My quest to making authentic Bánh Mì is finally over! After so many trials I lost count, I’m super excited to finally share the recipe to make these super light Vietnamese baguettes! Let’s bake!
WHAT IS BÁNH MÌ
Bánh Mì is a Vietnamese bread that appeared during the French colonization, around 1880. French colonists brought bread as well as paté, coffee, crème caramel, yogurt, and more, influencing Vietnamese cuisine. Vietnamese tweaked the bread by filling it with paté, carrot and radish pickles, fresh herbs, and all sorts of meat. It is now considered one of the best sandwich in the world.
Bánh Mì, that translates to “wheat cake”, is the name of the bread itself, but also the filled sandwich.
So, what’s so special about bánh mì? The uniqueness of this bread is that it is extremely light. The inside is so airy it almost looks like candy floss, and the crust is super thin and crispy with visible cracks on it. Another difference is that, as opposed to other breads, this one tends to become soft and chewy the next day, it doesn’t really dry out.
To me, preparing a Bánh Mì sandwich starts with the perfect bread, French baguette just doesn’t compare. Traditional French baguettes have a much thicker crust and more crumb, so the weight to volume ratio is much higher. Bánh Mì is lighter (less crumb), making it easier to digest, and perfect to add a ton of fillings!
HOW TO MAKE BÁNH MÌ
I tried many recipes and I could not find a single one that gave a real bánh mì texture. Most so-called Vietnamese baguette recipes yield nice results but far from the ones I tried and loved in Việt Nam. After a lot of research, insane amount of trials, and invaluable help from Vietnamese friends, I finally nailed it! If you are looking for an authentic bánh mì that is as light as a feather, this recipe surely won’t disappoint.
What is the secret to getting this extremely light texture and thin crust? Well, there is not a single answer to that, it’s the combination of multiple things:
- A high hydratation dough. This dough contains more moisture than most bread dough. In fact, it’s so sticky you will need to work with oiled hands when handling the dough.
- A high protein flour: Aim for a wheat flour with about 12% protein. If you only have all-purpose flour (8% protein) on hand, don’t try this recipe as you will be disappointed by the results. The high amount of gluten allows the dough to get a light and elastic consistency, as well as a better rise.
- Bread improver: An essential ingredient, the addition of bread improver allows the dough to rise for a longer period, giving it a fluffier texture. I found mine online, but you may try asking a bakery if they can sell you some (they usually have it).
- The addition of vitamin C: It acts as a boost for the yeast. I used vitamin C powder, but you can use crushed vitamin c tablets.
- A high-speed kneading: For this recipe, you will need a stand mixer. We will run it at full speed to develop the gluten.
- A long rising time: You want to let your baguettes rise for at least two hours in a warm and humid environment. The baguettes will keep rising for the whole two hours thanks to the addition of the bread improver and the vitamin C.
- A lot of steam in the oven: This will allow the crust to develop cracks and stay thin and super crispy.
Do not omit or substitute any ingredient if you want the best results. And no, this recipe cannot be made gluten-free, sorry.
Quick note: Bánh mì dough doesn’t contain any rice flour nowadays, unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation about that (Wikipedia included). IT IS NOT the secret to its light texture, neither is the shaping/rolling of the dough. It’s all about what is listed above.
Equipment Needed
Before starting, you will need a few essential tools:
- A high-speed stand mixer: This one is a must, I would not recommend kneading by hand for this recipe.
- A perforated baguette pan: If you want round and good-looking baguettes, a baguette pan will definitely help. It also helps the heat distribute better, giving the baguettes a more uniform, golden brown color.
- A bread lame: For scoring the loaves before baking. You actually don’t need the handle, just a standard razor blade works well.
- A spray bottle: To spray the baguettes before baking.
- And a good oven!
Alright, let’s start! First, we add all the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer: bread flour, salt, sugar, bread improver, vitamin C, dry yeast, and water. Then knead on the highest speed for 7-8 minutes.
Once the dough his silky smooth and sticky, transfer to a greased surface and let it rest covered for about 20 minutes. Then, divide it into either six pieces of about 70g each or five pieces of 84g. I went with 70g as this seems to be the norm for most bánh mì in Việt Nam.
