# Recreation of Vietnamese Banh Mi baguette - my tested recipe with stable successes



## EvillyChic (Apr 28, 2012)

Hi everyone,

 My name is Rose. I am new to the forum.

 I  would like to contribute a a Banh Mi recipe that I have been working  with for quite some time already. It has shown stable success: Super  airy loaves with crispy crust and moist little white crumb.

 Here is the ingredient list for recipe:

     160ml lukewarm water (around 35 degree Celsius)
     6g fresh yeast
     230g bread flour
     20g finely grounded rye flour
     20g sugar
     4g salt
     20g odorless oil such as sunflower or canola (or a mixture of 10g melted butter – 10g oil)
     ½ vitamin C tablet (100mg acid ascorbic per tablet)

 Anyhow, I have had great results with this recipe for quite some times already, and I am a Vietnamese. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 So, good luck with Banh Mi.

 I am new to all this blogging and online communities, so constructive  comments, recommendation and discussion are highly appreciated. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Thank you!

 Rose,


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## Greg Who Cooks (Apr 28, 2012)

Rose, you're doing very well for a beginner! I predict you'll have a very successful future in blogging and online if you continue to put as much energy into it. 

Your comments about adding ascorbic acid were interesting, I've never heard of that.

Also, I've never seen fresh yeast in the markets in US, although perhaps I just haven't been perceptive. I've always used the dried yeast that comes in packets.

Your bread looks and sounds delicious!


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## EvillyChic (Apr 28, 2012)

*Instruction detail for my recipe*

Hello,

Here  in this post, I would describe how I make Bánh mì in my own way,  which  suitable for home bakers, who share the same dream of conquering  this  challenge to successfully recreate the mysterious Bánh mì  baguette.

Below is how I make Bánh mì baguette. (6 loaves, 75g per loaf)
————————————————​*Utensils needed*


An electric mixer with dough hook attachment (recommended)
Clean bowls
A digital scale
A baguette perforated baking tray
A spray bottle
A double razor slashing lame (make one yourself like in this photo, I made mine that way, too)
 
————————————————​*Ingredients and Instructions*


160ml lukewarm water (around 35 degree Celsius)
6g fresh yeast
*Step 1:*   Dissolve fresh yeast into the measured warm water (Remember: warm  water  is needed to activate the yeast, do not use too cool or  hot-to-touch  water). Let sit for 5 minutes or so until there is bubble  on the  surface. This is a necessary step to check if your yeast is  still alive  and active. If the mixture does not bubble up after 5  minutes, discard  it, and make a new one, maybe this time with a  different yeast source,  or pay attention to the water temperature.

The fresh yeast is  usually packed in form of cubes (or cake as people  call it). Here is a  picture from the yeast cake I use in Finland, 50  gram per cube, able to  leaving 400ml of liquid in dough recipe.  You  can buy it in almost every  market here; it should be in the fridge near  to milk products, labeled  “Toure hiiva” – Finnish for fresh yeast. 

Personally,  fresh yeast is what I am always to use in making my Bánh  mì. I have  tried making it with different brands of dry yeast without  stable  success, so I just drop that and stick with fresh yeast.  Surprisingly  enough, my Bánh mì dough, when being made with fresh  yeast, comes out a  bit firmer and cohesive than when being made with  dry yeast (and Bánh mì  or other baking products baked with fresh one  has less yeasty smell. It  has been claimed that bread baked with fresh  yeast have superior  flavor, too.)  So just some more reasons why I  stick with my precious  little fresh yeast cubes in my bread baking. 

However, if fresh yeast is  not available, or you are not familiar with  it, try sticking with your  normal dry yeast because technically, they  should react the same way and  produce the same result.  So for this  recipe, if you wish to use dry  yeast, use 3g of dry yeast. If you wish  to use instant yeast, use 2g of  instant yeast. Just make sure that you  activate the yeast correctly  according the manufacturer instruction.


230g bread flour
20g finely grounded rye flour
20g sugar
4g salt
*Step 2:*   Mix all the dry ingredients in to a large mixing bowl. I use a   combination of bread flour and rye flour (8% of total flour weight)   because as I researched and experimented, rye flour does add some   advantages to my Bánh mì dough.

