Despite being separated by thousands of miles, the baking cultures in the U.S. and U.K. aren't all that different from each other. As Prue Leith put it, "All of those cultures rely on whisked sponges, on choux pastry, on some sort of flaky pastry, on bread dough — all the Western culture basics. But there's a common origin, which is French, Italian, and German." You won't find chiles in your average British bakery, however.
Chiles might seem like a left-field component in desserts, but they're a classic ingredient in Mexican chocolate. You can even add cayenne to chocolate chip cookies as a unique flavor boost. Leith cited the Mexican connection to explain why chiles showed up so much more in the American bakers' recipes: "Chiles came up far more in 'American Bake Off' than it does in the British version, and it's because Brits are quite new to chiles. It's only been in the last 10 years that they've taken to them with such enthusiasm, whereas you've lived on the Mexican border for centuries."
She enjoyed the chile desserts, but it may be a while before this particular combo crosses the pond. "Chile and chocolate is a long tradition in Mexico. It's not a long tradition in London," she said.
You can watch "The Great American Baking Show" now on The Roku Channel.
The Ingredient Prue Leith Says American Bakers Use More Than Brits - Exclusive - Tasting Table
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