It’s now time to shape the baguettes!
For the shaping, I would recommend checking some videos like this one to get an idea of how to do it. There are different ways to shape your baguettes, you can slap the dough into a long trapeze, then fold it in half, flatten it, and then roll. Or, flatten the dough into a rectangle and then simply roll it. Don’t be too hard on yourself, the shaping will not have a huge impact on the overall texture of your bread. Try to do your best though, but don’t worry, it’s pretty forgiving once they rise as you can see below.
Next, place your little loafs of dough on a greased baguette pan. To proof, I recommend placing your pans in an oven at about 86°F (30°C) with a baking sheet or bowl filled with warm water to keep enough humidity. I had a lot of trouble at first with the baguettes developing a crust and drying out during proofing (a dry crust stops the dough from rising more). To prevent that, you want to cover your baguettes with a wet cheese cloth. Don’t use a kitchen towel as it’s too heavy and could prevent the baguettes from rising well.
After 2 hours, your baguettes should have almost quadrupled in size! Time to bake!
A lot of moisture in the oven is the secret to that thin crust. Preheat your oven to 475°F (250°C) with an iron skillet in the bottom. The skillet will retain a lot of heat, so when you will open the oven to bake your baguettes, it will come back to a high temperature more quickly.
Once your oven is at the right temperature, spray the baguettes with water and score at a 45 degrees angle using an oiled razor blade. Pour boiling water into the iron skillet to create a lot of steam, add your pans to the oven, and turn off the oven fan. By baking with no fan, we keep a ton of moisture inside the oven.
Be careful, DO NOT open the door of the oven during the first 15 minutes otherwise your baguettes will slightly collapse. See, the high heat and steam inside the oven makes the bread rise, but if you open the door before the crust has set, it will simply collapse and you will loose that super airy crumb. We won’t spray the baguettes with water during baking as there is already enough humidity.
After 16-18 minutes, remove your golden brown bánh mì from the oven, and let it cool. You should hear the sound of a crackling fire and see cracks appear on the crust within 5 minutes!
I’m so happy with how these turned out! The crust is so thin and crispy, and the crumb is incredibly light!
I would say the only thing I could not get perfectly right are the ears, I still need to work on my scoring skills. Other than that, these little bánh mì are so close to the real ones!
WHERE TO USE BÁNH MÌ
Bánh Mì, while served as a sandwich, is usually eaten for breakfast in Việt Nam, although you can have it anytime of the day. The vegan versions usually include vegan paté, mayo, pickles, some sort of vegan “meat”, Maggi seasoning, fresh cilantro, Thai basil, and many other add-ins like peanuts, crispy shallots, etc. Here are a few recipes and ideas on where to use Bánh Mì:
- Pulled Mushrooms Bánh Mì: If you want a super meaty and juicy sandwich, this recipe won’t disappoint!
- With Vegan Beef Stew or Vietnamese Curry: Dip a piece of bánh mì to soak up the sauce, yum!
- Grilled and drizzled with chili sauce, mayo, and green onions like in this Spicy Grilled Bread. This works best with 1-2 days old bánh mì.
- To make Vegan Roast Pork: in this recipe, we use the crust of the baguette to mimic the pork skin. The thin crust adds color as well as a nice crunchiness once fried.
- Anywhere else you would use bread!
I hope you will love these little baguettes! SO light and crispy!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe, and tag @fullofplants on Instagram if you make it!
How To Make Bánh Mì (Vietnamese Baguette)
Equipment
- Perforated Baguette Pan
- Bread Lame
- Spray Bottle
- Cheesecloth
Ingredients
- 170 ml water at room temperature
- 250 g bread flour (at least 12% protein)
- 1 tsp bread improver
- 3/4 tsp dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 + 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp vitamin C from powder or a crushed tablet
- 2 tbsp vegan butter for brushing
Instructions
- Add the water, bread flour, bread improver, dry yeast, sugar, salt, and vitamin C to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Mix on speed 2 for about one minute, or until everything is combined. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides if needed. Now, increase the speed to the maximum (10 on a Kitchenaid), and let the stand mixer knead at full speed for about 8 minutes. Keep an eye on it as it will move because of the speed.