- Firstly, a small amount of rye –  5-10% of the total flour by weight –  has a definite effect on the  flavor of the bread. The distinctive  flavor of the rye itself may not be  noticed, yet the bread’s overall  flavor seems better. This may be due  to the action of the amylases in  rye releasing more sugars. This is  necessary for this bread because  originally, Bánh mì has quite plain  taste.

-  Secondly, dough with rye flour added often require a bit  higher  proportion of water than pure wheat dough. Therefore, even  though this  dough is 64% hydration, by adding 20g rye flour, the dough  is less  sticky and easier to handle.

- Thirdly, rye has more free  sugars than wheat, so rye added dough  ferments faster than pure wheat  dough. You can cut down the fermenting  time by adding bit rye flour into  the dough.

- Fourthly, this point does not have scientific  background though, by  adding a small amount of rye flour, I noticed that  the bread crust is  crispier than pure wheat loaves’. It’s almost like  hard flakes, which  resembling original Bánh mì’s crust a lot.

If  you don’t have rye flour in hand, simply just leave it and add the  same  amount of bread flour, meaning 250g in total. I used to use only  pure  bread flour with many successes too. 

NOTE:  The bread flour I use is semi-coursed 13% protein bread flour  (which is  normal and usable, because wheat produced in Europe tends to  have  higher protein percentage than in other regions). The rye flour I  use is  finely grounded rye flour.

I also add sugar in the recipe to  increase the complexity in flavor for  this bread since this is not long  fermented bread, the flavor can be  cut back quite deeply, and have to be  support by outside substances.  About salt, I use regular table salt,  nothing fancy about that.


20g odorless oil such as sunflower or canola (or a mixture of 10g melted butter – 10g oil)
*Step 3:*   Add oil or oil-melted butter mix into the dry ingredients bowl.   Usually, there is no oil in baguette recipe. But please do, in this   recipe. Oil will make the crumb moist and soft, resembling original Bánh   mì. In Vietnam, bakers use bread improver to increase the moisture in   the crumb, but I do not support any kind of addictive added to homemade   breads, so I recommend to stick with the oil. A mixture of melted  butter  and oil can create the buttery smell of the finish products, so,  use  this mix if you like your bread to smell like a bit more like  heaven  when it’s being baked and done.


½ vitamin C tablet (100mg acid ascorbic per tablet)
*Step 4:*   Crust ½ tablet of vitamin C into fine powder and sprinkle into the   mixing bowl, together with other ingredients.  Acid ascorbic creates an   acidic environment for the yeast that helps it work better. It also  acts  as a preservative & deters mold and bacterial growth. With  just a  touch of ascorbic acid, your breads, the yeast will work longer  and  faster. By adding this amount of Vitamin C as an improver, my bread   dough strength improves significantly; the loaves are also lighter,   airier, which make it a lot lot like Bánh mì in Vietnam. However, it   gets destroyed during baking, so no health benefits!

I  do not recommend using orange/lemon flavor fizzy tablets or Vitamin C   candy (even though they contain acid ascorbic), as they do not react  the  same way as pure acid ascorbic. Vitamin C tablets can easily be  found  in pharmacy shops and one small bottle of them can be use like  forever,  so if you want to conquer Bánh mì, the addition of acid  ascorbic is a  must.

*Step 5:* After your water-yeast mixture has bubbled up, add it in to the dry-oil-vitamin C mixture in the same mixing bowl.

*Step 6:*  Start combining all your ingredients first by starting  the mixer at low  speed until you achieve a mass. If your mass looks  wetter,  simply add more flour at 10g each addition. If you mass look  dryer,  simply add more water at 5g each addition. This can happen due  to  different flour type that you use, or because of the environment   differences such as humidity.

Use  the dough hook if you have a stand mixer like me. Some hand mixers  also  have a duo of dough hooks, which can also be used. Or if you make  bread  by hand, just create a well in the center of the mixing bowl, add  water  gradually when using your hand to in a circular motion to help  the  flour absorb the water, until you achieve a mass like above.

