MovieChat Forums > The American Baking Competition (2013) Discussion > Simply Baking - Cooking Channel Show

Simply Baking - Cooking Channel Show

posted 11 years ago by Sitcom_Sally
6 replies | jump to latest

There's a show on the Cooking Channel called Simply Baking with a young woman for the host who used to be a model. She makes at least three things per episode from what I've seen. Last week I saw it and when she made a bread she did the trick Brian did with putting a pan on the bottom of the oven and throwing some ice on it when she put in her bread to cook. She explained a little better than I got from him that it's to create steam so that you get a good rise on the dough before your crust sets. He did say something along those lines, but I didn't quite get it at the time. It's a good tip.

Anyway, I thought some of you watching this show might be interested. I don't see it listed on IMDB. My DVR shows it's on next on Tuesday at 9:30-10:00 am. The episode is "Time to Bake" with pumpkin and rosemary muffins, macaroons, and pizza. I've seen it, but don't recall the pizza, just the macaroons, which I thought about when they made them on this show.

The perfect human being is uninteresting. -Joseph Campbell

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[–] smns65 11 years ago

There's a show on the Cooking Channel called Simply Baking with a young woman for the host who used to be a model. She makes at least three things per episode from what I've seen. Last week I saw it and when she made a bread she did the trick Brian did with putting a pan on the bottom of the oven and throwing some ice on it when she put in her bread to cook. She explained a little better than I got from him that it's to create steam so that you get a good rise on the dough before your crust sets. He did say something along those lines, but I didn't quite get it at the time. It's a good tip.

It also creates a shiny crust. The key is to make sure the surface of the dough is dry (not dried out) before putting it in the oven. The steam causes the starch in the flour to gelatinize and that's what makes the crust shiny. This happens within the first few moments of baking. Too much moisture on the surface of the dough keeps the dough too cool and the gelatinization process doesn't occur. Moisture on the dough also creates a spotted appearance. The parts of the dough that have moisture on them don't brown as much as the rest as the parts that are dry.

[–] ImThinkerBelle 11 years ago

See this would be good to know when they do it. At least I think it would. That's why I'd like to have a different host. Someone who could say what you said in a voice over so we can learn a little something along the way. Someone who knows baking not JF just reading it. Like tonight I don't know if I missed it but I didn't hear what the trick is to make the Napoleons the same size. I liked James' idea but obviously it was too big and didn't work. Maybe there should have been two sheets of dough instead of one. But then some of the girls' dough looked close in size. I've actually been looking up Napoleons online to find out.

[–] Sitcom_Sally 11 years ago

The part I thought wasn't going to work with baking it in one sheet and then cutting it was that while the sizes would be even the shape of the pieces would be off since the ones that are baked when they are cut first rise a little more in the middle and the edges would look odd because they'd be cooked like the others on the side that was baked on the outside during cooking yet would be an odd straight cut on the side he cut after baking.

The perfect human being is uninteresting. -Joseph Campbell

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[–] Sitcom_Sally 11 years ago

Now that sounded more like what he said, about the crust. Thanks for clarifying.

The perfect human being is uninteresting. -Joseph Campbell

{Ignore phone posting errors.}

[–] Eudocia508 11 years ago

Thanks! I'll have to check it out! They don't have enough how-to shows on the Food Network and Cooking Channel--at least not since I last checked.

[–] BuzzSF 11 years ago

I've seen Julia Child use the same water technique in episodes where she has baked bread. I've seen her just throw a cup of water in the bottom of the oven for the instant steam and pour it into a pan in the bottom of the oven for slower release. She's so much fun to watch cook, especially when she would have guests on.