The judge Paul Hollywood, known for his icy stares and no-nonsense feedback of contestants’ masterpieces, says he’s his own biggest critic too.
“I’ll always be critical, because nothing’s ever really perfect, even the stuff I make – nothing is perfect,” says the 59-year-old.
Merseyside-born Hollywood, who is releasing his latest cookbook, , has been the only mainstay on the popular baking show since its conception on the BBC in 2010, before it moved to Channel 4 seven years later.
Running the family bakery at 20, his on-screen persona certainly hasn’t been created for TV. “I’ve always been like that [at the] bakery, with the lads I was working with. My dad [John] was like that with me – so I’m just passing the buck.
“I am very critical, but I think it’s healthy. It’s not a destructive criticism. It’s constructive because you get better and better.”
Sometimes his more balanced comments don’t make the edit on the programme, he says. “I’ll say, ‘That’s terrible’ and then they’ll go, ‘That’s the cut!’”
His own family, apparently, don’t even like baking for him – “Yeah I didn’t know to what depth they worry about it!” he laughs.
“I was at a party a couple of years ago and someone made something and wanted me to tell them what my thoughts were. I thought it was pretty good but they pushed me to give a proper Bake Off response, so I did and they were a little bit upset.”
Of course, the other thing he’s become strangely famous for is his handshakes – given out to contestants he deems to have done a great bake in the Bake Off tent.
People come up to him on the street “all the time” asking for a Hollywood handshake. “It’s charming,” he insists, “but I normally say, ‘Where’s my cake?’.
Home baking has had somewhat of a renaissance through the TV show that solidified Hollywood’s stature as a household name, and the rise in popularity of making sourdough and banana bread during the pandemic. But baking, he says, is one of the oldest trades, along with fishing.
“It’s one of the oldest things mentioned in the Bible.
“It’s one of the rare things in the world that you take a lot of raw ingredients, and [transform them] completely differently by putting into an oven.
“It’s a very prehistoric thing to do. Bread making goes back many, many years, and I think with modern technology, machines and ovens, we can produce proper baking that rivals all the professional bakeries – and you can do all that in your safety of your own kitchen.”
Hollywood bakes, usually, every other day. “I put a bit of Coldplay on and then make a bit of bread. When it’s fully risen you knock it back and gently shake it. I find that extremely relaxing.
“I can picture how that breads going to come out the oven before it’s even gone in the oven. You just know it’s going to be a good loaf. It comes from years of making doughs and sponges and batters. I enjoy that side of things. Quite therapeutic.”
Plus, amidst the cost-of-living crisis, Hollywood says savings can be made by baking more at home – particularly for a celebration or party.
“Often we just buy something cheap and I think it’s important that people bake, because, A, they realise what does into their bakes and, B, it’s actually cheaper overall to bake yourself.
“When you buy ingredients to make something, you’re probably going to be able to make more than own. You might even be able to do two or three.”
“If you see something that you really want to make in the book and you want to have a go. It’s very ‘stagey’… when you break down the stages it’s actually very simple. You take things nice and slow and at the end you’ll go, ‘My God, look what I’ve just made – it’s amazing!”
“I’d say the easiest bake is a Victoria sandwich. Either make two or one and split it. Traditionally, it’s just raspberry jam and a dusting of icing sugar. Because I’m from the North, I like to add cream to it as well. A whisked sponge is slightly different, because you’re whisking up a sponge, which makes it very light. When you put a spoon into it, with cream [which is] silky smooth and soft, It’s just delicious with a cup of tea.”
Baking, especially for a celebratory event, might feel a bit daunting but Hollywood says: “It’s about preparation. It’s like anything. When we’re working in a professional kitchen, they call it ‘mise en place’ – it’s about getting everything in place so when you start to make something, everything’s there at hand.”
They can be quite expensive but, “Some models start from £200-£300, but you’re going to use it to death. It’s going to last you a long time, probably the rest of your life if it’s looked after. I think a good table mixer takes the worry out of making bread because people don’t want to knead the bread.” Some recipes in his book are ‘no knead’ though. “Basically just stir it together, leave nature to do most of the work, and then you just fold it. But a table mixer is essential.”
A rookie mistake most people make is not cleaning their ovens, he says. “I’m quite fanatical about cleaning my oven. The glass especially, so I can peer in without opening the door. Most people, I can probably guarantee you can’t see anything that’s on there.
“If you open the oven door, you’re losing temperature straight away – especially with breads and cakes. Mid-rise on a cake, if you open the door and introduce cold heat, it will drop and create a little dip in the middle and then sort of concertina up.”
- Celebrate by Paul Hollywood is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing. Photography by Haarala Hamilton. Available June 5