*Step 7:*  increase the speed to medium high speed if using  electric mixers. Stop  at 5 minutes interval to check the level of  gluten development in the  dough (a.k.a the strength of the dough). Here   is my dough at 13 minutes of mixing, fully developed gluten, that my  dough can be stretched out in to very thin, almost  see-through sheet.  Stop when your dough reaches this stage.

If  you are mixing by hand, fear not. Simply follow this slap and fold  (or  French method) technique demonstrated in this video by Richard  Bertinet.
The Technique: Sweet Dough with Richard Bertinet: Magazine Video : gourmet.com

You  can achieve the same result by applying this technique for 25 to 30   minutes. I must say it is not an easy exercise but many of you may not   know, kneading and mixing dough by hand is claimed to be the cheapest   and one of the most effective stress relieving therapies in the world.   Just imagine the dough as the face of someone or something that bothers   your right now, and BAM! BAM! BAM! … Phew, good for you.  You know  what I  mean, ahaha. Believe me, very effective. Been there, done that!

*Step 8:*  Shape your dough into a ball and let it rest in a  lightly oil container  for 1 hour or until double in size. This is the  bulk fermentation  stage, which let the dough rest for further gluten  and flavor  development. My apartment is always a bit cold, around 20-22  degree  Celsius inside, so my solution is that I cover my container  with a warm  damp towel, put it inside my oven, which light turned on  but no heat  applied.
*
Step 9:*  After the 1 hour bulk fermentation. Flip the dough out onto  your  working surface, which already oiled lightly also. It should come  out  very easily since the containing bowl was oiled. It will deflate a  bit  and that’s alright.

*Step 10:* divide the dough  into 6 equal parts, 75g each. Then  gently shape them into short  cylinders, like this. The them bench rest  for 10 minutes, covered with  plastic wrap.
*
Step 11:*  After 10 minutes rest; turn 1 ball on to the lightly oiled  surface. (As  I explain the previous post here, Bánh mì baguette shaped  on a lightly  oiled working bench, not by using excess flour). Stretch  it into very  thin sheet, like this. But not too thin that makes it tear  apart. Pay  attention to the edge of the dough sheet because it tends  to be thicker  than the inner part, keep the edge very thin. (Otherwise,  you will end  up with a bone-like shaped baguette)






Roll  the sheet very very tightly into a firm torpedo. You should feel  the  tightness of the torpedo, or else, it will not spring properly when   baked. Continue with the remaining balls. When finished, you have a  tray  like this.





*
Step 12:*  Mist the loaves with a spraying bottle a couple of time to  create the  needed humidity for the proofing. Let the tray go through  the final  proofing stage in a homemade proof box like this, in room  temperature,  for 1 more hour. Basically, it’s a big size black plastic  bag I found  somewhere in my apartment, clean thoroughly and let dry.

After 45 minutes of final fermentation, preheat your oven to it’s maximum temperature, in my case is 300 degree Celsius.

After 1 hour of final fermentation, your dough should reach this volume shown this the picture.





*
Step 13:*  At this stage, your oven should be preheated properly to  300 degree  Celsius. Your loaves have been proofed to the right stage.   You have to  make sure that your loaves have a smooth, not totally  dried-out but not  wet surface. If they are still wet outside, or stick  to your finger, you  should consider leaving it out in room environment  for like 5 minutes  to create a “skin” to your baguette.

Now it’s time for some  slashing. I used to have countless troubles with  slashing my baguettes.  But after viewing this wonderful video I open  up my eyes.

- Proper scoring/ slashing the baguette by Bread Hitz
Proper scoring of a baguette - YouTube

Here is how I perform my slashing:
- Stand vertically from the loaf, not horizontally; you are facing the loaf length-wise not height-wise.
- Hold the lame like holding a key to open a door.
-  The lame should be hold not perpendicularly with the loaf but at a   slight angles of about 30 – 45 degree. The cuts should not enter deeply   into the loaf, but rather making a lift right under
- Slashing motion is done with the entire arm, not just the hand.
-  Imagine dividing the dough into 3 equal strips length-wise. Your cuts   should all fall into the center trips but not across the whole loaf.
- Your cuts should be around 0.8cm deep, 5 cm long, with around 1.5cm overlapping with the previous cut.
-  After cutting the loaf, I pipe a small line of shortening/margarine   into the cut. When baking, the shortening or margarine melts leave the   inner part of the cut moister and more fragile than the outer crust,   therefore, if the loaves spring while baking, it will choice the weakest   point to rise up, which is the moistest part of the loaves.

