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Going on tour is part of a rock star’s job description. But
who ever heard of a baker on tour? Well, when that
baker is the highly talented, highly loved TV heartthrob
Paul Hollywood, it is a little more understandable. Pick
went along to talk bread, ingredients and UK baking
tours with the nation’s star baker.
PICK:
So when you made your first loaf of bread, was
it edible?
PAUL: Yea it was actually, yea. A lot of people don’t
prove their first few loaves enough and sometimes
they need a bit more water as well. They can turn out
very dense.
PICK: So sticking with the bread theme, there is quite a
trend for automatic bread-makers at the moment. Do
they met with your approval or are they cheating?
PAUL: I think they are absolutely fine. I’ve checked
a few of them out actually and some of them are
actually very good. I looked at them when I was doing
a series called ‘Bread’ last year and they are actually
pretty decent. It can be a great way of mixing the
dough. You can always take it out of the machine then
shape it and prove it yourself. So I can be a great little
mixer, but if people make their own bread using one
and it works, then I’m absolutely fine with that.
PICK: There is an old mantra that your cooking is only
as good as your ingredients. When it comes to baking,
can you skimp on anything?
PAUL: Well all the ingredients that go into baking are
cheap anyway. It’s not like cooking. Cooking can be
expensive because of that you have to buy a certain
type of meat etc.. But when you are doing something
like baking you are just looking at flour, milk, sugar,
eggs, yeast, salt, all raw ingredients and you don’t
get any cheaper than that. So actually, when you
are baking, it is cheap anyway. You can’t really skimp
because you are skimping already by making your own
and not buying readymade.
PICK: So tell us a bit about this baking show you are
doing. How exactly does a baker go on tour?
PAUL: Basically, it’s my life in baking from when I was
a kid making pies with my mum all the way through to
now including joining the industry, media and finally
where I am now. It’s all my favourite recipes as well.
There will also be an open mic to throw questions at
me and I will answer as many as I can. There will be
a light side too and pictures of me baking when I was
young as well as music associated with that period
of my life. Also at the end of the show there will be
four people coming up on stage and I’ll set them a
challenge and the audience will pick a winner and
the winner will get a bag full of prizes. But the whole
thing is going to be every interactive and I can finally
answer all those questions that get bombarded with
me on twitter and facebook. I’ll be covering pies, puds,
pastries, breads and coking the whole lot.
PICK: So when you were young and learning to
become a baker, did you ever think you would go on-
tour? Are you the first to do a tour like this?
PAUL: Yea, the touring company said to me baking is
the new rock and roll. I mean, I’ve been doing demos
for the BBC in front of 1000 to 3000 people for the
past few years in the NEC and London Excel, Olympia,
Glasgow, Johannesburg, Ireland…I’ve done a lot of
them over the years but this is the first time it has
officially been called ‘a tour’. It’s quite full on but I really
love that interaction, I love teaching and also parts of it
I’m going to find quite funny. It’s a bit nerve-wracking
as well of course.
PICK: So lastly, if you are not that good at baking but
you want one signature dish to show off with, what
would it be?
PAUL: I think Victoria Sandwich is the quick one. It’s
just making a cake, baking it, filling it and job done. Or a
scone maybe. Bake it, open it up and fill it with clotted
cream and jam and then just put it on a plate and it
looks amazing and the smell is incredible. Scones are
the easiest thing in the world as well. Start to finish, 35
minutes, and you’ve got 20 scones.
For tickets and information to see Paul Hollywood on
his Get Your Bake On Live Tour go to
Pick meets Paul Hollywood
