Great British Baking Show Bake-Along

As seen on the BBC website! Yes, friends, my little group the “Great British Baking Show Bake-Along” on Facebook hit the BBC Radar a few weeks back. And early Sunday the group along with several other stories were part of a BBC article called “Why Americans Love the Great British Bake Off”. It was an excellent piece woven together detailing all the reasons we love the GBBO. And I was thrilled to see that what I like about it is what a lot of others love about it as well.

Paul Hollywood’s Naan Bread Recipe, a recent bake for bread week!

Why we love the GBBO

It turns out most of us adore the show because of how, for lack of a better word, gentle it is. Seriously. It’s like the most comforting place to come to when the world feels like it’s too much. When was the last time you watched any show where the people were competing against each other and helping each other? Never that’s when. I find that kind of sad. American tv is built for the hype crowd; if you aren’t crying or otherwise emotionally distraught, you’re not doing it right apparently. Even when the judges tell someone their bake isn’t good, they still find ways to like things about it. “Your cake melted the frosting and it collapsed?? It has a lovely flavor anyway”  I mean c’mon! SO I have to ask, what do you love about the GBBO?

Pizza Margherita, a bake from our previous Bake-Along

Orange Cinnamon Millionaire Bars for Caramel Week!

How the Great British Baking Show Bake-Along Works

Are you interested in joining our group for some baking fun?!?  For those that don’t know how our Bake-Along works here’s a quick run-down:

• By NO MEANS do you need to be a professional baker, we’re mostly beginners with a desire to try new things
• We follow one season at a time; we’re currently following the most recent season with the darling Kim Joy!
• Each Sunday a Baking Challenge is set for the group, based on ONE of three bakes in the corresponding week, usually signature OR technical bakes
• Bakers have one week to bake and share their bakes in the “Offical Finished Bakes” thread
• Bakers can make any dietary changes needed to make it work for them, no need to make something you can’t eat!
• All pertinent information is set as an announcement, and then also listed on the left side of the page under announcements
• The header will also carry the weekly bake information for quick access
• Our group is specifically designed to be easy on the pocketbook. I don’t want anyone to be left out because they can’t afford a kitchen full of new equipment or tools
• You can bake WHEN you can bake–busy one week?? No problem- watch as the bakes roll in, cheer us on and bake when you can!
• Just want to watch and not bake?? TOTALLY COOL WITH ME!
• What we don’t allow: politics, bullying, nasty behavior and critiquing fellow bakers methods OR bakes.
• If a baker ASKS for help then, by all means, offer it but please don’t come for their bakes with your knowledge, we’re all learning here!

Paul Hollywoods Cottage Loaf with American Measurements

Is it Great British Baking Show or Great British Bake Off?

Perhaps one of the things I loved the most about the article was the differentiation between the Great British Baking Show and the Great British Bake Off, or GBBO as many of us call it. Pillsbury has a copyright on “Bake Off” so in America it’s the Great British Baking Show, not Bake Off. I prefer GBBO to GBBS myself. How about you?!