Here is a picture of how my lashes look like.






These following steps are critical in the making of Bánh mì. So read the instruction first, and then follow them exactly.

*Step 14:*  Prepare your oven properly now. Check carefully if  there is any air  vents in the oven, if there is, cover the exit tightly  with a cool damp  towel. Mine have one but I did not notice for such a  long time, so you’d  better check, for the best.
Prepare 200ml of hot water. Boiling is best.

*Step 15:* Right after slashing your Bánh mì loaves, mist them generously with water from spray bottle.

*Step 16*:  Open the oven’s door, splash the prepared hot water  onto the oven  floor, and put your prepared baguette tray onto the  center rack, close  the door immediately. This is how I create steam for  my oven.
There are more ways to create steam for your oven. Feel free to explore all the possibilities.

*Step 17:* Turn down the heat to 275 degree Celsius. Bake with steam for the first 7 minutes.

*Step 18:*  Open your oven’s air vent (that previously covered by a  damp towel),  ajar your oven door for 1 minute by a wooden spoon to let  the steam  evaporate completely. Then close the door, reduce the heat  to 250 degree  Celsius and bake for 8 more minutes.

Turn your tray inside out if  needed for even browning. If your  baguettes brown too quickly or too  slowly, simply adjust the baking  time or the heat accordingly.

*Step 19:*  Turn off the heat, ajar the oven door, and let the tray  sit in the oven  for 2 more minutes. Then take them out and let cool  off for 5 to 10  minutes.

Here is picture of my finish products.





*
Step 20:*  Enjoy. You can see in this picture below that the bread  has almost  little white moist crumb. Perfect for adding layers of your  favorite  fillings in and eat them up. Nom Nom… 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	









What do you think?  What is your favorite Banh Mi recipes? Any comments and discussions are highly appreciated.

Thank you,


Rose


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## Greg Who Cooks (Apr 28, 2012)

EvillyChic said:


> Ingredients and Instructions
> 
> 160ml lukewarm water (around 35 degree Celsius)
> 6g fresh yeast
> ...



I will appreciate if you can explain what Banh Mi means. Your ingredients (other than the ascorbic acid) seem fairly standard for a baguette, and more or less for most breads. (Please note that I'm not an experienced baker.)

Also, I presume the ingredients listed makes 6 small loaves?

Again, you did a very nice and thorough job writing up your recipe!  I'm an Asian food enthusiast and I hope you'll post more Vietnamese recipes soon!


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## Josie1945 (Apr 29, 2012)

Hi Rose,
Welcome to DC.

Josie


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## EvillyChic (Apr 29, 2012)

*What is Banh Mi*

Hi, 

Thank you all. I feel very welcomed. 

Here is my definition of Banh Mi*:

* Bánh Mì or Bánh Mỳ (English pronunciation: /ˈbʌn ˌmiː/, Vietnamese  pronunciation: [ɓǎɲ mî]) is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread.  Bread was introduced into Vietnam by the French during its colonial  period. The Bánh Mì that I want to discuss about today is specifically  the Vietnamese baguette Bánh Mì but not any other type of bread. Bánh Mì  baguette is the most commonly found bread in Vietnam. It is a single  serving size baguette that resembles a torpedo, and usually more airy  than its western cousins, so as a result, has a thinner, crispier crust.


 Although the term ” Bánh Mì ” itself only refers to the Vietnamese  baguette without any fillings, the term is widely used also to describe  to a type of heavenly meat-filled sandwiches made from Bánh Mì. The  sandwiches made from Bánh Mì include various wonderful kinds of meat  fillings such as steamed, pan-roasted or oven-roasted seasoned pork  belly, Vietnamese sausage, grilled pork, grilled pork patties,  spreadable pork liver pâté, pork floss, grilled chicken, chicken floss,  canned sardines in tomato sauce, soft pork meatballs in tomato sauce,  head cheese, fried eggs (vegetarian version is tofu or seitan filling);  accompanied by vegetables such as fresh cucumber slices, cilantro and  pickled shredded carrots and daikon.  Spicy chili sauce, freshly sliced  chilly, Vietnamese mayonnaise, and soy sauce is normally used in Bánh Mì  sold by street vendors in Vietnam.


