Showing posts with label Bake Off. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bake Off. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Let's Get Technical Great British Bake Off 2016 - Cake week


It's that magical time of the year between Eurovision and Christmas when the world stops to watch some people bake a cake in a tent. I wonder if that is how they first pitched the show to the network?

Yes the Great British Bake Off is back which means one thing.....my Sundays are filled with #Lets_get_technical. 

Like the previous 2 years of Bake Off I will again attempt all the technical challenges in real time on social media in the allotted time limit.

This could be described as a display of madness but I like the discipline of a prescribed bake and mostly being able to achieve a fairly decent result. 

The first technical challenge for this series was to make 12 individual jaffa cakes in 2 hours.....simples?

I think Mel and Sue have nothing to fear..... 





I remember the first time I saw UK jelly it was Reading 2008, it comes in a solid block a bit like a gummy bear. 
















 The judges were right about this bake being deceptively simple and to be honest you could complete this challenge in about 60 minutes. The devil is in the detail and the real skill is to complete the 3 simple elements perfectly. I'm going to practice more with the chocolate. 

 I enjoyed this first challenge and have made it again since sunday. Chocolate and orange are not my favourite flavour combo but I can see myself using the base recipe again and mixing up the flavours.
New series new photo! 



 Looking forward to biscuit week now!
The hashtag to follow is #lets_get_technical on instagram, facebook and twitter Sunday afternoons from 3pm AEST

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Sunday, August 17, 2014

Let's Get Technical - Great British Bake Off Series 5 Biscuit Week

Week two of the Great British Bake off and it's biscuit week.

This will be interesting as biscuits aren't something I make or eat regularly maybe a 3-4 times a year occasion, including gingerbread at Christmas. I don't dislike biscuits but would always opt for bread or cake or pastry instead.  

I won't be writing too much about the contents of the show, star baker or eliminated baker, purely to avoid spoilers for people that haven't seen it. Also the purpose of this challenge is really for my own learning's and review my own skills rather than the bakers in the tent.

Though this moment in the show had to be shared.
Photo BBC / Love Productions
The look you get when you don't make your own fondant!
 
The look you get when you add glacé cherries to a recipe!
 
That's 2 weeks in a row, not happy MARY!
 
Thankfully when I read the ingredient list I was relieved to find that the glacé cherries could be substituted for dried cranberries and luckily I had some left from Finland's entry to Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 (seamless cross promotion)

The technical challenge this week is Mary Berry's Florentines (recipe here)

 
 At first I started using a teaspoon measure to put them on but second guessed myself and went for a teaspoon which made the Florentines have inconsistent sizes.

Bigs or littles I call it catering for everyone
 
 No visible chocolate bleeding through, that's because they are upside down in the photo!

That is kinda a zig zag, maybe more a wave?
 
My chocolate tempering wasn't the best on this occasion, can we call that a zig zag??
 
 
 
On the back of this challenge I suspect I could eliminate myself, but as AB said "you're the only baker, you can't be eliminated" I like that logic!
 
The verdict is I won't be in a hurry to make Florentines again but I did learn about tray variations and the effect on cooking time and heat retention when tempering chocolate.

Having already made a loaf before starting the Florentines, bring on bread week I say!

What have you been baking this week? Have you given Florentines a whirl? 

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Sunday, August 10, 2014

Let's Get Technical - Great British Bake Off Series 5 Cake Week

 
Firstly I should apologise for the title of this series because Let's Get Technical fits perfectly to ONJ's Let's Get Physical.....and will be stuck in your head for days.
 
Let me hear Mary Berry talk! (warned you)
 
The Great British Bake Off started again this week for a 5th series which means my obsession will be flamed for another 11 weeks.
 
Previously I've written about my love of the Bake Off in all it's international guises in these posts: My Own Private Bake Off, My Bake Off Birthday and 200 Odd Years And Still Pinching Bread.

The main reason for my enjoyment of Bake Off is that it is a show based on skill rather than personality, bitchy tactics, or relying on family tragedy to have a good enough back story so the audience can cry through and forget that you're actually a bit rubbish at cooking.

I have learnt so much just from listening to the judge's critics, the baker's explain their methods and seeing the successfully and sometimes not successful results.

Though the best way to learn is with practice so over the next few weeks I'm going to be baking the technical challenges that are in the show each week.

I of course have the massive advantage of seeing the show first, having the recipe, and not having a camera crew just waiting to see my every mistake. I will stick to the time limit that is allocated in the challenges and if you follow me on twitter @dbtsauce you will be able to follow the bake in real time. (Sunday afternoons)

I'll then photograph the result, good, bad or ugly, it will be honest but let's hope there's no major disaster...

The first challenge was Mary Berry's Classic Cherry Cake (recipe here)

I do love Mary Berry, but hate glace cherries though I soldiered on.

So with two hours on the clock all that was needed was for someone to yell:
On your mark, get set, BAKE! (ok I did it and I'm not ashamed either)


Oh Mary why?? ewwww I hate glace cherries, even just touching them.

I suspect I was a little heavy handed with greasing the tin which I think has made it darker.
 
It did just slide out of the tin though.....and almost onto the floor.
 
Those icing lines aren't even, Paul won't be happy!

It's all about your cherries being suspended....

 My nuts are quite large as I'd forgotten flaked almonds so flaked some whole almonds myself
 
 Well if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it properly!
 
And amazingly my cake was ranked number one, ok it was the only one but work with me here.
 
The verdict is I'm quite happy with this as a first attempt at this cake. I think it's quite achievable in the time frame but would be so much better without those vile glace cherries!
 
So that's one technical challenge down, let's see what biscuit week brings??
 
Have you been baking this weekend? Have you tried Mary's Cherry Cake?

If you need more cake and well the answer to that is always yes,  Lucy at Supergolden Bakes is hosting My Great #GBBO BAKE ALONG
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