NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� If Paul Hollywood needed any evidence that he and 鈥淭he Great British Bake Off鈥� have become pop culture icons, he just needs to turn on Netflix.
There last year, in the starry heist film 鈥淩ed Notice鈥� starring Dwayne 鈥淭he Rock鈥� Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot, was a snippet of Hollywood's show, an unlikely hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
In one scene, Gadot, after a double- or triple-cross, is shown relaxing in front of a TV as she waits for a trap to spring on one of her co-stars. "She sits down and watches me on the 鈥楤ake Off鈥� and I鈥檓 going 鈥橶hat? That鈥檚 Wonder Woman!'鈥� says Hollywood, still amazed.
Hollywood may have gone full Hollywood but he's not forgetting where the magic happens. The English baking specialist has returned to the basics this summer, offering ultimate versions of recipes that have been adjusted and updated for the modern world in the new cookbook
鈥淭here were certain things I thought were too sweet and you didn鈥檛 need to have that much sugar in them. I think our palates have changed over the last 20, 30, 40, 50 years,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 thought, 鈥榃ell, if you can reduce sugar and still enjoy a fantastic cake, then surely that鈥檚 a good thing.'鈥�
The book is divided into six parts 鈥� cakes, cookies and scones, breads and flatbreads, pizzas and doughnuts, pastry and pies, and desserts. There are fine-tuned versions of everything from chocolate orange banana bread and cheese and onion soda bread to quattro formaggi pizza and fish pot pies.
Each recipe aims to capture the essence of the dish, and Hollywood hopes home cooks learn the basics. 鈥淥nce you鈥檝e mastered it, then you can tweak it and alter it and change it and make it your own. You need to master it first 鈥� walk before you can run,鈥� he says.
In addition to adding less sugar 鈥� and also less salt 鈥� Hollywood has put his own twist on certain recipes, like and ditching lemon in favor of a lime meringue pie.
A former professional baker, Hollywood has built a media empire writing cookbooks and TV judging. He's known as much for rewarding contestants with a prized handshake as he is for his blunt assessments of dishes, saying things like 鈥淚 think they鈥檙e a little bit messy鈥� and 鈥淭hey need to be in the oven much longer. It鈥檚 way underdone. It鈥檚 a shame.鈥�
He and fellow judge Prue Leith have become global stars thanks to 鈥淭he Great British Bake Off,鈥� which airs in the United States under the title Hollywood has spun off such shows as 鈥淧aul Hollywood Eats Mexico,鈥� 鈥溾�楾he American Baking Competition鈥� and "Junior Bake Off."
There is a spareness to each recipe in 鈥淏ake,鈥� a reflection of Hollywood's blunt but fair persona. There's often a few sentences of introduction with an explanation of his tweaks and then a set of economical directions, some no more than a few hundred words.
鈥淵ou can have your froufrou and your fluffy comments when you鈥檙e eating with your friend,鈥� he says, laughing. 鈥淚 said, 鈥楲et鈥檚 just cut to the chase, get the bloody thing made and then you can sit down and talk.鈥欌��
All you really need to bake like a pro, he says, is a kitchen scale, your hands and a good oven. Would-be bakers should not be intimidated by working with humidity or yeast.
鈥淚 think ultimately the recipes themselves are very approachable,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f you weigh up the recipe correctly and your oven has been serviced 鈥� or it鈥檚 been cleaned and it鈥檚 been maintained well and it is achieving the temperature that it says it鈥檚 achieving 鈥� you are 90% of the way there just by weighing things up correctly. After that, it鈥檚 a case of just throwing it into a mixer and mixing it.鈥�
Hollywood's passion for baking is infectious and his knowledge deep. If you thought sourdough 鈥� which became more popular during the pandemic 鈥� originated in San Francisco, Hollywood goes further back. He traces it to the ancient Egyptians who baked it for the sun god Ra, then to the Romans and then Europeans, who brought it when they emigrated to California.
鈥淲hat is a sourdough? Well, for me, as long as you鈥檙e not using shop-bought yeast, you鈥檙e making your yeast in flour water, and you鈥檙e harnessing the airborne bacteria, then what you鈥檙e doing is a sourdough,鈥� he says.
Speaking of the pandemic, Hollywood is encouraged by more and more bakers turning to their kitchens and baking muffins, cookies or baked goods to sell.
鈥淧eople have a passion of baking, which, yes, was there before. But what鈥檚 happened is they鈥檝e nurtured that passion through the pandemic. And now it鈥檚 become a full-blooded hobby or a gift or a trade or a business that they want to invest in,鈥� he says.
He says he's even seeing a higher awareness, sophistication and passion among the contestants on 鈥淭he Great British Bake Off,鈥� which has filmed 12 seasons with no end in sight.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always been there, but it seems to be getting more and more heightened now. They鈥檙e just so knowledgeable about baking, which they just weren鈥檛 in season one and two,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey had an interest and they were good, but they just seem to be so much more knowledgeable now. And that blows my mind.鈥�
Hollywood has also noticed that men are engaging more with baking, something he encourages. He also wants children to get their hands in the dough instead of spending time on their Playstations or Switches.
鈥淭he whole thing is about how delicate you are with some of the sponges and how deft you are with your touch to create something that looks and tastes amazing 鈥� that鈥檚 what baking is all about. I always find that it鈥檚 a very inclusive thing.鈥�
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Mark Kennedy is at
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
