The 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest is Refreshed and Now Accepting Entries

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Calling home cooks across the country—it's time to put on your apron and get cooking. Your creativity in the kitchen could land you a spot to compete for $1 million in dough in the newly updated 47^th Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest.

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Original recipes may be submitted online at www.BakeOff.com now through May 8, 2014. The Bake-Off® Kitchens will evaluate all eligible entries and choose the top 100 recipes to compete at the 47^th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest Finals at the Omni Nashville Hotel on November 3, 2014. At the Contest Finals, a panel of judges will select the best finalist recipe in each of the four categories; all four recipes will then be placed online giving America the chance to vote for their favorite. The public vote will be combined with the judges' decisions to determine the $1 million dollar Grand Prize Winner of the nation's premier cooking competition.

Knowing busy home cooks seek recipes and ideas that are as easy to make as they are delicious, contest submissions must include no more than seven ingredients, not including table, kosher or plain sea salt, black pepper, water, cooking spray for pan treatment or dusting of flour to minimize sticking. Additionally, recipes must take 30 minutes or less to prepare, not including baking or cooling time.

"While food and kitchen trends have evolved since the very first competition in 1949, the Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest continues to showcase the best of the best in amateur cooking," said Shera Balgobin, Bake-Off® Contest Manager. "We are confident Pillsbury fans across the country will, again, wow us with their original recipe creations. And, since America will help select this year's grand prize winner, we can be sure the $1 million-winning recipe will be one home cooks are excited to prepare for their friends and family."

Sponsors of the 47^th Bake-Off® Contest include The J.M. Smucker Company, GE Appliances, Green Giant, The J.R. Watkins Company and Reynolds® Parchment Paper.

Four Categories to Enter
The first entry period, for recipe entries in the Simply Sweet Treats and Savory Snacks & Sides categories, is now open for entries and will run through March 27 (11:59 a.m. CDT), 2014.

• Simply Sweet Treats: These delicious desserts take the cake at a party; they're simply seamless to recreate in any kitchen. But don't let their ease fool you. These cookies, pies, tarts and bars will satisfy the most discerning sweet tooth.
• Savory Snacks & Sides: A get-together wouldn't be complete without the savory extras. It's those spectacular side dishes and breads, small bite apps, pinwheels, tartlets and more that take your gathering from ordinary to easy-to-execute extraordinary.

The second contest entry period, for entries in the Weekend Breakfast Wows and Amazing Doable Dinners categories, will be open from March 27 (1:00 p.m. CDT) to May 8 (11:59 a.m. CDT), 2014.

• Weekend Breakfast Wows: Savor weekend mornings with these simple rise-and-shine recipes like coffee cakes, pull-apart breads, fluffy egg bakes, flaky pastries, and breakfast casseroles, sandwiches and pizzas.
• Amazing Doable Dinners: Weeknight dinner wins are easy thanks to these reliable recipes. Tried and true family favorites such as pizza, flatbreads, pot pies and hand pies, sandwiches, wraps and casseroles will leave everyone satisfied so you can focus on family time.

Individuals who meet the eligibility requirements may enter as many original recipes in each category as they choose. The 100 finalists who are selected to compete at the Contest Finals in Nashville will each prepare his or her original recipe in a GE mini kitchen stocked with Reynolds® Parchment Paper and Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil, among other tools required to complete the dish.

Eligible Products 
Each Bake-Off® Contest entry must include at least two different eligible ingredients from the lists below, with at least one ingredient from List A and one from List A or List B. This year's contest welcomes several new eligible ingredients to the list including Pillsbury® Gluten Free Refrigerated Pizza, Pie and Cookie Dough, Jif® Almond and Cashew Butters, Jif® Whips Whipped Peanut Butter and Watkins Extracts and Spices. Detailed lists of eligible products are available at www.BakeOff.com and may change from category to category.

Primary List (List A)

• Pillsbury® Grands!® Flaky Layers or Homestyle Refrigerated Biscuits
• Pillsbury® Grands!® Jr. Golden Layers Refrigerated Biscuits
• Pillsbury® Grands!® or Refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls with Icing
• Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
• Pillsbury® Refrigerated Classic or Thin Pizza Crust
• Pillsbury® Refrigerated Bread Sticks
• Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crusty French Loaf
• Pillsbury® Refrigerated Pie Crust
• Pillsbury® Refrigerated Cookie Dough
• Pillsbury® Gluten Free Refrigerated Cookie Dough
• Pillsbury® Gluten Free Refrigerated Pizza Crust
• Pillsbury® Gluten Free Refrigerated Pie Crust  

Secondary List (List B)

• Green Giant® Frozen Boxed Vegetables
• Green Giant® Seasoned Steamers
• Pillsbury BEST® Flour
• Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Jif® Peanut Butter
• Jif® Whips Whipped Peanut Butter or Peanut Butter & Chocolate Flavored Spread
• Jif® Hazelnut Spreads
• Jif® Almond Butter and Cashew Butter
• Crisco® Cooking Oil
• Crisco® Baking Sticks All-Vegetable Shortening
• Watkins™ Spices and Extracts

Awards
The 47^th Bake-Off^® Contest will award nearly $1.3 million in cash, prizes and trips.

Of the four Recipe Category Prize Winners named following the Contest Finals in November, one will be named the Grand Prize Winner and receive $1 million and $10,000 in GE kitchen appliances. The three remaining Recipe Category Prize Winners will each receive $10,000 and $3,000 in GE kitchen appliances.

In addition, the following special awards will be presented to finalists who are not named Recipe Category Prize Winners. Unless otherwise noted, the winner of each special award will receive a $5,000 cash prize.

