Dorie Greenspan and Paul Hollywood discuss their new and nourishing cake cookbooks

Summary

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NPR's Book of the Day: Dorie Greenspan and Paul Hollywood on Nourishing Cake Cookbooks

Episode Date: December 26, 2025
Host: Andrew Limbong (with Robin Young from Here and Now)
Guests: Dorie Greenspan, Paul Hollywood

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Overview

This episode explores the gentle allure of cakes and the empowering magic of home baking through two new cookbooks: Dorie’s Anytime Cakes by beloved baking writer Dorie Greenspan, and Celebrate: Joyful Baking All Year Round by Paul Hollywood, famed judge from the Great British Bake Off. Both authors advocate for cakes that welcome, comfort, and bring people together—whether at a bustling party or cozy family table—while sharing approachable techniques and inspiring home cooks to take creative ownership in the kitchen.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dorie Greenspan: Elevating the Everyday Cake

(Segments starting at 01:57–12:57)

What Makes a "Welcoming" Cake

• Homey, Familiar, Yet Playful:
  Greenspan stresses her book focuses on simple cakes—blondies, single-layer cakes, and everyday loaves—not show-stopping towers.
  “These are really homey, comforting cakes. You would recognize the ingredients, the look would be appealing, and you'd say, oh, I know that cake.” (03:09, Dorie Greenspan)
• Relief from Baking "Gymnastics":
  Reflects on the nerves of making elaborate cakes (wedding cakes, Darth Vader sculptures) but prefers approachable bakes meant to be enjoyed daily.
  “I love when you said baking gymnastics… These kinds of simple cakes… say, oh, hi, come into the kitchen, have a cup of coffee. Here's some cake.” (04:14, Greenspan)

The Magic of Bundt and Marble Cakes

• Tradition and Modern Touches:
  Marble cakes trace back to German kugelhof and have evolved to contemporary flavors.
  “There’s a recipe for a matcha latte cake in the book… marbled matcha and coconut milk cake.” (05:15, Greenspan)
• Every Cake Unique:
  The swirling technique makes each marble cake beautifully different.

Recipes that Tell a Story

• Visiting Cake:
  A treasured classic, fast to make and ideal for spontaneous gatherings.
  “It was so easy… when you saw people coming up the road… it would be ready… I love that.” (06:33, Greenspan)
• Texas Sheet Cake:
  Big, crowd-pleasing, and memorably simple with hot icing poured over a hot cake.
  "It gets frosted while it's warm. This is a terrific party cake because it's made in a sheet pan.” (08:07, Greenspan)

Empowering Bakers with Playfulness

• Recipe “Playing Around” Notes:
  Small sidebar columns encourage bakers to swap ingredients and make cakes their own after the first try.
  “Follow the recipe exactly as it’s written the first time, and then… tweak it the way you would like.” (09:05, Greenspan)
• Example: Add streusel to walnut mini loaves or bake them as muffins.

Modern Ingredients and Inspiration

• Cookie Butter Blondies:
  Featuring Biscoff cookie butter and cookie chunks for a double punch of spice and texture.
  “I used some of that in the Blondies. And I also took pieces of the cookies. They soften in the batter… you get a double whammy of the spice and the deliciousness.” (09:50, Greenspan)

Dorie’s Essential Baking Tips (Lightning Round)

• Preheat Your Oven:
  “When that little button dinger goes off, don’t believe it. Preheat for another 15 minutes.” (10:29, Greenspan)
• Plump Fruit:
  “If raisins or cranberries are hard… dunk them in hot water for about a minute…” (10:48, Greenspan)
• Loosen Sticky Ingredients:
  “Put oil in your measuring cup first, then the sticky stuff… it will just slide out.” (11:13, Greenspan)
• Know the Difference: Stirring vs. Folding:
  “Folding is when you use a spatula… I actually say this to myself while I’m doing it: Under, up, turn…” (11:33, Greenspan)