- Using slightly oiled hands, transfer the dough to a greased countertop or smooth surface. The dough should be elastic and very sticky, that's normal. Cover the dough with a bowl upside down and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to its lowest temperature (about 86°F/30°C). If it cannot go that low, just turn the oven light on. Place a baking sheet filled with warm water in the bottom of the oven. Grease two baguette pans with an oiled kitchen paper towel and set aside.
- After 20 minutes, divide the dough into 6 balls of about 70g each. This is the regular size of banh mi, however if you want bigger baguettes, divide the dough into 5 pieces of 84g.
- To shape: slap a ball of dough on your greased working surface, then use your hands to flatten it into a thin rectangle. Next, roll it out into a roll of about 5-inch long (see photos and this video to get an idea of how to shape the baguettes). Transfer to the prepared baguette pan and repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
- Wet two lightweight cheesecloth and place them on the baguette pans, this will prevent the baguettes from drying and forming a crust. Place the baguette pans in the preheated oven and let the dough rise for about 2 and a half hours. Check after 1 hour and re-arrange the cheesecloth if needed (since the dough will rise, you might have to carefully remove the cheesecloth and replace it on top so it doesn't stop the dough from rising well).
- Once your dough has quadrupled in size, remove the pans from the oven but keep the cheesecloth on top. Preheat the oven to 475°F (247°C) and place an iron skillet in the bottom of the oven. This will help retain heat better. Let the oven preheat for at least 25 minutes.
- Boil about 3 cups of water. In the meantime, remove the cheesecloth and spray the dough with water. Using an oiled razor blade (or very sharp knife), score each loaf with 2-3 cuts. Tip: Hold the blade at a 45° angle (not perpendicular) and make cuts of about 1/2 cm deep.
- Spray with water once more. Now, place your baguette pans into the oven and pour the boiling water into the iron skillet. Immediately close the oven door and turn off the oven fan.
- Bake for about 17 minutes, or until the banh mi are golden brown. Do not open the door during baking. Once your banh mi have a nice color, carefully flip them upside down and bake for another 4 minutes, or until the bottom is golden brown as well.
- Remove from the oven and hear them crack! Some cracks should appear very quickly, that's one of the characteristics of a good banh mi. If you want them to have a nice shine, lightly brush them with melted vegan butter and let them cool a bit before eating.
- Banh mi are best eaten the same day, the crust is super crispy and the crumb so fluffy! You can keep them for up to 3 days at room temperature in a bread bag. They will become softer the next day, but you can reheat in a preheated oven to make them crispy again.
Hello, Thomas! I would love to try this bread recipe. I am will to buy the necessary supplies, like baguette pans, but I don’t have a stand mixer. Do you think I could knead by hand and get the same results?
Hi Molly,
I’m afraid you won’t get great results without kneading the dough at a very high speed. It’s what develops the gluten, allowing for a better rise.
Small correction, it is possible to develop gluten without the speed. it would be to double the time of kneading! So a good work out for your arms Good luck
I kneaded mine by hand as I have never used a bread maker. They were well risen and tasted good. Just fast knead for 8-10 minutes…. Tedious but worth it.
Hi Thomas,
looks great!
Have found mexican Bolillo much closer to Bahn mi that anything french.
Adding 40g gluten per kilo of all purpose will raise 8% to 12%
Dough improver is vit c (tightens the gluten) and all those -ase ingredients are enzymes digesting starch fiber etc feeding the yeast.
Can be replaced with a bit of sugar (inulin works too) and time.
Yeast makes its own enzymes. Slow down rise in fridge overnight for convenience.
Flavor compounds will have a chance to develop too.
A super tight roll up, stretching out dough and rolling with tension, will give a higher rather than wider bun if a special rack isn’t at hand.
Now I’m hungry for one!
Hi Pat,
Thanks! That’s right, Bolillo looks quite similar in shape, however I don’t find the texture very close to banh mi.
I have tried many ways, but without the dough improver I could simply not get the same airy texture, even when adding sugar or increasing the rising time. Vietnamese banh mi rise is done at 30-35°C (according to many videos of Vietnamese bakeries), they don’t seem to use a refrigerator.
