GREAT ESCAPE
After two years off-screen, The Great Australian Bake Off returns to offer a sweet distraction from reality, writes Siobhan Duck
CONTESTANTS on The Great Australian Bake Off very quickly learn that judge Maggie Beer isn’t nearly as sweet as she looks; in fact, the South Australian cook is positively sour. Beer’s fellow judge, Sydney chef and restaurateur Matt Moran, says the way to the beloved Beer’s heart is with passionfruit rather than chocolate.
“Maggie likes those sorts of fruits that have a little bit of acidity,” Moran shares.
“Whereas I like my caramels, chocolates and nuts. But [the bakers] all know that Maggie’s favourite fruit is passionfruit, so we do tend to see a bit of passionfruit popping up, although not as much this season.”
If passionfruit doesn’t feature as heavily on the Bake Off menu this year, that’s probably because the latest season boasts one of the most diverse group of bakers to have ever graced the tent, bringing with them a wealth of new flavours, ingredients and techniques.
Beer says she has learnt a lot from watching this year’s group in the kitchen.
“Every year we see outstanding baking and every year has had its own speciality,” she says.
“What stood out this time, other than the amazing diversity of our bakers, was creativity and flavour. They really pushed boundaries of flavour and often in such an exciting way, more than I’ve seen before.”
One of the magic ingredients of Bake Off is its ability to tug at the heartstrings with emotion and humour. Unlike other reality shows, which often see contestants knife each other in the back or tear strips off each other, in the Bake Off tent the contestants look after one another. They sometimes offer tips for fixing flat sponges or soggy-bottomed pies, or lend a hand to another baker to plate up when time is running out.
“We haven’t had one year when the bakers haven’t formed friendships,” Beer says.
“They help each other and they band together. It just has such a great positive feel. This year we had some really exciting bakes, but also some really interesting bakers. The huge cross-section was quite mind-blowing really. We had a doctor, a couple of lawyers, an academic, an engineer and a copywriter. I think Covid has a lot to do with people honing their baking skills.”
Beer is likely on to something. During the pandemic, Instagram has been awash with pretty pictures of starter sourdough loaves, homemade preserves and cake-baking efforts as people all over Australia turned to food for comfort and to alleviate the boredom of lockdowns.
Moran says he was delighted to see how many people rediscovered their love of baking during the lockdown periods.
“I’ve got so many friends that I was giving sourdough starters to,” he says with a laugh.
“People who I would never have thought would be wanting to bake anything were really into it, which is great.”
As Moran explains, baking can have deep emotional connections for most people, reminding them of their childhoods or their cultural roots.
“That’s the great thing about food and being a cook – you’re always learning, no matter what,” he says. “I’m always watching cooking shows and baking ones, in particular. I really like watching [ The Great British Bake Off judge] Paul Hollywood, who plays the same role as me, because he’s such an expert. The reason people love baking shows is because whether you’re an eight-year-old baking cookies, a retiree baking bread or a grandmother making cakes, it’s something everyone can do and everyone loves it.”
THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN BAKE OFF
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