Creativity and Longevity in Baking

• Creativity is endless, sparked by unexpected ingredients and serendipity.
  “The more you do something, the more creative you can be.” (12:26, Greenspan)

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2. Paul Hollywood: Celebration, Community & Savory Bakes

(Segments beginning at 13:32–24:47)

Purpose and Heart of “Celebrate”

• Baking as Shared Experience:
  Baking is more fun—and memorable—with loved ones.
  “The whole idea … is to get people baking… with family and friends is more fun.” (15:12, Hollywood)
• Personal Recipes:
  Book is a collection of Hollywood’s favorites across the year; “indulgent and… selfish of me” (15:54, Hollywood).

Standout Cakes: The Hollywood Touch

• Bake Off Chocolate Cake:
  A showstopper cake, both a birthday staple and a tribute to the series.
• Chocolate Fudge Cake:
  Moist, decadent, topped with decorative chocolate balls (Maltesers or edible pearls), and best served gooey. “A good chocolate fudge cake is gooey. You shouldn’t be able to lift up a slice and not have your fingers coated in chocolate.” (16:54, Hollywood) “Pouring cream or heavy cream… is a thing of joy.” (16:54, Hollywood)

British vs. American Baking Traditions

• Terminology Gaps:
  Flapjacks (oat squares) vs. pancakes, pudding (custards or Eton mess), and more—emphasizing fun crossovers and mutual learning.

Royal Encounters & Traditions

• Chelsea Buns for Princess Anne:
  Describes making the classic swirl bun for British royalty:
  “Took her to her and she loved them… I got a handshake, so I was very happy.” (19:56, Hollywood)

• Wheat Sheaf Bread:
  Describes a showpiece dough shaped like a wheat bundle for the UK harvest celebration, featuring a tiny bread mouse. “Put it in the book, including the little mouse that runs up the side…” (20:10, Hollywood)

Savory Innovation: The Hollywood Hot Dog

• American Inspiration, British Technique:
  Takes a frankfurter, stuffs it in homemade bread dough with toppings before baking for a tidy, flavorful meal. “…a warm hot dog inside with all your onions and mustard, and it’s perfect.” (21:53, Hollywood)

Comparing Bake Off Contestants: UK vs. US

• Skills have leveled up:
  “Five years ago, I would have said the Brits would have trounced the Americans. But nowadays… it’s close.” (22:02, Hollywood)
• Celeb contestants:
  “Terry Hatcher… David Schwimmer… amazing baker. Who knew?” (22:24, Hollywood)

Hollywood’s Top Baking Tips

• Start Simple for Confidence:
  • Make scones, cookies first for a quick win and to get hooked. (22:52)
• Follow the Recipe:
  • “No. Initially, follow it and then adapt. Once you’ve mastered it… tweak it afterwards, not before.” (23:19, Hollywood)
• Oven Tending & Temperature:
  • “Keep your glass clean on your oven so you’re not opening the oven door constantly…” (23:33, Hollywood)
  • Ensure oven is serviced and holds temperature for best results.
• Bake Together:
  • “Get the family involved, get them all baking and just make something that’s gonna taste and look amazing.” (23:50, Hollywood)

