Pillsbury Bake-Off Is Back!

First launched in 1949, the Pillsbury Bake-Off has long been one of the most anticipated events in the baking universe. In 2017, after a 4-year hiatus, the Bake-Off is back. Entries are being accepted starting this October, and the winner will be announced in February 2018. And what are the baking gurus at Pillsbury looking for? Well, in their own words, "We are in search of the best made-at-home recipes, and the heartfelt, funny, crazy family stories behind them!"

While some of us would rather not make public the "crazy family stories", others out there probably won't mind doing this for the chance to win $1 million. If you are interested, here are the basic rules:

1. Bakers must use at least one Pillsbury product.

2. Submissions are limited to 7 ingredients.

3. Recipes must take less than 30 minutes to prepare.

4. Recipes must fall into one of four categories: appetizer, breakfast, dinner, dessert.

All entries are judged in four separate categories including taste (25%), appearance (25%), creativity (25%), and crowd appeal (25%). Bake-off veterans have advised that bakers skip overly-complicated recipes in favor of the quick and easy. After all, the aim is to promote baking (preferably with Pillsbury products), and everyone knows that quick and easy is the best way to get today's busy families back into the kitchen.

The Bake-Off is open to all adults. Incidentally, four of the winners have been men, and the prize-winning recipes are often surprisingly simple (here's a hint: Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough works wonders).

Pillsbury is apparently still figuring out the details, as their entry form and submission tips are not yet available. Organizational issues led to its cancellation after the 2014 competition, and the word from some insiders is that the competition became a bloated victim of its own success. The decision to allow online viewers to judge winners was a particularly sore point.

It remains to be seen whether or not Pillsbury gets back to its roots with this iconic event. Either way, the competition remains one of the best ways for just about anyone to share their creativity in the kitchen with a wider audience. And maybe earn some money and fame in the process. Our advice? If you choose to participate make sure it's the tasty treats, not the crazy family stories, that people remember. Tasty treats go down a lot easier.

Good luck, and happy baking!