A bake off is an in-store baking process using frozen dough and products to prepare freshproducts, i.e., fresh rolls, bread, doughnuts or other pastries.  Another way the term is used is through a service mark used for a contest in which cooks prepare their own recipes, usually of baked goods, and prizes are awarded for originality and taste.  In technology, it refers to the research process where competing technologies are compared and the product or service is then chosen.