Signature Moments

• Even Host Robin Young is swept up:
  “Talk about. Pardon me for talking about my mouthful.” (17:51, Young)
• Hollywood’s Seal of Approval:
  Karen Medson (producer) presented cakes so impressive, Hollywood granted a virtual handshake:
  “That looks amazing. Get a handshake for that one. There you go. There’s your handshake.” (24:36, Hollywood)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dorie Greenspan, on approachable baking:
  “I like bakers to take ownership of their cakes. I like them to be able to say, 'Oh, I don't have walnuts, but I've got pecans.' So why don't I use those?” (09:05)
• Paul Hollywood, on chocolate cake:
  “A good chocolate fudge cake is gooey. You shouldn’t be able to lift up a slice and not have your fingers coated in chocolate.” (16:54)
• Dorie Greenspan, on creativity:
  “The more you do something, the more creative you can be.” (12:26)
• Paul Hollywood, on baking with children:
  “Do you want to play on your PlayStation or do you want to bake with your dad? And he said, 'I’ll bake with my dad.' And I couldn’t believe it. And I went, hang on. Baking’s cool.” (15:12)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Dorie Greenspan Interview Begins: 01:57
• Simple, Homey Cakes Defined: 03:09
• Marble Bundt Cake and Bundt Traditions: 05:02
• Visiting Cake – Origin Story: 06:33
• Texas Sheet Cake – Party-Ready: 08:07
• Playing Around with Recipes: 09:05
• Cookie Butter Blondies: 09:34
• Baking Tips Lightning Round: 10:29
• Creativity in Baking: 12:26
• Paul Hollywood Interview Begins: 13:32
• Purpose of 'Celebrate': 15:12
• Bake Off Chocolate Cake/Fudge Cake: 16:13
• British vs. American Baking Differences: 17:54
• Chelsea Buns for Princess Anne: 19:56
• Wheat Sheaf Bread and Harvest Traditions: 20:10
• Hollywood Hot Dog: 21:07
• UK vs. US Baking Skills: 22:02
• Top Five Home Baking Tips: 22:52
• Hollywood Handshake for Producer Karen: 24:36

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Conclusion

This episode is a paean to the joys of home baking, whether through comforting familiar flavors or a spirited leap into holiday and celebratory bakes. Both Greenspan and Hollywood infuse their conversation with warmth, practical wisdom, and stories that encourage beginners and seasoned bakers alike to bake, share, and savor—together.

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Transcript

[Andrew Limbong]

Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. Now that Christmas is over, cookie season is done. The reign of cookies has ended. Goodbye, cookies. Hello, cakes. Today, we've got two cookbooks for you covering baked goods specializing in cakes. Up ahead, we've got Paul Hollywood from the Great British Bake off on the pod. But first, if you find baking a cake intimidating, Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Dory's Anytime Cakes is all about simple, homey cakes, not the kind that are as tall as skyscrapers, sort of dangling nervously as you carry it somewhere. I'm talking blondies, a simple marble cake, cakes that Greenspan calls welcoming. She talks to here and now's Robin Young all about that and the perfect cake to bring to a party. That's ahead.

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[Robin Young]

I have kids under 18, so, like.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Time is very limited.

[Robin Young]

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[Dorie Greenspan]

You're not alone.

[Robin Young]

We can help you out.

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[Robin Young]

It'S here and now. If ever cake was to have its moment, it is now. People are riveted to televisions watching not one but a dozen baking shows, bakers racing to create cakes disguised as a bowl of soup or waterfalls of cascading fudge. Often requiring would be bakers to look up ingredients in an online culinary encyclopedia. Why, we ask, can't we just have simple cake like Grammy used to make?

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Oh, wait, look.

[Robin Young]

There's a recipe for Grammy's easy Cake. Or at long last, can we have a sheet cake recipe that we can actually handle? Oh, how about the Texas sheet cake at last? That's the name of it. These are recipes in Dorie Greenspan's new cookbook. She's the author of 15 others. But this is the new Dory's Anytime cakes. Brownies are there. Swirly bundt cakes, layer cakes. Cakes that have just one layer. See, simple cakes, she says that let their baked in personalities sparkle. Greenspan is a James Beard award winning author and James Beard foundation inductee. Also winner of France's prestigious Marie d' alcole for her contributions to French culinary culture. And she joins us now. Dorie, welcome back.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Thank you.

[Robin Young]

Tell us more about what you mean by simple.

[Dorie Greenspan]

So I realized after I finished the book, my 15th, that this is really my style of baking, that I like to be able to go into the kitchen and have the satisfaction of making something by hand that's delicious, that I can share with family and friends. Most of them, I think are familiar. You would recognize the ingredients, the look would be appealing, and you'd say, oh, I know that cake. Some have some very unusual ingredients because, well, a girl's got to play. But these are really homey, comforting cakes.

