MovieChat Forums > The Great British Bake Off (2014) Discussion > One Change Needed

One Change Needed

posted 9 years ago by dhull
12 replies | jump to latest

There is one thing missing from this show. In the middle section (the Technical Challenge, where the bakers have to create one of the judges' own recipes), the judges should be required to actually bake their own at the same time and in the same conditions as the contestants.

In the end, the judge's bake could be put on display for comparison. This would show the contestants that it is possible to make one correctly in those conditions and under those time constraints. If the judge is not able to create a proper bake under the conditions and time constraint it might also temper their evaluations of the contestants'.

The segment could be edited to show some of the judges' tricks to making the recipe work that the contestants may not be aware of.

[–] falconefans 9 years ago

great idea!

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No she doesnt.

[–] dagr317 9 years ago

I agree that this is a great idea. It will never happen though. I wonder how many times Mary and Paul do their bakes to make sure they turn out perfectly for the show.

[–] maryrosenkranz 9 years ago

You have to remember that the contestants are not given all the information though(whether it be how much milk, or the oven temp, or to grease or not grease). The whole point of the tech challenge is how much knowledge they have in that particular area. They are told ahead of time the segment they will be working on ie: breads. It's up to them to research all kinds of breads & the techniques. So making a brioche could be the tech challenge. If that wasn't one of the breads they practiced, they have to wing it. Most of the time they know what the item looks like, or is supposed to look like. The judges of course know all the info. So finishing on time, shouldn't be an issue with them. The tips & tricks of the trade might come in handy for the other 2 parts. But again that's why they should practice.

[–] dagr317 9 years ago

But on several episodes I've watched, most of the bakers are stumped and say they've never even heard of the item, much less know how to prepare it. They only have a week between competitions so even if they know the upcoming weekend is going to be focused on bread, it's impossible for them to know exactly what bread they're going to be doing in the Technical. And after so many seasons of the show, they know that Paul and Mary are likely to come up with something obscure that would be difficult to make even in their own home kitchens without a time constraint. I'm constantly amazed at how well the bakers are able to do on Technicals because I'd be a wreck.

[–] maryrosenkranz 9 years ago

Time is always part of these cooking comps. It's funny, because this is what I do for a living. You're organized enough to plan out how much time you will need, & plus some. As for the technique part-yes they do always choose something more difficult. But this is why they need to study up on different techniques. Take the angel food segment. If one knows baking well enough, you know that egg white mixtures do not like oil/butter/grease. So they should all have known not to grease their pans. It's more about taking the time(yes, that part again) & thinking through the steps that they are given, as well as the ingredients. For some of them, they get too flustered(which I can understand). I am amazed that for some who have never baked certain items, but have tasted them-they can figure out what they need to do. That's what I call a natural baker.

[–] p2c2e 9 years ago

That's interesting maryrosenkranz. It reminds of a remaek one of the judges made last season (6) about the technical bakes testing how intuitive the contestants' baking is.

Do you organize or judge contests or participate in them mostly?

[–] rosenkranz_4 9 years ago

Sorry I didn't mean I participate in contests. I bake for a living. Timing can be an aspect if you don't organize/plan well enough. Especially if you screw something up & have to redo. When I started my bakery decades ago, I took all of my grandmothers' recipes & used those. There were of course some I had to "redo". This is where intuition plays a factor. Example knowing how different fruits work in cake or bread. Some will be too watery(as we've seen in some episodes). You need to know what to add or how to incorporate flour/cornstarch to help cut down on the moistness that can deflate your product. Or as Paul would say(& give that smirk of a smile), don't use those fruits.

[–] p2c2e 9 years ago

Thank you for answering. That is very interesting, plus how cool to have your own bakery. I'm just a home baker.

I really enjoys picking up little tips and secrets from the show. My latest bit of enlightenment was the windowpane test for bread dough to check the elasticity.

For anyone intersted in what that is, Google will give you a clearer explanation than I can.

[–] p2c2e 9 years ago

I think you're getting your wish--sort of. The BBC just started a new show, The Great British Bake Off: Masterclass. In it Mary and Paul make some of the recipes from the technicals of the last series.

[–] MysteryFan60 9 years ago

Yes, I believe they began the Masterclass shows after the second series of The Great British Bake Off. They have Paul and Mary each making their own technical challenges along with making what they would chosen for some of the signature bakes. Of course, there is no timer (or host) keeping track of how much time they've used up, they have the complete recipe and certainly nobody is watching them or grading their bakes. Not exactly what the OP is looking for but at least we get to see Paul and Mary actually bake. There are two masterclass shows after the second series, three after the third series, four after the fourth series, one after the fifth series and four after this last series. There are also two Christmas Masterclass shows and one Easter Masterclass show. They are very interesting and I really enjoy the give and take of Paul and Mary. They work well together.

[–] p2c2e 9 years ago

Of course, there is no timer (or host) keeping track of how much time they've used up, they have the complete recipe and certainly nobody is watching them or grading their bakes. Not exactly what the OP is looking for but at least we get to see Paul and Mary actually bake.

Yes, that's why said to the OP,

I think you're getting your wish--sort of.

One of the things I love about Bake Off is how free of condescension the show is.

[–] ms_sunshine 9 years ago

That's a great idea. 

More than once I've thought because they are outside, baking in a tent, that the weather could definitely influence the results.

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