The Nine Network has announced British television franchise The Great Australian Bake Off will hit Australia in 2013.

Ten home baking enthusiasts will be put through a series of grueling elimination challenges, baking a mouth-watering selection of cakes, pies, tarts, pastries, bread, biscuits and desserts, all in the hope of being crowned Australia’s Best Home Baker.

Executive producer Courtney Gibson said the series will not only inspire home bakers, but will also renew interest in the professional baking industry.

“If the upswing in sales of bakeware and baking ingredients in the UK during broadcast of the Great British Bake Off is anything to go by then we should see a similar impact in Australia,” Courtney said.

“On top of this, we hope the series might inspire a greater appreciation of the craft and skill of bakers and pastry chefs, as well as an interest in the science of baking itself.”

The show will feature a mix of old favourites as well as recipes that reflect the diverse culinary cultures of contemporary Australian cuisine.

“Finally there’s a TV series about baking itself, not just decorating, and thats really worth celebrating because baking taps into something very ritualistic and familar for many of us; it evokes a sense of home and identity, as well as a rush of nostalgia,” Courtney said.

“Our judges Dan Lepard and Kerry Vincent are learning new approaches and ideas from our contestant bakers, and vice versa, so we expect professionals watching the show will get something back in the same way.

“That open exchange of knowledge and experimentation and that sense of community is what makes the world of contemporary baking so inviting and interesting.”

The franchise began on the UK’s BBC TWO in 2010 and proved a ratings phenomenon with the series-three finale drawing its highest ever peak audience of 7.2 million viewers.

The US Network CBS has also just announced it will commission a full American series. The franchise created by Love Productions and distributed by BBC Worldwide has also been adapted in Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Poland, Ireland, Norway and France.