elaborate baked good. Can it be done?

American bakers - including myself - have a tendency to rely on boxed mixes. These can be varied to create new cakes and desserts yet there's limited creativity. True bakers will nix the Pilsbury and Duncan Hines (as if we lesser ones  would) and use flour and baking soda, eggs and butter along with milk and molasses.The Great British Baking Show and its' American spin offs have challenges that require old fashioned ingredients and creative thinking. Anyone can recreate the recipes.There's an entire franchise of "Great British Baking Show" cookbooks out there along with recipe books from former judge Mary Berry and current Paul Hollywood. There are even specialized ones that focuses only on breads, sweet buns and trifles in separate books. These are perfect for home bakers wanting to break the mold. These are more labor intensive than some of our ones. Spices have to be ground. Sometimes there's proofing  in a low temperature oven. Elaborate cookies require handmade molds.It's not for the faint hearted.

There is a sense of exhilaration and triumph however when a bake is done. Imagine creating Series 7 winner  Candice Brown's Tudor showstopper, a marzipan peacock.It was an elaborately decorated cake , with the surprise of fresh blueberries in the middle. Or creating Mary 's technical challenge of a Victoria sponge , a lovely end to a Sunday brunch. How much more fun would the holidays be with Paul's Tudor technical challenge of  elaborately knotted Jumbles , zinged up with freshly ground mace and aniseed, along with caraway seeds. If these may be too much start off with some of the contestant's recipes. These are still complicated, but a bit easier to make. There is a tasty pina Colada rolled cake, which is laden with coconut mascarpone ,pineapples and coconut rum. For a savory spin, and perfect weekend lunch , try baking the croque Monsieur kites. This is intense, because the puff pastry has to be hand made (no Pepperidge Farm here) and stuffed with  cheeses such as Gruyere and Emmenthal as well as pancetta and mushrooms.It's also creating your own porcini powder with  grinding the mushroom .it also requires a dough mixer with a hook and creating a scratch Bechamel sauce.

The Great British Bake Show is an entertaining foray into intense  baking. American home bakers can break free of their cookie cutter bakes and try some of the elaborate sweet and savory recipes. It'll expand the repertoire along with filling the kitchen with yummy treats.