The Pillsbury Bake-Off is a cooking contest, first run by Pillsbury Company from 1949 to 1976 as an annual contest. Since then, the contest has been held biennially.[1]
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The first contest was held in 1949 as the Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest and hosted in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Until 1996, the grand prize was $50,000.[2] Since 1996, the grand prize has been $1,000,000.
The only required ingredient in the early contests was Pillsbury's BEST Flour.[3] There was no contest in 1965 because the contest was moved from October to February.[4]
Occasionally, there has been a male category (1978, 1990, 1992, and 2002). The only male champion was Kurt Wait of Redwood City, California, who won in 1996; that year, 14 of the 100 finalists were men.
| Year(s) | Host | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949-1950's | Arthur Godfrey | CBS | |
| 1960's | Art Linkletter | CBS | |
| 1970's | Bob Barker | CBS | Placed in the same hour as a half-hour episode of The Price is Right |
| 1980's | Garry Collins | CBS | |
| 1990-1994 | Willard Scott | CBS | |
| 1996-1998 | Alex Trebek | CBS | |
| 2000 | Phylicia Rashad | CBS | |
| 2002 | Marie Osmond | CBS | |
| 2004-2006 | Not aired | N/A | |
| 2008 | Keegan Gerhard | Food Network | Aired as an episode of Food Network Challenge |
| 2010 | Oprah Winfrey | Syndication | Winner was announced on The Oprah Winfrey Show |
| Year | Recipe | Grand Prize Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | No-Knead Water-Rising Twists | Theodora Smafield |
| 1950 | Orange Kiss-Me Cake | Lily Wuebel |
| 1951 | Starlight Double-Delight Cake | Helen Weston |
| 1952 | Snappy Turtle Cookies | Beatrice Harlib |
| 1953 | "My Inspiration" Cake | Lois Kanago |
| 1954 | Open Sesame Pie | Dorothy Koteen |
| 1955 | Ring-A-Lings | Bertha Jorgensen |
| 1956 | California Casserole | Hildreth H. Hatheway |
| 1957 | Accordion Treats | Gerda Roderer |
| 1958 | Spicy Apple Twists | Dorothy DeVault |
| 1959 | Mardi Gras Party Cake | Eunice G. Surles |
| 1960 | Dilly Casserole Bread | Leona Schnuelle |
| 1961 | Candy Bar Cookies | Alice Reese |
| 1962 | Apple Pie '63 | Julia Smogor |
| 1963 | Hungry Boys' Casserole | Mira Walilko |
| 1964 | Peacheesy Pie | Janis Risley |
| 1966 | Golden Gate Snack Bread | Mari Petrelli |
| 1967 | Muffin Mix Buffet Bread | Maxine Bullock |
| 1968 | Buttercream Pound Cake | Phyllis Lidert |
| 1969 | Magic Marshmallow Crescent Puffs | Edna M. Walker |
| 1970 | Onion Lover's Twist | Nan Robb |
| 1971 | Pecan Pie Surprise Bars | Pearl Hall |
| 1972 | Streusel Spice Cake Quick 'n Chewy Crescent Bars |
Rose DeDominicis Isabelle Collins |
| 1973 | Quick Crescent Pecan Pie Bars Banana Crunch Cake |
Albina Flieller Bonnie Brooks |
| 1974 | Chocolate Cherry Bars Savory Crescent Chicken Sandwiches |
Francis I. Jerzak Doris Castle |
| 1975 | Easy Crescent Danish Rolls Sour Cream Apple Squares |
Barbara S. Gibson Luella Maki |
| 1976 | Crescent Caramel Swirl Whole Wheat Raisin Loaf |
Lois Ann Groves Lenora H. Smith |
| 1978 | Nutty Graham Picnic Cake Chick-N-Broccoli Pot Pies |
Esther Tomich Linda Mowery |
| 1980 | Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie | Millicent (Caplan) Nathan |
| 1982 | Almond-Filled Cookie Cake | Elizabeth Meijer |
| 1984 | Country Apple Coffee Cake | Susan F. Porubcan |
| 1986 | Apple Nut Lattice Tart | Mary Lou Warren |
| 1988 | Chocolate Praline Layer Cake | Julie Bengtson |
| 1990 | Blueberry-Poppy Seed Brunch Cake | Linda Rahman |
| 1992 | Pennsylvania Dutch Cake and Custard Pie | Gladys Fulton |
| 1994 | Fudgy Bonbons | Mary Anne Tyndall |
| 1996 | Macadamia Fudge Torte | Kurt Wait |
| 1998 | Salsa Couscous Chicken | Ellie Mathews |
| 2000 | Cream Cheese Brownie Pie | Roberta Sonefeld |
| 2002 | Chicken Florentine Panini | Denise JoAnne Yennie |
| 2004 | Oats 'n Honey Granola Pie | Suzanne Conrad |
| 2006 | Baked Chicken and Spinach Stuffing | Anna Ginsberg |
| 2008 | Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies | Carolyn Gurtz |
| 2010 | Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups | Sue Compton |