Soggy Bottom Girls

Lisa and Allison hash and rehash all of the very first bread week offerings.  Lisa gives her thoughts on one baker's signature foccacia, and explains her love of anchovies on pizza,  and the existence of the tiny fish in Worcestershire sauce. Allison brings up the Paul Hollywood 'helping hands'  portion of the show, and reminisces about an old episode of Seinfeld. Both girls poo poo...

Going RETRO to the original season 1 of GBBO! Having lost 2 bakers week one, two more bakers are on the line this week. Lisa can't get over the addition of 7 times too much sugar by baker Louise. The girls thoroughly discuss her signature biscuit failures. When baker Miranda finely decorates her vanilla iced biscuits, Allison rememberd to point out the talents of Rahul, and his amazingly deta...

Lisa and Allison start the show explaining why a return to the beginning is so refreshing. The girls talk about a few of the signature baked offerings, as well as address the informal and unusual behavior of both Mary and Paul as judges.  This very first cake week gives the girls lots of techniques to compare, and lots of glowing endorsements for the return of the challenges as they existed in 201...

Lisa and Allison reiterate their disappointment over the most recent season finale.  Both girls reintroduce final showstopper challenges from previous bake off seasons and compare the difficulty and intensity of their showstoppers.   They discuss the decline of expectations, and hash up Lisa's old highschool classes on marriage and family. Lisa introduces the concept of brackets laden with ba...

The girls get down to it, the 2023 finale! The girls discuss the eclair signature bake, and Lisa shares her banoffee pie bake after Matty's signature bannofee eclairs. The dated lardy cake technical has the girls musing about old fashioned lard jars, and their use besides in cake. A less than show stopping final has the girls discussing who the real winner is, and if the outcome should'v...

Only four bakers left to discuss this week as its the patisserie semi-final.  A perfectly decent signature of fancy financiers is discussed with Lisa stating she'd like to make them some day. The girls both agree that Dan's flavors are spot on, but is matcha really necessary? Allison shares the illegality of the Tonka bean here in the U.S. And, praise is given for Dan's Hollywood ha...

A completely new theme is unveiled for the quarterfinal....  "PARTY"! Bakers celebrate with their signature sausage rolls, and Lisa reminds us all of the American store-bought crescent roll, and pigs in a blanket. The girls discuss sausage and its iterations on American pizza, and share anecdotes of pizzas past. The somewhat strange caterpillar cake technical leads to its brief British h...

It's another dessert week, and Allison speaks to every episode feeling like dessert week. A creme carmel signature has Allison sharing about her serving days at an Italian restaurant. Lisa shares the ease at which she makes carmel, and also gives the bones of a recipe that uses just one ingredient. Both Lisa and Allison scold Paul as he continuously rakes the bakers over the coals in this epi...

Catch this special holiday episode all about gingerbread! Lisa's daughter Sophie joins the girls for all things related to building with dough. Lisa gives tips and advice based on her 15 years of baking gingerbread houses. Allison reminisces about GBBO season 7 and some of the girls' favorite former contestants. Happy Holidays from the Soggy Bottom Girls! Connect with us: https://soggybo...

A botanical week challenges the bakers to make spiced buns in the signature.  Lisa and Allison discuss the overall lack of a botanical presence, and how most bakers seemed to rely just on cinnamon. One baker uses saffron and the girls discuss their anecdotal experiences with it in their own kitchens.  A lemon thyme drizzle cake technical inspires more home baking stories and preferences from Lisa....

This episode, bakers tested their pastry skills whilst Lisa and Allison tested each other's taste for poached bacon. A spanikopita bake leads Lisa and Allison to reminisce about one of Lisa's first jobs, and Allison's introduction to baklava at Lisa's wedding. Both girls make multiple attempts at pronouncing the week's  technical challenge- "Daphinois Pithivier",...

Lisa and Allison begin on a tangent as they lament the somewhat uninteresting challenges from this week's episode. Allison shares the  unsatisfying response she received from Hershey's regarding the location of all their cinnamon chips, and Lisa shared some early memories of Halloween candy. The girls discuss Tasha's controversial departure during the technical, and the unfamiliar c...