[Robin Young]

Well, as opposed to the cakes that you, you have made. You know, a towering wedding cake with cascading fresh flowers.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Oh, that made me so nervous to make and I had to deliver it. Yes, I did that once.

[Robin Young]

And a coal black cake sculpted to look like Darth Vader made that once.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Once, yeah.

[Robin Young]

So your point is that, yeah, you can do that, the gymnastics of baking, but this is more about what we actually eat, maybe even on a daily basis.

[Dorie Greenspan]

So when I was growing up, my mother didn't cook. And if she didn't cook, you can be sure she didn't bake. But she was a great cake buyer. I grew up in Brooklyn and there were three bakeries on the shopping street and my mother went to all of them. And so there was always cake in the house. I love when you said baking gymnastics. They were these kinds of simple cakes that I think of as welcoming. They say, oh, hi, come into the kitchen, have a cup of coffee. Here's some cake.

[Robin Young]

Yeah. Well, the book is divided into chapters. Round cakes, cakes with corners, loaf cakes, bundt cakes. We have a bundt cake sitting right here. Producer Karen Millen Metzen made the marble bundt cake. Talk about bundt cakes. And maybe this marble one in particular.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Bundt cakes became popular in the 50s, but they really come from an older tradition, as do marble cakes. So marble cakes were made first in Germany in kugelhof pans.

[Robin Young]

What's that?

[Dorie Greenspan]

A kugelhof is. Don't you just love the word? It has crenelations, it has curves. And a kugelhof is like A yeasty cake. And so a bundt cake is kind of the modern version. And the marble cake was also from the 19th century. And originally it was a white cake and the marbling was spiced molasses. And it's just evolved into being a vanilla cake with chocolate. It's the kind of cake that you can play with. So there's a recipe for a matcha latte cake in the book that's a marbled matcha and coconut milk cake. This is vanilla and chocolate. Very, very classic, very old fashioned. The way I marble is I put scoops of the, the chocolate batter and the vanilla batter in the bundt pan. And then you take a knife, you just squiggle it and swirl it. And you never know. Every marble cake is different.

[Robin Young]

I'm gonna cut a piece of this. I'm gonna hold up so you can see the effect of that. She did it that way too. Can you see that?

[Dorie Greenspan]

Oh, so. Yeah.

[Robin Young]

Is that good?

[Dorie Greenspan]

Oh, that's so pretty.

[Robin Young]

And so talk about some of the other cakes in here. Just take them off.

[Dorie Greenspan]

So some of the cakes are cakes that I've made through the years and that I've just tweaked ever so slightly. And at the back of every chapter, there are recipes that are called a treasured favorite. And one of my favorites is the visiting cake. The original was given to me maybe more than 25 years ago by a woman who told me that her mother, she grew up in Sweden. Her mother made this cake whenever people were coming. And she said it was so easy to make that when you saw people coming up the road and you could start mixing the batter and it would be ready for them when they settled into coffee and cake. Now I love that. I love that. And I was reluctant to change anything because it was so good, but I added some rum soaked raisins and some apples. And this is made by hand, so it's just a bowl and a whisk. And you have the pleasure of looking at everything as it changes and smelling the ingredients as they come together well.

[Robin Young]

And as you say, mixers are fine, but getting your hands going, I love that part of it. Talk about the Texas sheet cake at last, which is the at last. I love the idea that the one thing you learn the hard way, you know, you have to wait for the cake to cool before you frost it. Otherwise you sit there at the party and watch the top layer slide off the bottom. But in this, you purposely pour hot icing over a hotcake.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Well, the Texas sheet cake has been around for a very long time, but I had never made one. Once I made it, I just loved it. For the fact that it's delicious, for the fact it's as big as Texas, it'll feed a crowd, and for exactly what you said, Robin. It gets frosted while it's warm. This is a terrific party cake because it's made in a sheet pan. You can serve it in its pan. So it's really nice to have something that you can just bring to the table. You can play with the kind of chocolate that you use. Probably substitute yogurt for buttermilk, but it's essentially a classic cake.

