Come and chat to Bake off's PAUL HOLLYWOOD, Friday 10 October, 10-11am

[RachelMumsnet]

On the week that TV's most hot-contested baking challenge reaches its climax, we're thrilled that Paul Hollywood is returning to Mumsnet Towers. Paul last joined us back in February 2013 when he gave us his tips on bread-making. This Friday between 10 and 11am he will be on hand to help out with all your baking conundrums and of course give us the inside story on this year's GBBO.

Paul's latest book Paul Hollywood's British Baking is published this week and everyone who joins the webchat will be entered into a draw to win a SIGNED copy. If you're unable to join Paul on Friday morning, post a question in advance on this thread.

Hi Paul!

I love the show, you and Mary have made baking incredibly cool again and I love that.

Who gets to scoff all the bakes after filming? Do you join in with Mary, do Mel and Sue scoff Sind or is it an every basket for themselves type thing?

Ok spill the beans Mr Hollywood...who eats all the cakes? what happens to them at the end of each day?

I love the GBBO, it's eagerly anticipated every year by the whole household!

My question is, do you think the time limits are sometimes unfair and don't allow the contestants to achieve their full potential? Last year I thought the wedding cake challenge was a great idea, but the time they were given was far too short. There can't be many wedding cakes baked and decorated in the space of 1 day.

Hello !
My girl is 15, just gone into year 11 at school. She is unsure what route to take, catering or baking.
Any advice?
Thank you

Just come in to say hello, really.

Random question.

Favourite Christmas tipple ?
And cake, yule log or other ?

Love bake off, please don't change anything

I have no idea how hollow my hollow sound should be I should be when knocking on the bottom of my loaf. I do have a thermopen though, is there a temperature at which bread would definitely be baked or would it vary from loaf to loaf?

Hi male judge! We eat a lot of Italian food in this house and make our own pasta, pesto and mozzarella. I was wondering if you could give a recommendation for a (garlic?) bread accompaniments I could learn to make to go with the meal?

Our house was hooked on GBBO for the first time this year. The kids loved it.

We wondered how you manage to keep the winner a secret? Especially as all the families are present at the end. I'm amazed no-one blabs - don't think my kids could keep that one quiet!

Hi Paul

If you were to bake a cake what would it be?

Also tried making Crumpets for the first time, whilst they tasted good I found I cooked them for a lot longer than recipe said and didn't get many air bubbles in the middle of the top? How do I improve on this?

Hi Paul! Love the show!

I love baking anything and everything but my issue is there's always too much made and it usually goes bad before we finish eating it (or the coworkers say it's too much, ha). Is any baking worth freezing?

Hello Paul,
Thanks for coming on. Loved the show as always and gutted when it finishes!
Anyhoo, my question is: how do I KNOW when kneading bread that it is actually ready to go and prove? I feel I could knead it forever which can't be right and my bread either ends up hard as a brick or too yeasty-tasting. What texture am I looking for, please? I do love good bread!

Many thanks indeed

Hello Paul, just wondering, did you used to eat the crust on your bread when you were a child?

Loved the show, not sure what I'm going to do on a Wednesday now

who would win if the winners of each series were to compete against each other?

You made this young lady VERY happy at the Good Food Show London last year (she was the cheeky mare that asked the question in the supertheatre about sliced white bread, don't know if she'll have a question for you this year but she's working on it!) and I hold you solely responsible for the layer of flour/icing sugar/general stickiness that covers my kitchen at a weekend (and the fact that I can't get a look in at baking anything myself these days!).

Can't join live as will be at work so my question is:

If you had to choose 1 bread, 1 pie, 1 cake as being the only ones you could ever have again, what would they be?

And how is the wrist, you mentioned at the Food Show that you might have to have a carpal tunnel op? Not great when your work involves so much kneading :( (that probably caused it in the first place).

Although I can do a cracking Victoria Sandwich or a batch of butterfly cakes I am incapable of making muffins (American not English). Do you have any tips? They never seem to rise so am I over mixing?

Hi, I would like to ask a question that has been bugging DH and I this series...is the Bake Off tent not air conditioned? If not, why not? Could have made a real difference on the hot days and avoided bingate surely?

Morning Paul.

Loved the latest series of Bake Off and thought Mary and you chose worthy winner.

Did you feel a bit sorry for Richard? Star baker 5 times and then he just couldn't produce the goods in the final.

Katie

Hi Paul. Is it better to bake bread in a tin or free form?? Is it better to use steam ie water in vessel in bottom of oven ps ta for weeks of baking heaven!!!!!

Hello male judge!

What is your favourite dirty food, when you can't be bothered to cook?

Also, do the contestants get to keep their Kitchenaids? I blame the show for making me buy one!

Last thing, your savoury brioche couronne is immense. It's a massive hit here!

Hi Paul. I love baking and my Victoria Sponges always come out fine.............. HOWEVER.............. My Fruit Cakes are a disaster! When i made the last one i mixed everything together with the hand mixer and then folded in the fruit afterwards. It rose ok but when i cut it open the fruit had sunk to the bottom! Advice please!!!

Hi Paul, Just wanted to say how much I enjoy watching you bake.

My question is, when baking is there any recipe you struggle with?

Hello Mr Hollywood!
I see from a quick google you were working on a great gluten free bread recipe. How is that going?

My daughter has recently been diagnosed with coeliac disease, and it is frustrating her prescribed bread is as processed and crap as normal sliced supermarket bread.

Am not having much joy with gluten free bread recipes, basically am I screwed?

Cheers, loved bake off, was fab

Hi Paul, when a recipe says to use ground almonds, what can I replace this with as my ds has a nut alergy?

Hi Paul, another Rachel from MNHQ here welcome! I am in desperate need of your advice as I am making my friend's wedding cake, as my long-suffering colleagues are only too aware having already munched their way through two attempts.

It's a chocolate fruit cake - I've already had to abandon one recipe as I couldn't get it to bind properly, despite the addition/substitution of treacle, molasses and an extra egg, and am now using a Nigella one. I've not yet cut into this latest version, but have it here on my desk so we can have a slice with our coffee and hopefully you can advise me!

As you'll see from the pic, the dark brown specs are where the top of it crumbled when I spread the buttercream icing on, and it sunk in the middle a bit too - what can I do about this? This recipe doesn't have any brandy in, should I inject it for moistness? And any general advice you have on wedding cakes would be much appreciated - stacking, scaling down for the top tier, tins...and how on earth do you double-line them?!

in advance!