This episode, the girls get into a kinder, gentler bread week. Lisa and Allison discuss Paul Hollywood not only learning some sign language, but connecting on a 'BREAD LEVEL' with baking contestant Tasha. The girls note the absence of sour dough this week, but have lots to say about the cottage loaf signature.  A "normal" technical is refreshing to Lisa, and she shares the succ...

Biscuit week brought way to much marshmallow and Chocolate for Allison's taste, and she spends most of the episode saying as much.  A second episode of the 2023 season brings out a civilized signature. Lisa and Allison discuss their favorite bakers, and what they are wearing. The girls blend the technical with the showstopper discussion, exploring questions about custard creams and biscuit sc...

The Soggy Bottom Girls are very much back! It's a new season (#14) on Netflix,  and the girls are here for it! Lisa and Allison talk about the success of the show's brand new host, Allison Hammond. The girls then highlight  potential favorites in the new cast. A signature bake break down and praise for the return to  more basic bake challenges follows. Lisa and Allison then get their gro...

This week's show has every intention of discussing the final bakes! With Syabira as the strongest baker in her flavor choices, only the Soggy Bottom Girls could segue so strongly into scented toilet paper!  Lisa and Allison both agree that rose is not their favorite, and proceed to take a deep dive into the 80's colored toilet paper trend.  Connect with us: https://soggybottomgirls.com F...

Lisa and Allison open up this quarterfinal patisserie week in true midwestern fashion.  The girls reminisce about Pillsbury crescent rolls and Grand's Biscuits, and touch on the simplicity of a ladyfinger cookie. Lisa's breakdown of her experience baking the technical vertical tart leads Allison to bring up the complexity of all the bakes from recent seasons. A showstopping Swedish cooki...

It's Pastry week, and to kick things off, the girls lament their lack of love for this week's signature samosas. Lisa brings up the fact that deep frying isn't baking, and a reminiscence of the 1970's Fry Daddy ensues! The girls talk about the 'scandalous' technical bake and admit that neither would enjoy the showstopping banquet pie challenge. The topic of Octopuses...

Do you hanker for a hunk of....custard? If so, the girls got you covered on this week's episode. Allison first groans her way through a discussion on poached meringues. Lisa gives tips and a report on this week's technical challenge of pistachio ice cream. The girls take a side step to neopolitan ice cream, and its memorable presence in the 70's and 80's. Lisa reminds Allison o...

An all-encompassing dessert week has the girls discussing anything and everything! The signature steamed pudding challenge leads Lisa to preach about her own recent sticky toffee puddings. The girls then exchange baking notes and childhood memories of their school lunches, and the rise of jello and pudding in the 70's. Lisa shares her successful technical baking notes on lemon meringue pie, a...

"Not the littlest hobo!" There are over one thousand types of conchas the GBBO bakers could choose from this week, and Lisa and Allison discuss exactly 3.  In this episode, the girls walk down many side streets inspired by Mexican Week. Pop culture prevails when there's not only a "That 70's show" hobo reference, but a "30 Rock" reference as well.  The girls...

Not really a bread week, bread week! Lisa and Allison begin the episode with lots of pizza talk, and how the week's signature brings out excessive flavor profiles,  with  mediocre amounts of success. Lisa reminds everyone of her love for pineapple as a topping,  and both girls praise Sandro's stuffed crust and BBQ flavors. A new approach to the technicals has Lisa sharing her experience...

Well whaddaya know? It's former GBBO contestant Will Hawkins! Lisa and Allison welcomed this very special guest from Season 13  of the Great British Baking Show. Will answers the girls' questions about application to the show, his home signature bakes, and the potential for a future book and teaching opportunities.  Connect with us: https://soggybottomgirls.com Follow us on social media:...

An episode dedicated to biscuits, not cookies, with the differences discussed. Lisa laments the time spend on recreating the 'raisin poptart' technical, and a 'wee' side path gets taken on Wisconsin cheese curds.  Bakers were tasked with a biscuit mask in the final, and Rebs' submission leads into the defining fascinator as an accessory. Biscuit week! Connect with us: http...

A new year, a new season to chew on! Lisa and Allison are happy to be back, and, back together, for another sweet discussion of The Great British Baking Show! The new year brings to light an intention to be more concise about bakes, and Lisa vows to try to recreate each week's technical challenge. The girls discuss their favorite bakers of the new show, and marvel at the diversity of this cla...