[Robin Young]

You say play around. There's a little column in the book called Playing Around. On the Walnut mini loaves. Your notes include, just before sliding the pan into the oven, top each loaf with quick brown sugar streusel or. Or bake in jumbo muffin tins. But stick with the recipe.

[Dorie Greenspan]

What I think people should do is follow the recipe exactly as it's written the first time, and then once you know how it's meant to be, you can tweak it the way you would like. I have little playing around notes in many of the recipes because I like bakers to take ownership of their cakes. I like them to be able to say, oh, I don't have walnuts, but I've got pecans. So why don't I use those, Karen.

[Robin Young]

Also baked, and I'm gonna hold them up. This is your cookie butter, blondie. How about that? Gorgeous, right?

[Dorie Greenspan]

Oh, they look great.

[Robin Young]

I'll just be taking all the edges if no one else minds. But it uses Biscoff cookie butter. What is that?

[Dorie Greenspan]

So do you know the cookie? The Speculus? It's a crunchy shortbread cookie that's spiced. It's often called Biscoff here. That's the brand name. And they make a cookie butter out of it. So it's the butter and the cookie were together until they are like peanut butter but more delicious, I think. And so I used some of that in the Blondies. And I also took pieces of the cookies. They soften in the batter, but you get that little bit of change of texture and you get a double whammy of the spice and the deliciousness.

[Robin Young]

Oh, man, those are great. Give us a quick lightning round.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Tips for people do let a cake cool before you ice it. Make sure to preheat your oven. Really preheat it. When that little button dinger goes off, don't believe it. Preheat for another 15 minutes. It's really important to get the whole oven chamber hot.

[Robin Young]

Plumping fruit.

[Dorie Greenspan]

If raisins or cranberries are hard when you put them into a cake, they're not going to get any better. So dunk them in hot water for about a minute. Drain them, pat them dry. If you want, you can put them in tea or in something boozy to give it a little more flavor. But make sure the fruit is soft before it goes in.

[Robin Young]

Measuring sticky ingredients.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Oh, if you've got molasses or honey and you've got oil in the recipe, pour the oil into the measuring cup, pour it out and then put your sticky stuff in the oiled cup and then it will just slide out.

[Robin Young]

What a great idea. Genius. Stirring versus folding.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Stirring is mixing. Folding is when you use a spatula. So if you have two ingredients that have different consistencies. So you have a batter. And let's say you want to fold beaten egg whites in which are delicate. You want to take the edge of your spatula and go under all the way to the bottom and lift it up. Turn the pan under and lift. I actually say this to myself while I'm doing it. Under, up, turn, under, up, turn. It's really that you just, it's a question of being more delicate with folding than with stirring.

[Robin Young]

That's why you won the James Beard Award and I did not, because you.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Didn'T sing to yourself in the kitchen.

[Robin Young]

It's once again a beautiful book. Do you ever get tired of cakes and cookies?

[Dorie Greenspan]

I find just when I think, okay, I just am kind of empty, I'll see a fruit or I'll taste something and I'll think, oh, I've got an idea. When I'm working on a book, I see like cakes everywhere. I feel like the more you do something, the more creative you can be.

[Robin Young]

Award winning baker and cookbook author Dorie Greenspan. Her new book that celebrates the simple is called Dorie's Anytime Cakes. Dori, thank you so much as always.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Oh, Robin, it's such a pleasure to be with you. Thank you.

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[Andrew Limbong]

Paul Hollywood is a host on the Great British Bake Off. And his book is a touch more elaborate than Greenspan's, but it still sounds perfectly doable and pretty delicious. It's titled Celebrate. Once again, here's here and now's Robin Young.

[Robin Young]

If you live in the US Or Canada or the UK or, well, almost anywhere, you might recognize this voice.

[Paul Hollywood]

The sponge itself I find a little bit claggy. I think it could come down to your folding flavor wise. Stunning. Absolutely delicious. But let's say it's been dropped out of a tree.

