Prue Leith's resume speaks for itself: the restauranteur-turned-on-air-personality has a Michelin star under her belt and nearly 20 years' experience in the television industry, including a stints on The Great British Menu, My Kitchen Rules, and most notably, The Great British Bake Off.
And while Leith may spend much of her time judging sponge cakes and shortbreads on the Bake Off a.k.a. The Great British Baking Show in the U.S., the longtime chef has just returned for the second season of her spinoff The Great American Baking Show.
So it only felt right to sit down with Leith at the Delish Kitchen Studios to uncover her true opinions on British vs. American cuisine, the biggest differences in the nations' baked goods, and what fans can look forward to in season 2.
What is the biggest difference between U.S. and U.K. cuisine?
Prue Leith: I haven’t eaten in a lot of American homes, so it’s difficult to judge home cooking, but certainly from a restaurant point of view, the obvious difference is that you believe in size. I know you’re a larger nation than we are, but you do not need to give people that much food.
What is the biggest difference between U.S. and U.K. baking?
The difference between American baking and British baking is not huge, because your influences are very much the same as ours … but there are some things which seem to be particularly American, like babka in New York. From a flavor point of view, the chief difference is probably that you guys like a bit more sugar than we do, and you like a bit more frosting on top. We’d put a smear of frosting, and you’d put an inch of frosting.
Does that mean you’re not a fan of American baking?
No, I think too much frosting and too much sugar actually spoils cakes. [It’s] the biggest mistake Americans make when baking. It makes it more difficult to eat a big slice because it's [a] sugar overload. You can taste the almonds or the strawberries or whatever the flavor is better if it's not overloaded with sugar.
Are there any ‘Great American Baking Show’ challenges you look forward to just as an excuse to indulge in your favorite desserts?
Do you know, I am so greedy and so curious that if anybody produces anything I've never had before, I want it. So, one of the things I love about the Baking Show is that in the Signature Challenge and in the Showstopper, we ask bakers to be as imaginative and way-out as they want to. And so, we get their family recipes, so there's always interesting new things to taste.
Are there any challenges or flavors you dread trying on the show?
Do you know, the one the one flavor that the Americans absolutely love and I dread is peanut butter. I hate peanut butter. I hate the way it's cloying, and it sticks to the roof of your mouth. And funnily enough, I love peanuts, and I love toasted peanuts or chopped-up peanuts, but I can't bear peanut butter.
And I have to just pretend I like it, because I recognize that it is a flavor lots of people love and it's legitimate. If you want to make your cake taste of peanut butter, I have to ignore the fact that I don't like the flavor and just judge it on the texture and the look of the thing. But I hate it.
How do you prefer to spend your time in the kitchen?
I am far more a cook than a baker. Everybody thinks I must be a wonderful baker because I judge both the Great British Bake Off and the American Baking Show, but I'm not really. My husband complains that our house is a cake-free zone because I so seldom make cakes. And the fact is, we're both too fat. So, I don't make cakes because it's not good for us.
But I do love baking, and I make a good cake, but I certainly would not be up to winning Bake Off or the Baking Show.
You don’t think you could win?
No. Paul [Hollywood] would. Paul would definitely win it because he's a master baker, and it's a very technical thing, baking. Paul has baked since he was a baker's lad, and he worked for his father as a baker, and he worked for years as a baker. And to watch Paul kneading bread or doing anything technical is just a joy to watch. It's like watching Nureyev dance or something. It's so perfect, because it's so skillful. Well, I'm not like that, but I'm a really good cook.
What are you most excited about for this new season?
The thing that I like best about the show and that excites me more than anything else is just meeting those bakers. They come from all over the U.S., and they are so different from each other, and you just watch them. The minute they're in that tent, they seem to bond and become friends, and they behave very like the British bakers do.
I had been nervous when I first took on the Baking Show, because I'd seen American competitions on television where people [are] absolutely desperate to win, and they will do anything including dissing their competitors, sabotaging what they do, grabbing the attention of the camera, really behaving quite badly and over excitedly and trying too hard. And I thought, "Oh, I don't really want all that sort of American over-the-top competitive fighting."
And in fact, none of that happens. They sort of know what the vibe is. And so, they come in prepared to be friendly, and relaxed, and helpful, and encouraging, and they turn out to be the sweetest, nicest people, and you get really fond of them. Sometimes when people are on television, they're trying so hard to be famous that you don't see their own personality. But on the Baking Show, you always end up knowing exactly what those people are like, and it's lovely and they're great. So, I think it's the bakers that excite me most, meeting another eight bakers.
Watch season 2 of The Great American Baking Show now on the Roku Channel.
