The Great British Baking Show is a classic. The show follows a group of twelve home bakers, people who have no professional baking experience, as they complete three baking challenges each week. At the end of each episode, one contestant is named Star Baker and another is sent home. This pattern continues until the winner of the season is ultimately crowned and gifted a trophy cake platter. The show’s first season aired in 2010, and there are now thirteen seasons in all, not including holiday specials.
The Great British Baking Show found a special place in my heart this past semester. While I typically gravitate more towards fictional fantasy shows and movies when I’m browsing for something to watch, these past months I’ve often found myself becoming invested in the baking series instead.
I attribute this to the show’s comforting predictability. The structure of each episode and each season is the same, yet it still holds your attention due to the variety of challenges. Each episode has a signature bake, a technical challenge, and a showstopper. The technical challenge is my favorite part of each episode. Contestants are given a unique recipe with minimal instructions (usually leaving out crucial elements such as oven temperature and time) and ranked based on what they come up with. Oftentimes there are grumblings of not knowing what the bake should look like, or mishaps with mixing the proper ingredients that lead to an amusing range of results.
I also enjoy watching the signature and showstopper challenges. The prompt for each of these is different for every episode, and the bakers can design their own recipes, showcasing different flavor combinations, decorations, and techniques. Through my viewing of many of these challenges, I’ve learned about various baking techniques and the basic science behind them. For example, I learned that kneading bread allows for the creation of gluten strands, which is important in the rising process.
In the first and third challenges viewers can also see how each contestant’s culture, family, and life plays a part in their baking, as many bakers use ingredients or create decorations that relate to their heritage and memories. As the season continues, viewers get to know the bakers’ personalities and baking styles well, and I often find myself invested in each contestant’s journey.
The hosts and judges also enhance the viewing experience with their creative jokes accompanying every time call, and their general kindness to each other and the contestants.
I have found that The Great British Baking Show provides a light-hearted escape from the brainpower that is needed in college life. One of my favorite ways to unwind is to grab a snack or meal and pull up the next episode. While I do still enjoy shows with a deeper plotline and more complex issues, The Great British Baking Show is a fantastic alternative for the times when life can get overwhelming, and a cheery and bright perspective is needed.