[Robin Young]

Ouch. Yes. Paul Hollywood, real name, the celebrated bread baker turned great British baking show judge who raised against the dreaded soggy bottom. That's the death knell for a pie or the stodgy cake layer or anything. As you just heard, a bit claggy. Hollywood's also known for his piercing blue eyes, unsettling stare, and the coveted Hollywood handshake reserved for Bake off contestants who've achieved baking feats that seem to defy the laws of nature.

[Paul Hollywood]

There's so many textures in there, and the flavors are quite sharp. And you've got the nuts in there as well, which adds something to it.

[Robin Young]

Yeah.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Hollywood handshake.

[Robin Young]

Hollywood handshake. And then there are the cookbooks. His newest is Celebrate Joyful Baking All Year Round. It's out this week. It's packed with sweet and savory bakes for every season. And speaking of which, there is a new season of the Bake Off. Of course Paul's gonna tell us who wins. No, he's not. Paul Hollywood, welcome back to Here and Now.

[Paul Hollywood]

Hello. Hello. Thank you for inviting me.

[Robin Young]

Wonderful to speak with you. And Celebrate is beautiful. It's about gathering around food throughout the year. Tell us more about your aim here.

[Paul Hollywood]

The whole idea of Celebrate is to get people baking in the first place, but doing it with family and friends is more fun. When my son was little, I remember saying to him one Saturday, do you want to play on your PlayStation or do you want to bake with your dad? And he said, I'll bake with my dad. And I couldn't believe it. And I went, hang on. Baking's cool. This is all good.

[Robin Young]

And his dad is you. I remember baking with my dad when I was a very little girl, and it was out of a box, and we were making it from my mother, and I screwed up, and I put like, three cups instead of one. And so the whole thing became like a malted milk. And it still was one of the best times I've ever had.

[Paul Hollywood]

But you remember it and you still talk about it. And that's the point, surely.

[Robin Young]

Yeah. And how did you choose the recipes in the book? Cause you have so many.

[Paul Hollywood]

It's very indulgent and it's very selfish of me. The whole point of the book is my favorite recipes throughout the year. So there's obviously the Bake off chocolate cake for. I love this cake. It's a Go to birthday cake, but it's also a celebration of the Bake off or baking show, as they know over here. It's brilliant.

[Robin Young]

Well, it's gorgeous, but we have another one.

[Paul Hollywood]

Go on.

[Robin Young]

This is the chocolate fudge cake coated with these. I'm going to hold it up.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Wow.

[Robin Young]

Yeah. Can you see it?

[Paul Hollywood]

I can see it, yeah.

[Robin Young]

Producer Karen Miller Medson made it because she's going to open a bake shop someday and I'm going to manage her.

[Paul Hollywood]

I'll manage it as well.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

I'm there.

[Robin Young]

But let's describe it. It's got these decorative chocolate balls on top. It looks like champagne bubbles.

[Paul Hollywood]

Y.

[Robin Young]

You know, I'm gonna slice it up, but it's just beautiful.

[Paul Hollywood]

I mean, the whole thing about a good chocolate cake is obviously the chocolate sponge itself. You want that moisture and you want that smell of chocolate. I mean, I used to use Maltesers, you know, the Maltesers on the top. That works beautifully. Well on the top. You can spray them any colour you wish.

[Robin Young]

Oh, but with edible paint.

[Paul Hollywood]

Yeah, obviously. Yeah, edible paint. Edible glitter as well, which works beautifully. Well. But when you cut into it, the first thing you should get is a smell of rich chocolate. Good, good wholesome chocolate. A good chocolate fudge cake is gooey. You shouldn't be able to lift up a slice and not have your fingers coated in chocolate. That's the point of it. Personally, I love raspberries on it as well because I think it's beautiful. But pouring cream or heavy cream poured onto a chocolate cake as well is a thing of joy. Now, I can see you put it in your mouth. Tell me now, are you saying something? Is that delicious?

