Paul Hollywood: live webchat, Thursday 14 February, 9.30am

[RachelMumsnet]

We're just coming down from the thrill of last night's webchat with Yotam Ottolenghi and are now gearing ourselves up for tomorrow morning when Paul Hollywood will join us at Mumsnet HQ for webchat at 9.30am.

Paul Hollywood is Britain's favourite master baker and best known for his appearance with Mary Berry on Great British Bake Off. His latest book is all about bread - how to make it and how to use it. Not only does Paul teach you exactly how to make a variety of breads, but for each one there is a spin-off recipe that shows you how to make a fantastic meal of it.

Join Paul for brunch tomorrow between 9.30 and 10.30 am. If you're unable to make that time, do post a question to this thread in advance.

[TheSkiingGardener]

Hang on, I've just realised. You have PAUL HOLLYWOOD coming in.

I hope you have prepared a truly masterful biscuit selection for him or you will be in trouble!!!!!!

[Tinkerisdead]

Ohh ohhh -and swoon--

Nope. I'm hopeless at bread.

Wait.. Whats have you found to be the worst "disaster" on bakeoff? You know those times when you say "i think this has been dropped?" But really you've howled with laughter after watching things crash on the floor? Go on. Admit that you've laughed.

[NulliusInBlurba]

We live in mainland Europe, where there is no tradition of self-raising flour. You buy plain flour and add raising ingredients yourself. If I'm using a British recipe that calls for SR flour, how much raising agent should I add to made it equivalent? I've been informally told 25 g of baking powder for 500 g of plain flour. Would you add bicarb as well?

I loved the recent Red Nose GBBO - the slebs were brill, and it really increased my confidence to see them making a hash of some things, but then rescuing them at the last minute and producing some really edible bakes. It inspired me to do a custard tart this evening. I screwed up the rolling out of the pastry but then just flattened it down with my fingers like, IIRC, Claudia Winkelmann, and it actually worked OK. I bet the 'real' competitors never do anything like that!

[Cmh1050]

Hi Paul, forget about the bread, my friend Lisa and I think you're lush!!!

It's her birthday tomorrow (14th Feb), please please make her day and wish her happy birthday!! We love GBBO and can't wait for the next series xx

Thank you!

P.s. we love your buns x

[Afrodizzywonders]

Hi Paul

Can you suggest a idiot proof cake or biscuit recipe for someone (cough) who has an extreme fear of baking...would need to impress my 2 year old son and imprint warm fuzzy memories in his mind and taste buds.

I watch GBO in awe.....

[Vinnyinny]

Hi Paul. I've been trying and failing to make a sourdough starter for a while now. It all goes so well up until the point where I halve the mix and add fresh flour and water. It just goes really smelly with no air bubbles, and no growth. It develops a horrible liquid on the top too. What am I doing wrong?

[LilyBolero]

Hi Paul, we all love TGBBO in our family!

My question is; "what is your favourite creation on the Bake Off, and the worst disaster?".

I've often thought it would be funny to introduce an element of realism (and comedy) by getting the bakers to have to bake with 1 or more small children in the kitchen....the dulcet tones of my 2yo discovering "Ooh a CAKE" as I nipped upstairs before icing my daughter's panda birthday cake were VERY unwelcome as he demolished half the cake before I could run back downstairs to stop him! My husband's comment of 'And there's only 30 minutes left in the Bake Off' was equally unwelcome!

[bouncychair]

I love the GBBO too! Me and my SIL watch it together and take turns to bake each week so we have cake to eat while we watch!

I am trying to perfect my basic white bread before I move on to more complicated bread recipes. I've 2 questions for you:

1. Do you prefer to bake with fresh or fast acting yeast?
   
2. What is your favourite bread?

[bouncychair]

(and I bet that MNHQ are all baking furiously tonight all hoping to get the Paul Hollywood seal of approval for their bakes!)

[ivykaty44]

Hello

Where did your blue eyes come from? They are rather striking

[jesmeen]

really very nice site i love it..

[CuriousMama]

My dp is the main bread baker in our house. Today we visited my home town and went into the artisan bakery there. They had so much to choose from but we opted for the sourdough bread as dp is interested in trying to make this. It's so delicious. That tang you get when you bite into it, blissful.

My question is, we've seen a few versions of starters for the sourdough, which one would you recommend please?

[GetKnitted]

Hi Paul, thanks for coming on to talk to us :)

I would like to know how to sucessfully substitute sugar for honey in a normal sandwich loaf. We've been baking our own for over 6 months now and would like to cut out the processed sugar if we can. Every time we try making bread with honey the bread comes out of the breadmaker brown around the edge and soggy in the middle.

Thank you for the help x

[GetOrf]

I can't think of anything constructive to say. I don't really eat bread, have baked about 3 cakes in my 34 years and they were all vile (and I don't like cakes anyway).

But I would very much love to go on GBBO, make an utterly terrible Paris Brest or something just to have the divine Paul Hollywood give me a dirty look.

[tak1ngchances]

Hi Paul. I broke out in a sweat when I saw this web chat come up. You are SO HOT.
I have two questions:

1. how does it feel to be a baking sex god
   
2. do you wear tinted lenses or are your eyes really that blue
   
   

[harbinger]

Hello, Paul, I'm a bake house kid, when I was little I remember going to the shop and getting the 'ends' of the custard/vanilla slices.
I have plenty of very good photos from and in the bakehouse. That's what we called it.
My Dad, now 88, used to get up at 3.30am to help his father. Then do a full day's work.

[harbinger]

Thanks computer....Do you feel sad that they had to sell out?

[JoyceDivision]

Paul, you are a dish
And I wish
that your clothes you would take off
in the Great British Bake Off



Bad poetry aside, could you tell me what is the best thing to substitute ground almonds ina recipe if you are snowed in and the cupboard is empty (flavour is lovely, and no nut allergies) My MIL said to use ground rice but people say it can leave a cake dry and chewy?

[poorbuthappy]

Had there every been a deleted post on a web chat before? Never mind 2???

[Jux]

Hi Paul, I have a question about bread making. I don't have/don't particularly want a bread maker, so either get dh to do the kneading for me or do it in the mixer. I can get my dough so it is easy to handle, looks glossy, and the finger poke thing works. However, whenever I see you guys on tv cutting gaily across the top of an unbaked loaf with a knife, leaving a lovely neat gash, it drives me nuts! My knife always get stuck. The dough clings to it like it has met the love of its life. My beautifully-shapped dough becomes a deformed gnomish thing, with a knife hanging out of it, as if it were the victim of a particularly gruesome murder.

This is true of any bread - white, granary, soda, rye.

OK, what do I do? What haven't I done? What have I done wrong? I am going to cry. (Once baked, the bread's bloody lovely, though. )

[fallenempires]

Hi Paul,thanks for braving coming onto a MN live webchat!!
Like many of us I received a copy of your new book for Xmas(which I'm working through) and would like to ask you to choose the ONE recipe which you'd like us all to try- both novice and confident bakers.

[musthavecoffee]

Hi Paul!

I love baking biscuits, it's my favourite thing to bake. My oven however has a mind if its own and has hot and cold spots.

Even after a perfectly cooked batch, it will happily burn the next lot, even when baked in exactly the same way. So, any top tips for ensuring an even bake every time?

Thanks

[Oodsigma]

Do you and Mary Berry get competitive over baking techniques or do you always get on ?