Therapeutic Baking

Why do we love baking so much, and how is it able to calm our racing minds?

Gorgeously decorated cakes, cookies and pastries that have the grandeur of a Parisian patisserie. Colourful bakes that remind us, and the contestants, of grandparents, Christmas, and joyful family traditions. A light, jovial background music raises the heart rate to a delightful trot as the bakers rush to finish their bakes. The aesthetic is as delectable as the bakes when they make their way out of the oven.

There is a competition here, but it is a light-hearted one. It’s not uncommon for bakers to help each other out when they’re crunched for time or they just can’t seem to get that last macaron to stay balanced on top of their cake.

The Great British Bake Off is a show that taps into something fundamentally non-American — a sense of camaraderie over competition, even during a competition. It comes complete with comic relief, from quips aimed at the judges to the hovering (and generally just goofing off) comedians.

This show has it all.

Every season of The Great British Bake Off — known as The Great British Baking Show in the U.S. — is just as sweet as the next.

The show is not just about the easygoing…