[Robin Young]

It is so rich. It's such a rich taste. And then you've got the crunch of these little thingies.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Yeah.

[Paul Hollywood]

But it balances, you see? So you feel like you want another slice.

[Robin Young]

I'm still.

[Paul Hollywood]

You're looking at it on this slice.

[Robin Young]

Talk about. Pardon me for talking about my mouthful.

[Paul Hollywood]

That's right.

[Robin Young]

As fans of the show know, in your book, you've got traditional British recipes, Bakewell tarts, Chelsea buns. You've also got peanut butter cookies. There are two kinds of Things that people bake, I mean, and Americans and Brits aren't always talking about the same thing. Last week's Bake off episode featured flak jacks. And everyone's like, oh, great pancakes, but they were oat squares. Pudding here is creamy milk based in a bowl. Pudding in the US is like the Eton Mess. Was that one of them? The puddings?

[Dorie Greenspan]

Yeah.

[Paul Hollywood]

A good eaten mess is very difficult to beat because it's cream, it's puree, it's curd, it's meringue. That's the key thing. And then fruit. I love raspberries and I love strawberries, but you can use mango, for instance. Passion fruit works beautifully. Well. But when you take a spoonful of cream, curd, meringue and fruit, that's it. It's real comfort food for me.

[Robin Young]

Keep talking.

[Paul Hollywood]

A couple of months ago, I was lucky enough to spend some time with Princess Anne at the Palace.

[Robin Young]

Oh, do tell.

[Paul Hollywood]

Well, I promised to make the Princess some Chelsea buns, which are in the.

[Robin Young]

Book and describe for Americans.

[Paul Hollywood]

Oh, a Chelsea bun is basically a dough which is rubbed in butter and it's got a little bit of cinnamon on. Then it's got raisins and sultanas inside it with grated orange sultanas which you roll up. Yeah, sultanas. Juicy raisins. Think of them as juicy raisins. Roll them all up and then you cut them a bit like a pan, a raisin, so it's inverted like a swirl. And you prove and bake these and then glaze them with apricot jam and then an orange icing on top of that. They are delicious. So I was a bit wor take them to the Princess Anne. So I took her to her and she loved them, and I displayed them in a little box which she gave to her family on the Saturday, which I think was the trooping of the color for King Charles. So I was over the moon that she allowed me to spend some time with her, but she loved them and I got a handshake, so I was very happy.

[Robin Young]

Well, I mean, it was a gift from you, too. So there's a gifting of food. And boy, if I could, I would gift the wheat sheaf. It is gorgeous. It's a bread of some kind, a dough of some kind in the shape of wheat that's been gathered.

[Paul Hollywood]

Yeah. In the uk, I suppose it's akin to your Thanksgiving, which is all about the celebration of the harvest. And in the uk, we have it at the end of September, beginning of October, and it's to celebrate the harvest of the fields. So it tends to be in very rural churches. My uncle was a vicar and I used to make these wheat sheaf out of bread to celebrate the harvest of the wheat. And so I put it in the book, including the little mouse that runs up the side of it as well. Cause it is very cute.

[Robin Young]

I would shellack it. I would put it on the wall.

[Paul Hollywood]

You need a clock. You need to put a clock.

[Robin Young]

Beautiful. But you also include difficult recipes. Here's this, very easy ones. You also include your version of the classic hot dog. I was gonna say, Paul, we already have this. It's called Pigs in a Blanket or crescent dog. Some people cook a hot dog in a crescent roll. But yours is a dough that you make and then you PA that meat inside it with the ketchup and mustard and bake the whole so it doesn't.

[Paul Hollywood]

Go all over your dress or your trousers or your T shirt. So the whole thing about the Hollywood hot dog, I should trademark that, shouldn't I? Does anyone trademark Hollywood? Don't think anyone's bothered about that name, are they? But the whole thing is the hot dog itself is choose your favorite sausage that you like and cook it three quarters of the way through. Once you've got all your onions on it and your mustard and tomato and all that, then you roll it up into the roll, seal it, and then so it looks like a petit pain, which is a little French roll, I guess, a bit like a sub. And that is then proved and glazed and then baked. But when it's baked, you have a very light, crispy shell on the outside and beautifully soft on the inside. But you have a warm hot dog inside with all your onions and mustard, and it's perfect.