• The GE Imagination At Work Award recognizes the finalist who has the most innovative recipe with $5,000 in GE kitchen appliances.
• The Jif® Peanut Butter Award recognizes the finalist who has the best recipe using at least ¼ cup of Jif^® Peanut Butter.
• The Crisco is Cooking™ Award recognizes the finalist who has the best recipe using at least one tablespoon of Crisco® Cooking Oil or at least one tablespoon of Crisco® Baking Sticks All-Vegetable Shortening.
• The Eagle Brand® Signature Recipe Award recognizes the finalist who has the best recipe using one 14-ounce can of Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk. 
• The Pillsbury® Gluten Free Award recognizes the finalist who has the best gluten free recipe using a Pillsbury® Gluten Free product.
• The Pillsbury® Clever Twist Award recognizes the finalist who has the recipe deemed by the judges as the most clever twist on a family favorite dish.
• The Watkins™ Vanilla Award recognizes the finalist who has the best recipe using at least ¼ teaspoon of Watkins Vanilla Extract.
• The Reynolds® Baking Magic Award recognizes the finalist who has the recipe deemed by the judges as the best dessert recipe made using Reynolds® Parchment Paper.

Each of the 100 finalists will win a trip to the Bake-Off® Contest in Nashville, Tenn., including airfare; a two-night stay at the Omni Nashville Hotel; daily event-sponsored meals; a GE countertop appliance (estimated retail value of $200); a choice of $100 in Pyrex or other World Kitchen products and $125. The approximate retail value of each finalist package is $2,000. Each finalist is eligible to win only one of the contest awards, in addition to the finalist package.

Contest Details
The Bake-Off® Contest is open to amateur cooks, ages 21 or older as of February 13, 2014 who are legal United States residents residing in one of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia at the time of the Contest Finals. All entries must be the original recipe of the contestant. The recipes will be judged on taste, appearance, creativity and crowd appeal. All recipe entries must meet the Contest requirements and only entries submitted via the electronic entry form provided on the website during the appropriate recipe category entry period will be accepted. Entrants must also be registered members of www.Pillsbury.com. The official contest rules are available at www.BakeOff.com and list the specific eligible products and the amount of each that must be used in a recipe entry.

The Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest began in 1949, and the first $1 million Grand Prize was awarded in 1996. Glori Spriggs of Henderson, Nev., won the $1 million Grand Prize for her Loaded Potato Pinwheels recipe at the finals of the 46^th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest, held November 2013 in Las Vegas.

About the 47^th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest Sponsors
General Mills is one of the world's leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries around the world. Its brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki, and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., USA, General Mills had fiscal 2013 worldwide sales of US $17.8 billion. Pillsbury products have been trusted by families to make meal times special times for more than 130 years. Favorite Pillsbury products include refrigerated cookies, crescent dinner rolls, breads, biscuits, pie crusts and sweet rolls as well as frozen biscuits, pie crusts and breakfast items. For product information and great-tasting recipes, visit www.pillsbury.com. Log on to www.generalmills.com for company information.

Few companies enjoy a heritage as rich as that of Green Giant. It all started 110 years ago in 1903, when the Crosby family created the first cannery in the rich valley of Le Sueur, Minnesota, where glaciers carved out some of the richest soil in the world. For generations, Green Giant farmers have been growing the best quality vegetables and freezing them quickly to lock in the freshness. That's how we've made our vegetables deliciously unforgettable for years, and made Green Giant a trusted household brand. For more information and delicious recipes, please visit www.greengiant.com, www.greengiant.com/giantdifference.

For more than 115 years, The J.M. Smucker Company has been committed to offering consumers quality products that bring families together to share memorable meals and moments. Today, Smucker is a leading marketer and manufacturer of fruit spreads, retail packaged coffee, peanut butter, shortening and oils, ice cream toppings, sweetened condensed milk, and health and natural foods beverages in North America. The Company's wide variety of iconic brands and products include such trusted favorites as Smucker's® jams, jellies, preserves, fruit spreads and ice cream toppings; Jif® peanut butter; Crisco® oils, shortening and no-stick cooking sprays; Eagle Brand® sweetened condensed milk; and Pillsbury® baking mixes, ready-to-spread frosting and flour. For more information and delicious recipes, please visit www.smuckers.com, www.jif.com, www.crisco.com, www.eaglebrand.com and www.pillsburybaking.com.

GE Appliances is at the forefront of building innovative, energy-efficient appliances that improve people's lives. GE Appliances' products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, water filtration systems and water heaters. General Electric (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter to build a world that works better. For more information on GE Appliances, visit www.ge.com/appliances.

Reynolds Consumer Products is a leading provider of quality household essentials that have been trusted for generations. Our Reynolds® and Hefty® brand products help with preparation, cooking, cleanup, and storage, making mealtime easier. Our namesake Reynolds® products include the iconic Reynolds Wrap^® Aluminum Foil; Reynolds® Parchment Paper, Oven Bags, Slow Cooker Liners, and Baking Cups; and Cut-Rite® Wax Paper.  The Hefty^® brand is best known for strong, dependable waste bags, but it's also a leader in slider bags, foam plates, and plastic cups. Our products are available in the U.S. at mass merchants, grocers, and other retail stores, and in approximately 90 countries throughout the world. For more information, visit www.ReynoldsKitchens.com and www.Hefty.com.

For more than 145 years, The J.R. Watkins Company has been creating superior products, utilizing only the finest ingredients. Generations of families have grown up on Watkins products, like our pure vanilla, which has been a baking mainstay for over 100 years. Watkins products include gourmet spices and extracts, personal care, and home care. The company is headquartered in Winona, Minnesota and manufactures all of its products in the U.S.A. To learn more about Watkins products visit www.jrwatkins.com. 

SOURCE Pillsbury