Anyway, hope you will like them! 🙂
This looks fantastic! I’ll be trying it as soon as I get the bread enhancer nailed down.
I’m looking at how to either make some or buy a US brand (many of which, unfortunately, contain whey.) I see recipes for mixes of soy lecithin and or flour, vital wheat gluten, fruit pectin, ascorbic acid (already in your recipe) and other additives…even ginger powder.
Have you experimented with making your own?
Thanks Bev!
That’s correct, most bread improvers contain soy lecithin/starch, an emulsifier, and enzymes like amylase. I haven’t tried making my own as it would require buying all the ingredients separately and in larger amounts. If it can help, the one I use contains: starch, dextrose, emulsifier (E472e), anti-oxidant (E300), and amylases (E1100).
I made these today, after I mixed up my own bread improver from vital wheat gluten, soy milk powder, soy lecithin granules, pectin, ginger, and some vegetarian rennet. (Yeah, I had all these items in my pantry.) I only added 1 tsp. to the recipe. So, once I can verify that I have made baguettes to your specification, I’ll share those proportions.
The problem is with your instruction to turn off the oven fan. I said, “Hmmm….my oven doesn’t have that feature unless I switch from convection to regular. Does he mean shut the oven off and let the oven heat and cast iron skillet do the baking?” That’s what I did. Oops. Failure. So, I pulled the baguettes out (yes, they had quadrupled in size in about 2 hours) let the oven come back up to temperature and finished baking. So they aren’t perfect but they are edible. All this is to say, what do you mean by turning off the oven fan?
Regarding the oven, you definitely don’t want to turn if off. What I mean by turning the fan off is to put your oven on the mode where the heat comes from the top and bottom without ventilation. On my oven it’s called “Traditional” while the mode with the fan on is called “Traditional Pulse”. I think those modes are available on most ovens.
Hope your baguettes will turn out better next time Bev 😉
Hello again,
I baked another batch, and 475 was too hot. They were very, very brown after 15 minutes. I know my oven temp is correct because it was recently calibrated. I’ll try 450 next time. However….they did crack! Hooray!
I think the US is behind Europe as regards ovens (and cars!) My range/oven is one year old and a highly rated brand. It has Convection (the fan) and Bake (along with other fancy features.) We don’t have ovens with Traditional and Traditional Plus.
Well, each oven is different so you might have to adjust the temperature or reduce baking time a bit. Glad you had the cracks!!
We do have fancy features too on new ovens 🙂 Mine is not that recent, but I think what they call Traditional Plus is actually convection.
Would love to try this recipe but the link for the dough improver shows it is out of stock – any ideas for a substitute or replacement?
Sorry about that! You could try asking some bakery around if they can sell you some, or look online for another bread improver.
Thank you Thomas for this bánh mì recipe! I’ve been baking my own bánh mì for ages and the bánh mìs I’ve made are comparable to those at the bánh mì shops in Little Saigon, but those are nothing compared to these!
These can only be described as authentic Saigon style bánh mìs! Cottony light inside with a shatteringly crispy thin crust on the outside. I haven’t had anything like these since my childhood in Vietnam. Even back then, we only ate the crust and not the inside! That is precisely the reason why a good bánh mì is one that is feathery light with most of the weight belonging in the crust!
Since I didn’t have any bread improver, I improvised and replaced one for one some of the water with one tsp each of plain yogurt, oil, and dry milk powder. I also didn’t want to burn out the motor of my cheap non-KitchenAid stand mixer by kneading at the highest speed so I used the bread machine’s full dough cycle and only finished the last 4 minutes of kneading in the stand mixer at medium speed. 14 more minutes of kneading time compared to yours and the mixer was only slightly warmed. However, the finished dough did pass the windowpane test without any issues and the rolls rose up beautifully during proofing!
I only needed an hour and a half of proofing for the rolls to quadruple in size. So from start to finish, it only took me a little over two hours before I got to enjoy these awesome bánh mìs. Well worth the effort, and I successfully made these on the first try! This recipe is a keeper!
Thank you again for spending all the time researching this recipe and sharing it with us!
Luc
Thanks so much for your feedback Luc! I definitely wanted to make sure these were like the ones I had in Saigon, as you said the super light crumb is essential for an authentic bánh mì!
