The Great Canadian Baking Show

- Season 1

(2017)

In this the first week - cake week - the judges want to see what the contestants are all about in the three challenges issued. The signature challenge is to make twenty-four cupcakes, twelve each of two different flavors. The contestants have two hours to complete the challenge. This challenge marks the first time the bakers will get a chance to get acquainted with their baking station. It also introduces the ten contestants to the viewing audience. For the technical challenge, the contestants are required to make in one hour forty-five minutes a cherry and pistachio ...

It's bread week, bread of the yeast variety. For the signature challenge, the bakers are required to make foccacia in two and half hours. The primary qualities the judges will be looking for are a crisp bottom, signature dimples on a crunchy, salty top, and a fluffy center with signature air pockets. The pitfall that the bakers may fall into is transforming a foccacia into a thick crust pizza by using too many toppings. The technical challenge, staying in Canada, is for the bakers to make one dozen Montréal styled bagels, six poppy seed and six sesame seed, in two ...

It's dessert week. Inherently, the judges are looking for spectacular looking bakes as desserts have to look inviting to be chosen from a dessert trolley. For the signature bake, the bakers are required to make an elegant looking sweet tart or pie with some sort of short crust pastry, where the fat, usually butter, is cut into the flour. With only two hours to complete the challenge, most bakers will blind bake their shells to prevent a soggy bottom. They must also be wary of making sure certain components have cooled completely before adding the next layer. For the ...

The bakers should feel right at home as it's Canada week. For the signature challenge, the bakers will have two hours to make the classic Québécois savory pie, the tourtiere. They will need to have enough fat in the filling to make it rich to the taste and for it to hold together and not crumble. They will also have to make a substantial enough pastry to hold up to the heavy filling without falling apart. For the technical challenge, the judges are asking for sixteen maple leaf cookies from each baker to be made in one and three-quarter hours. The cookies must be ...

The bakers are figuratively crossing the pond called the Atlantic as it's Best of Britain week. They have two hours for the signature challenge, which is to make a traditional English trifle. The judges are looking for the multiple well defined layers which they will want to see through the glass serving bowl, those layers which should include liquor soaked sponge, jam or jelly, custard, fruit, and cream. The technical difficulties include ensuring that custard has the right consistency which also means not overcooking it to make sweet scrambled eggs, and to ensure ...

For the quarter finals, it's holiday week, with the competition neck and neck as each of the remaining five bakers have each been named star baker once. For the signature challenge which they have two and a half hours to complete, they will be making a bouche de Noël. The cake must be light enough to be able to roll which means not overbaked, the spiral should be tight and there should be an appropriate ratio of cake to filling. For the technical challenge, the bakers have one and three quarter hours to make thirty-two rugelach, sixteen chocolate and sixteen apricot. ...

For the semi-finals, the four remaining contestants will be tackling French patisserie. Whatever goals each remaining baker may have had at the beginning of the competition has changed to at least wanting to make it into next week's finals. For the signature challenge, the bakers will have two hours to make twelve milles feuilles each with at least three layers of puff pastry, six milles feuilles each of two different flavors. The limited time leads to the challenge of keeping the butter in the pastry cold enough so that it won't melt before baking, the cold butter ...

This is the final after 8 weeks of baking, the top 3 bakers compete in this final challenge with 3 items to bake. The winner will be awarded the crown and their family members are there to support them.