Montgomery County Kitchen: Quick And Easy Baguettes

Editor's note: Montgomery County Kitchen is a weekly series that features food and recipes from Montgomery County residents. To be featured, send your recipe, along with photos, background information and tips to jeffrey.perkins@patch.com.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX — It seems like everyone picked up a television show or two during quarantine and work-from-home in 2020.

Remember Tiger King?

For me, that was The Great British Baking Show (or The Great British Bake Off for you traditionalists).

From the hosts to the judges and contestants, I was hooked by the wholesome, competitive and hilarious nature of the show. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend it. For viewers in the United States, it's available on Netflix.

Great British Baking Show also helped me grow in one of my hobbies, baking. I never really dabbled in much outside basic desserts — cakes, cookies, brownies, the occasional pie — but the show gave me ideas for more savory bakes and the courage to try baking bread, something I had previously stayed away from out of fear that it was too complicated.

Now one of my favorite things to bake is a simple baguette, and my go-to method is from none other than Great British Baking Show host Paul Hollywood.

Baguettes are easy to make, and they go well in many things. They're perfect for a charcuterie board as well as a side for pastas and salads. I also recently used them to make banh mis, which came out amazing.

All you need is a square plastic tub, olive oil, bread flour, salt, quick-rise yeast, cool water and a linen couche or stiff tea towel. It also certainly helps to have a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. With two short rising periods, these baguettes can be made in under three hours, and you can have fresh bread on the table with dinner, especially on the weekend.

Here is the recipe I use, courtesy of PBS.