I’m glad you liked this recipe! 🙂
Made this three times to the tee every time and checked the yeast. All three times the dough didn’t to 4 times it’s normal size or while cooking. So the crust was great but crumb was to dense as the bread didn’t rise??? Soo frustrating Are you sure it’s only 3/4 teaspoon of yeast?!
Are you using a high-protein flour as well as the bread improver? Yes it’s only 3/4 tsp of yeast, and the crumb should be super light. Do you also let it rise in a warm place?
Yes to all
Then I’m not sure what went wrong. The ratio and ingredients noted on the recipe are correct and I tested this recipe times and times again.
Do you also keep the baguettes covered with a thin wet cloth? As if it dries out and forms a crust, it cannot rise well.
I’m gathering the ingredients to try this at home. My market has instant yeast or rapid rise yeast. Is there a specific yeast that you should be used?
Here, in Europe we don’t have those, so I just used regular dry yeast for bread.
I researched he different yeasts and my understanding is that active dry yeast is what I’m looking for here in the US. Active dry yeast shouldn’t require proofing before mixing with the dry ingredients. But I found that it’s necessary for this recipe. I used Fleishmanns yeast and tried one batch without proofing the yeast first and it came out dense and flat. So my next batch, I mixed the yeast in slightly warm water and let it proof for 10 min until the liquid foamed. Then I added the yeast to the rest of the ingredients for kneading. That allowed for the dough to rise. Maybe that was what your other reader, Ryan experienced.
To compare, I use the same yeast for pizza dough, it has a coarse consistency. It does also foam when you mix it with warm water, but doesn’t necessarily needs to be dissolved to work well. I hope you will have success with the recipe!
It came out great! I did not get the cracks BUT the crust is super thin and cruchy! This ones going into the saved recipe box!
Thanks for your feedback Elissa!
If you didn’t get cracks, it’s probably because there was not enough moisture in the oven (or on the loaves), maybe next time try to spray a bit more water.
Hello, I cannot wait for the dough improver to make these gorgeous little baguetts. So with that said. I do have the vitamin C (is it the same as citric acid)? Can I use vital wheat gluten in place of the dough improver? I am dying to make these things.
Hi Beth,
Since this recipe is not versatile, I would really recommend sticking to the same ingredients and process. I doubt vital wheat gluten will work well. Dough improver also helps the bread rise for a longer period of time, giving the bread a super light crumb. Gluten won’t do that.
Hi
Great recipe, I have tried different recipes over the years and this is the best. Very Light in texture, crunchy on the outside just as I rember them when in Vietnam years ago. I classed it 10 /10. Thankyou.
Hi Chris,
Thanks! So glad you liked this recipe! 🙂
Hi Thomas
This is a wonderful recipe for bahn mi, and have made them a few times now. Rolls are light fluffy and crispy on the outside. My only problem is they get quite high when they are proving and the skin on them is very soft, when I slash them with a razor they deflate. I have them in my oven at 30degrees with a moist cloth over them for 2.5 hrs, there is a dish of warm water underneath as well. It’s like they are very delicate. Any suggestions on how to have a more firmer skin on them whichay stopp them deflating. Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers
Chris
Hi Chris,
You’re welcome! Regarding your problem, yes, the bread very slightly deflate when you slash them but should puff back very quickly once you put them into the oven. If you want a “firmer” texture, I would recommend trying a different brand of bread improver, not all are equal. Some will make the bread rise for a longer or shorter period of time, some will give more structure to the crumb, etc. For information, most bakers of bánh mì in Viet Nam use the bread improver S500 Plus from the brand Puratos. In case you can get your hands on this one, you should get even better results.
Hi
I am not able to get the the crackle and cracks on the bread.
Do you pour boil water into skillet and immediately put in the bread pan middle section of the oven?
Also in the process of backing, air comes out of the oven tends to smell a bit sour.
Bread turns out still nice.
Hi Maria,
Yes, I usually quickly open the door of the oven, place the baguette pan and immediately pour the boiling water into the skillet (it sizzles). Regarding the sour smell I have never experienced that, I would guess maybe you are smelling the yeast, or some kind of odor from the iron skillet.