And yes, I intend to do more of Vietnamese cuisine, so keep in touch.


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## Whiskadoodle (Apr 29, 2012)

Thanks for explaining Bánh Mì.  I did indeed think this referred only to sandwiches,  not what the bread is.   We have several (many) Vietnamese restaurants in our community.   I am thinking of one in particular which makes the best sandwiches.  And no wonder-- It's a Bakery and makes the best breads!!  Crisp outside and has a light crumb inside,  just as you describe.  This is the part I got right-- one can not make a good sandwich unless starting out with a good bread.  

Thanks for your very thorough instructions.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Apr 29, 2012)

EvillyChic said:


> Bánh Mì or Bánh Mỳ (English pronunciation: /ˈbʌn ˌmiː/, Vietnamese  pronunciation: [ɓǎɲ mî]) is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread.  Bread was introduced into Vietnam by the French during its colonial  period. The Bánh Mì that I want to discuss about today is specifically  the Vietnamese baguette Bánh Mì but not any other type of bread. Bánh Mì  baguette is the most commonly found bread in Vietnam. It is a single  serving size baguette that resembles a torpedo, and usually more airy  than its western cousins, so as a result, has a thinner, crispier crust.
> 
> 
> Although the term ” Bánh Mì ” itself only refers to the Vietnamese  baguette without any fillings, the term is widely used also to describe  to a type of heavenly meat-filled sandwiches made from Bánh Mì. The  sandwiches made from Bánh Mì include various wonderful kinds of meat  fillings such as steamed, pan-roasted or oven-roasted seasoned pork  belly, Vietnamese sausage, grilled pork, grilled pork patties,  spreadable pork liver pâté, pork floss, grilled chicken, chicken floss,  canned sardines in tomato sauce, soft pork meatballs in tomato sauce,  head cheese, fried eggs (vegetarian version is tofu or seitan filling);  accompanied by vegetables such as fresh cucumber slices, cilantro and  pickled shredded carrots and daikon.  Spicy chili sauce, freshly sliced  chilly, Vietnamese mayonnaise, and soy sauce is normally used in Bánh Mì  sold by street vendors in Vietnam.



Thank you! I had assumed the French influence but it's far more interesting to hear the full explanation. I'll be looking forward to your future posts.


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## EvillyChic (Apr 29, 2012)

*French influence or not?*

Hi,

Definitely, Banh Mi was a result of the French influence, not to mention in general Bread eating culture in Vietnam. Far long ago, before the French colonial period, we Vietnamese lived solely on rice and rice product. Almost all the pastry and the cuisine we have used to be made of rice, or to be more specific, different kinds of rice like long, short, or sticky rice. 

When the French come, they brought one of their most famous bread - baguette and many more. Banh Mi itself first was Vietnamese "improvisation" of French baguette because back then we did not own the luxury of eating breads full-of-crumb (dense) bread. Furthermore, Vietnamese wanted to add their local food into Banh Mi as fillings, like pickled radish or herbs so 1 arrow for 2 birds. 

And the word Banh Mi itself is used widely for the sandwiches made from this bread and also the bread itself. In Vietnam, we distinguish these guys by adding the filling names behind "Banh Mi" to refer to the sanwiches, for instance, Banh Mi "pate" for the sandwiches made by Banh Mi, which have liver pate as filling, etc.

Thank you so much for your feedback and support. I am new to all this so I really appreciated it. 

Rose,


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## Bolas De Fraile (Apr 30, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> Thank you! I had assumed the French influence but it's far more interesting to hear the full explanation. I'll be looking forward to your future posts.


I agree GG, Ascorbic acid is from memory one of the few additives allowed by law in artisan French bread it improves the yeasts performance.


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