[Robin Young]

Listeners know, many listeners know there's an American version of the Bake Off. Are we different bakers? I mean, do we have the skill set? What's your sense?

[Paul Hollywood]

No, you do. Five years ago, I would have said the Brits would have trounced the Americans. But nowadays. Oh, it's close. It really. I would love to see an international Bake off now between the US and the uk, I think the standard is excellent. Now in the us I think it always has been. We just harnessed some great bakers recently. I mean, I remember Terry Hatcher coming on the show years ago and she won. Star Baker did an amazing job. David Swimmer, amazing baker. Who knew? He actually produced the tofu curried pie, which I gave a handshake for, and I hated it.

[Robin Young]

This is the actor?

[Paul Hollywood]

Yeah, from Friends. This is Ross. Ross was in tears in the tent because I gave him a handshake.

[Robin Young]

Well, look, if someone's new, tick through the top five things that will help them succeed.

[Paul Hollywood]

Start with something that will give you a quick fix like a scone, a heart shaped straw biscon which can be made and baked in 45 minutes. And it tastes amazing with clotted cream jam. But there's some great cookies in there as well. Chocolate chip cookies, peanut cookies. Do these first with the kids and I promise you you'll get hooked.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Yeah.

[Robin Young]

Just a couple more actual baking tips for me.

[Paul Hollywood]

You need to follow your recipe carefully.

[Robin Young]

So don't play around that much.

[Paul Hollywood]

No. Initially, follow it and then adapt. Once you've mastered it, once you've made it and you want to tweak it, tweak it afterwards, not before. But I think the thing is keep your glass clean on your oven so you're not opening the oven door constantly because that drops the temperature and you end up with a drop in a cake or a drop in the bread. Make sure your oven is nicely serviced, well serviced, so it's actually attaining the temperature that it's saying it should be on. And above all, enjoy it. Get the family involved, get them all baking and just make something that's gonna taste and look amazing.

[Robin Young]

Make it together.

[Paul Hollywood]

Yes.

[Robin Young]

Okay, just one last question. And who is going to win this season? It's just me.

[Paul Hollywood]

Oh, wait, French. Break it up. Sorry about that. Did you not get that? I can't tell it. My mother asked me that question. She does. She gets the same answer. Absolutely nothing.

[Robin Young]

Okay. British baking show host Paul Hollywood. His new cookbook celebrate joyful baking all year round. Paul, one last thing we want to show you here.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Yeah.

[Robin Young]

Karen also made the spice cake with the ganache. I always say, like ganaching my teeth.

[Sponsor/Advertisement Voice]

Wow.

[Robin Young]

And pretty, isn't it?

[Paul Hollywood]

That's amazing. What'd she do for work? I think she's hope you're hope that she's getting paid a lot of money to produce these because they're amazing.

[Robin Young]

Not enough.

[Paul Hollywood]

That looks amazing. Get a handshake for that one. There you go. There's your handshake. There's your handshake down the lens. There you go.

[Robin Young]

Made her day. Paul, thank you so much.

[Paul Hollywood]

My pleasure. Thank you very much.

[Andrew Limbong]

And that's it for this week on NPR's Book of the Day. Let us know what you think. You can write to [e-mail] I'm Andrew Limbong. The podcast is produced by Chloe Weiner and Ivy Buck and edited by Megan Sullivan. Our founding editor is Petra Maher. The show elements for this week were produced and edited by Adriana Gallardo, Milton Guevara, Emiko Tamagawa, Todd Mundt, Martin Patience, Jacob Fensten and Karen Miller, Mar Medicine. Yolanda Sanguini is our executive producer. Thanks for listening.

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